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These top picks will turn anyone into a baker, no experience required. automatic bag inserter machine
Few things in life feel as indulgent as a homemade loaf of bread, but the energy needed to bake one by hand is tough to find. You’ll need the right tools, a trustworthy and dependable recipe, and a proper place to store it for freshness. What to do when you’re craving a hot, crusty slice of bread but can’t muster up the effort to bake one? You turn on your bread machine.
Despite what the intricate scoring patterns you see on sourdough boules across Instagram may lead you to believe, baking bread doesn’t have to involve a complex understanding of fermentation. There’s nothing wrong with using instant or fresh yeast instead of tending to a sourdough starter, and you don’t have to invest in a costly baking vessel either, especially if you’re working with a proper bread machine.
The best bread machines make it feel almost easier to bake a loaf than not to, with options for various sizes and the ability to make everything from whole wheat bread to sourdough at the press of a button. Our favorite bread maker, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, has a whopping 15 settings and makes a horizontal two-pound loaf. We tested — and then retested — an assortment of bread machines to bring you the best in home baking. These are our choices for models that require no baking skills and yield consistently fluffy, crusty, delectable loaves of bread every time.
This machine produces consistent results and has so many settings it could almost be considered a home baking center.
Because it makes horizontal loaves, the machine is a bit bulky.
You may know Zojirushi for its stellar rice cookers or just as an excellent Japanese kitchen brand; it makes stellar bread machines, too. In fact, you can bake up everything from sourdough to banana bread — and make jam to accompany it — in our overall best pick, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Bread Maker. Horizontal in shape, it creates two-pound loaves that have the standard appearance of fresh-baked bread, rather than the vertical shape that many bread machines produce. We were also highly impressed with the consistency of the bread it turned out during our testing, and it even has a narrow viewing window to keep track of your loaf throughout the baking stages.
We found the dual-paddle kneading system valuable for thorough mixing, which helps develop gluten structures for an airy crumb. The programmable cycles of the Virtuoso Plus make controlling each stage (kneading, rising, baking) nice and simple to adapt from one recipe to the next as well. It can bake a cake, as well as ferment a sourdough starter, and it has settings for bread free of salt, animal products, or sugar. This Zojirushi also excels at the process of baking itself, turning out evenly baked loaves with lovely golden crusts. Plus, the nonstick baking pan makes for easy cleanup across the board. You will have to make sure you've got room on your countertop and in your wallet for this somewhat large and pricey machine, but if you do, it's definitely worth the splurge.
Dimensions: 10.5 x 18 x 12.88 inches | Style: Horizontal | Loaf size: 2 pounds | Settings: 15
Keep your bread warm or whip up a batch of yogurt with this low-priced bread machine.
On the smaller side, it won’t make loaves sufficient for a family.
You get a considerable amount of functions for a small price with this Amazon Basics bread machine, which can create everything from gluten-free bread to a French loaf. During testing, we found the instructions to be clear, and we appreciated its ability to make specialty loaves such as whole wheat and gluten-free bread.
We also found this machine's smaller size to be an easier fit for anyone who doesn’t have a large kitchen, and we thought cabinet storage would be quite viable. We did have to add extra time to the banana bread with this machine for it to be baked through, and we didn’t find it to be as nonstick as some other models.
Dimensions: 11.7 x 5.6 x 11.5 inches | Style: Vertical | Loaf Size: 1.5 and 2 pounds | Settings: 14
Lightweight and easy to maneuver, this machine makes excellent banana bread.
Though this bread machine can make sourdough, it didn't perform the best in that application.
As its name implies, Cuisinart’s Compact Automatic bread machine makes quick (and simple) work of turning dough into beautiful loaves of bread. Designed to produce loaves in a variety of sizes, this machine offers additional flexibility by including 12 pre-programmed options, a 13-hour delay-start timer, a keep-warm function, and settings that allow you to bake various types of bread. We also appreciated all the options to customize loaves, including the crust color, allowing you to control whether it came out light, medium, or dark.
