Bread Machines

Bread machines-- you either love them or you don't. I adore mine. In fact, I love mine so much that I bought 2 more when they went on sale. When my kids were small, one loaf of bread was enough to last a few days. Now I need 2 loaves a day, at least.

My wonderful bread machine that is almost 10 years old is still going strong. (It is a Black & Decker.) However, I was worried that I was working the poor thing to death. I went out looking for one on sale to run at the same time as my old one and I could have my 2 loaves a day at the same time.

Well, thanks to a half-price sale I actually bought 2 more. Now I can do 1 batch of 3 loaves at the same time and then put the machines away. I absolutely loooooooove it!

Even with the investment of buying the machines, I save a ton of dough (pun intended) by making my own bread. Or should I say, I save a ton of bread by making my own dough (pun intended.)

Does anyone know how money came to be called both bread and dough?
My 17-year old daughter knew that dough also meant money but didn't know that bread also meant money. Do you have to have lived through the seventies to know that money was called bread?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I personally think that bread machines save me a ton of time and the convenience is just priceless.

Yes I do make bread dough by hand sometimes. But most of the time I simply don't have time to do so.

I use my bread machine(s) to make fresh bread, and to make dough. With the dough I sometimes make bread loaves baked in the oven. Mostly I use the dough for pizzas, cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, hotdog buns, bread sticks, bagels, pizza pops, ad infinitum.

I also make quick breads in my bread machine, and apple crisp. But I don't make these as often as I make bread or bread dough.

I love that I can set the ingredients in the pan when I go to bed at night and wake up to fresh baked bread for breakfast.

I love that I can make a loaf of bread at the drop of a hat instead of having to go to the store for some. Besides, mine tastes better.

I love that I can add oats or mashed potatoes or flax or milk powder or eggs or whatever I want to my dough and decide what we eat in our bread.

I love that I am not feeding my family any preservatives in their daily bread.

Do you love your bread machine too?

Over the next few days I will share some of my favorite bread machine recipes.