It was our favorite for banana bread, making it a fabulous choice for anyone who enjoys quickbreads. The banana bread came out moist and dense, with a heavy banana flavor, which we loved. However, it fared less well for sourdough, yielding a loaf with a darker bottom than the top and a gummy texture. Despite that shortcoming, we did like how light this bread maker is, especially in contrast to some of the others we tested. Plus, it doesn’t take up too much space. We also found the machine's included instructions to be straightforward, as well as the cleaning.
Dimensions: 10.25 x 13.25 x 11.25 inches | Style: Vertical | Loaf Size: 1, 1.5, and 2 pounds | Settings: 12
This bread machine can make unusual items, like pasta dough, and automatically adds mix-ins, such as fruit and nuts, at the right time.
It would benefit from an additional paddle for large loaves of bread.
Anyone with a hankering for getting exactly what they love, just the way they love it, will fall for the Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker. It was our favorite out of all of the machines we tested for recipe customization. The manual details every customization at length so you’re fully prepped on how to use it, and then the machine itself is incredibly intuitive to work with. Able to make all the staple loaves of bread, from a crusty loaf to a sweet one, it also lets you make pizza, pasta dough, and jam.
The manual specifies which type of paddle needs to be used (there are two included for collapsible and regular kneading), and a progress indicator lets you know how things are going along the way. We also appreciated that it adds mix-ins automatically, rather than just ringing a bell when it’s time for you to add them manually. The machine's intuitively placed basket, oven light, and backlit buttons only add to the Breville’s functionality. What's more, its design is easy to use and attractive, with a bread basket that is simple to put in and an outside handle that stays comfortable to the touch while in use. While this bread machine is on the larger side, all of its parts can be stored internally. And with 100+ recipes in the included instructions, you won’t get bored with this Breville!
Dimensions: 7.17 x 16.22 x 10.75 inches | Style: Vertical/Horizontal | Loaf Size: 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 pounds | Settings: 13
It’s small in size, can control crust color, and easily fits in a cabinet.
It’s not as easy to clean as others we tested.
We loved Zojirushi’s Home Bakery Mini, enjoying everything from its comprehensive instructions to the delicious bakes it produced. For a little machine, this bread maker has loads of features. You can bake non-bread items like cake, as well as choose between two crust colors and make multiple types of bread. We appreciated how much more compact it is than most others we tested, due to its “mini” status, but it can still bake up a full pound loaf of bread.
We thought the instructions could be more detailed, however, and we noticed that it’s slow for making sourdough. We also experienced some smoking during our tests due to flour getting too close to the heating element. That said, a damp towel took care of the cleaning, and the paddles did not stick to the loaves. We also liked that it managed to stay very quiet throughout the process — not to mention how evenly it distributed the ingredients. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned baking pro, this is an ideal bread machine for small spaces or anyone who wants fuss-free baking on a small scale.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.25 x 12.25 inches | Style: Vertical | Loaf Size: 1 pound | Settings: 8
Our favorite bread machine overall, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, is on the pricey side, but it's worth it for a person who will use their bread maker with some frequency. It turns out gorgeous, evenly-cooked loaves with perfectly soft, golden crusts, and its versatile presets and delayed-start timer make it easy to set it and forget it. If you're looking for an equally versatile machine with a smaller footprint, we also loved the Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini.
Food & Wine / Will Dickey
After researching the different options on the market, we selected 21 bread machines (14 vertical and 7 horizontal) to evaluate in our lab. We tested — and then retested — our chosen models after researching and analyzing the overall functionality and features of each one. During our tests, we looked to discern which bread machines behaved optimally for the breadth of their settings, how intuitive the usage process was, and what the experience of cleaning was like. We used a combination of our own bread recipes and ones that came with the machines, and we focused on the performance consistency for both.
In our first round of testing, we evaluated each bread machine by making classic white bread, looking for ease of release, a fluffy crumb, and a consistently golden crust color. We tracked how well, or not, the machines kneaded dough and how loud in volume they were when doing so. We also took into account what the overall experience of making bread would be like for various ability levels, from beginner to experienced baker. We made banana bread in each round of testing we performed and looked for the same qualities, but we also took note of whether the machines had an automatic add-in functionality.
Food & Wine / Will Dickey
Unlike our first round of testing, we added a sourdough test to our most recent lineup. Sourdough bread, with its fermented nature, is notoriously trickier to get right than a basic loaf of white bread, and it challenged some of the machines. After the sourdough was baked, we then analyzed everything from the texture of the crust to the size of the crumb. Once sliced, we tasted each loaf for red flags, like gumminess, in addition to desirable features, such as a tenderly chewy interior.
Finally, we cleaned each machine according to the manufacturer's instructions, observing how much dough or baked bread was left behind on the paddles, whether there was any flour scattered throughout the machine, how difficult it was to take apart, and whether its parts were dishwasher-safe.
Food & Wine / Will Dickey
Bread machines come in many shapes and sizes, however, they are usually oriented either vertically or horizontally. A horizontal machine will make the long loaves of bread most of us are accustomed to, and they are a great option if you have the space for them. They’re typically bulkier than vertical machines, which can make them more difficult to store. A vertical machine usually takes up less space, but the loaves it produces may be more short and square than what you're used to. It doesn't usually make much of a difference when it comes to taste, but it's something you might want to consider when shopping for your very own bread machine.
Choosing the best bread maker is a matter of knowing yourself and your needs, like how big you need your loaves to be. Some machines only produce loaves of one size, whereas others allow you to produce various sizes. So, knowing how big (or small) you prefer your bread size is important. Loaf sizes can range anywhere from around 1 pound to 2.5 pounds. And as a rule, the bigger a loaf it can produce, the larger the bread machine is likely to be.
If you are short on counter space, you may want to look into a smaller model that you can easily store away in your kitchen cabinets. But if space is no object and you're a frequent baker, a bigger machine could stay out on your countertop with no problem. Your choice should be based on how many people the bread you’re making will feed, and how much storage space you have for a bread maker.
Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore
Not all bread machines are created equal, and since home bakers want different things from their appliances, that may be okay. The machine that delivers 10, 1-pound gluten-free loaves a year may not be the same bread maker that makes the best 2-pound whole wheat loaf once a week. Are there specific automatic settings you’d prefer your bread maker to provide, or do you want to be able to tweak the kneading and baking period to meet the needs of your own recipes? These are all features to take into consideration when choosing the best bread machine for you.
If you want the option to make many different types of bread, as well as non-bread items, a machine with many different features is key. However, that’s less important if you’re okay to just focus on bread. Some machines come with pre-programmed settings that allow you to simply put in the ingredients and push a single button, while others are more suited to customizing your loaf. If those types of features are important to you, then you'll want to pay close attention to what settings your machine offers and whether or not they can be adjusted manually. Machines that have a range of customization options are a better bet if you’re picky about elements like your crust color.
Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore
All bread machines have kneading paddles involved, as that’s how they perform the basic functions of mixing and kneading the dough. Some machines have only one paddle, while others (less commonly) have two paddles that work simultaneously. If you’re able to spare the storage space for a machine with two paddles, they usually provide the most even baking results possible.
Lastly, how hard is it to clean the bread machine and all of its accouterments? Does it require disassembly, and are all of the pieces hand-wash only? These days, there are many bread machine models that come with dishwasher-safe parts; however, there are still plenty that don't offer that convenience. You should also consider which parts of the machine are removable and which ones aren't, as that will affect how thoroughly you can clean them.
Overall, we found bread machines quick and easy to clean. Most parts only require a quick wipe-down with a damp cloth, although there might be a few that require a bit of soaking if they're covered in sticky dough. Overall, knowing how much time and effort you wish to commit to cleaning your machine is important when looking to make an investment in a countertop bread machine.
Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore
Like our favorite air fryers, waffle makers, and pasta machines, bread machines are universally convenient; even the less-than-ideal versions save time and effort over working from scratch. All in all, bread makers are less dependent on the ambient temperature of your home (or the weather outside) to rise dough successfully, which takes some of the chance out of being the baker of your family’s daily bread. They also mitigate mess and tend to be very efficient.
They can even save you money over time (see Is it cheaper to make my own bread? below). Then there’s the timeless and hard-to-quantify reward of a home filled with the warm, yeasty scent of freshly baked bread and the satisfying taste of melting butter against a warm slice just from the oven.
Bread machine flour has a higher protein content, which means it also has a higher gluten content. The increase in protein strengthens the dough and allows it to rise more easily, and the increased gluten creates a chewier loaf. If you do choose to use all-purpose flour, you may need more of it to reach the percentage of protein (and gluten) necessary to make perfect loaves.
While many people prefer bleached all-purpose flour, the increased protein of other forms of flour produces tastier and healthier loaves. Be sure to examine your bread maker’s manual or contact the machine’s manufacturer if you have additional questions.
While you can use regular active dry yeast in a bread maker, bread machine yeast and rapid-rise yeast are specially prepared to become active at a quicker pace than active dry yeast. They are made specifically to be used in bread machines and for other quick-rising bread recipes.
There is also the issue of active dry yeast needing to be activated in water before use. In contrast, bread machine yeast and rapid-rise yeast can be mixed in directly with other dry ingredients, making them much more simple to use with bread machines.
The short answer is yes, but there are some caveats. You can definitely make sourdough in a bread machine, though not very well in all of them. Some machines even have a setting for making sourdough starter. However, sourdough is a notoriously finicky bread. If you are used to making it by hand, you may find yourself unimpressed with the lack of customizable options, such as hydration level, in a machine.
What's more, you will likely need to adjust your recipe to make sourdough bread in a bread machine, and the final product may not achieve that thick, crusty boule you're used to. Sourdough bread has to be made with a sourdough starter as opposed to traditional yeast, which can make its rise time unpredictable. So, if you have a machine without customizable programs, it will be more difficult for you to use it to make sourdough. However, if your bread machine allows you to adjust the length of time your bread spends in the rise cycle, you may be in luck. But it will still take a bit of trial and error.
You need a bread machine with a gluten-free bread setting to make the perfect gluten-free loaf. Many machines now offer that option as a standard feature. And provided you use the correct setting, you should be content with the results.
This can be a result of not kneading bread thoroughly enough, but most often, it is from not using the proper kind of flour. Higher protein flour produces taller, lighter, and chewier loaves. Also, keep in mind that allowing your bread to rest for three hours after baking gives the starches in the bread a chance to settle in a bit and can produce tastier results.
Depending on flour prices, the average loaf of homemade bread can cost around $2 to make. When compared to high-quality store-bought loaves, this can represent solid savings over the course of a few months. What baking your own bread doesn’t save, however, is time. For busy people who cook at home daily, this won’t feel like a pinch. But for people who opt for convenience due to habits and busy schedules, making a staple like bread at home can quickly become a frustrating task.
There aren't many drawbacks to using a bread machine, but one big one is that bread machines can only bake one loaf at a time. If you’re used to baking more, that could be frustrating. Additionally, they bake around the kneading paddle, which means there is always a hole somewhere in the loaf (usually the bottom).
Food & Wine / Will Dickey
Breadman 2-Pound Professional Bread Maker ($280 at Amazon) This machine is well-engineered, from its solid construction to its industrial, stainless steel design. But despite its luxury feel, we found that its performance was too inconsistent for it to rank higher on our list.
CUSIMAX 2-Pound Bread Maker ($110 at Amazon) The CUSIMAX produced a great loaf of white bread, and we loved how easy its recipes were to follow. However, it seemed to struggle with other types of bread and didn't do a great job of fully incorporating the dry ingredients into our banana bread loaf.
KBS Large 17-in-1 Bread Machine ($190 at Amazon) We loved how easy this machine was to use, including its automatic add-in feature and its straightforward display and settings. However, due to the lackluster loaves it produced, we were not as impressed by its performance as we were by some of the other machines on this list.
tray former Hamilton Beach Digital Bread Maker (View at Amazon) Inexpensive and easy to use, we love this machine for beginner bakers. It has 12 settings and you can choose from three crust colors. Previously our best value pick, it has since been discontinued by the brand, so we can no longer include it in our list of top picks.