Bread Maker

I'm struggling to find a good bread maker for the boat. I thought my requirements were simple:

1) Horizontal loaf suitable for sandwiches,
2) No big holes in the bottom where the paddles have to be dug out, and
3) Bake in the bread maker, so I don't need the oven.

My theory is, I can fire it up underway, using the inverter, and have fresh bread when I get to the anchorage. No need to run the genset.

I have an older bread maker that makes a ridiculous, tall loaf that might be useful if the bottom half of the loaf wasn't torn to shreds getting the kneading paddle out.

I've been looking on line, and the reviews for the machines with folding paddles aren't great. They scrape the non-stick coating off the bottom of the pan, or the hinge in the paddle itself sheds non-stick coating. Sometimes they don't fold down, and even if they do there's still a good-sized dent.

One brand actually beeps to tell you when to remove the paddle before the last rise, which sounds like a workable compromise. But that model only has one paddle, and it makes a sort of squarish loaf, not as long as the 2-paddle models.

At this point, I'd be interested in hearing some real-world experiences from other cruisers.

We gave up on bread makers years ago they are a gimmick. We now purchase pre cooked frozen bread and keep it in the freezer then 15 minutes in the oven fresh hot bread

Bread makers are great. I use the same model at home as on the boat, a Panasonic SD 2501. The one on the boat is newer and the non-stick is really good, with the single paddle staying in the bread maker when the loaf is tipped out. So a paddle shaped hole in the bottom of the loaf, but no gouge/hole! It is 230VAC, and uses approx. 23 Ah to bake a single loaf.

I invariably make the medium sized loaf, which is as high in the centre as it is long but the height is not an issue for me. The ends tend to be the same height as the width, so good for regular sized sandwich. The middle slices can be cut in half to avoid a too-large sandwich. This size loaf is still easy to cut with the folding electric bread slicer I have on board, an essential extra to the breadmaker in my view.

One of the tricks to good bread is good ingredients and this is my supplier: https://basicingredients.com.au/index.php/home-baking.html

I used to have a bread maker but I loved the bread so much it became a diet issue for me. I had to get rid of it. Apparently 2 loaves a week is not good for one's waist line.


Go figure.

GFC said:

I used to have a bread maker but I loved the bread so much it became a diet issue for me. I had to get rid of it. Apparently 2 loaves a week is not good for one's waist line.


Go figure.

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Does this mean that after I retire as a letter carrier I won't be able to get away with eating 3 to 4 loaves a week, or the nightly bowl of ice cream in my hands at this very moment?

GFC said:

I used to have a bread maker but I loved the bread so much it became a diet issue for me. I had to get rid of it. Apparently 2 loaves a week is not good for one's waist line.


Go figure.

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Yup... wife makes a delicious cinnamon raisin bread that I use to make a killer french toast. Can't do that too often. But I digress. Ours does leave a little indent where the paddle was. Those couple of slices are used for toast!

Ours is an Oster 5838. Mrs. Phyrcooler says there are fancier ones, but she is very happy with this one.

Edit: Oh... and quality ingredients are the key, especially if you are trying to make a lighter textured whole wheat, and not a BRICK!!

You can't go wrong with the Zojirushi BB-CEC20. It's a wonderful machine and has been rated as one of the best bread machines available.

https://www.zojirushi.com/app/product/bbcec

I have a Zojirushi bread maker on the boat, it is the smaller one that makes a 1 lb loaf. They are a high quality appliance made in Japan, I liked it so much I also bought one of their electric grills, it does a better job grilling steaks than anything else I've used.


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I have two Zojirushi appliances. A 23 year old rice cooker and a 21 year old bread maker. Never thought about a bread maker on board, but it sure makes sense on a longer trip.

I like that mine makes 1 lb loaves, it's small and easy to store on the boat and the bread is gone before it can mold or go bad because of the lack of preservatives. Giving homemade bread away to friends and newcomers on the dock is always appreciated.


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Google "make bread on the BBQ". Been doing it for years, works great.

The Admiral makes bread on the boat the old fashioned way, mixes rolls waits smacks rolls and bakes. Yumm!

....

very tacky

boatpoker said:

Google "make bread on the BBQ". Been doing it for years, works great.

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Speaking about making bread on the BBQ here's a pic of a loaf of rustic sourdough bread I recently baked in my gas Weber BBQ grill:



And for those who don't have a BBQ on board here's a loaf of sourdough bread that I baked in a stove top oven (I made the little oven for around $7.00)





And, for those interested, here's a video about how I made the little stove top oven:

NOTE: You can't see it in the video but there's a small round bread/baking stone that goes inside the little oven. If you look at the still photo of the bread baked inside the little oven you can see the bread/baking stone in that photo.

I agree that Zojirushi models work great. Probably, nobody couldn't harm me to eat shop bread.

Thanks for giving this thread a bump. I've been so distracted by autopilots I haven't had time to dig back into bread maker research.

That article Petty posted is typical of what I found. They put a lot of weight on the number of programs. Many fawn over the ability to make gluten-free bread. Since I'll probably only ever make a few different kinds of bread, and nobody in my family has Celiac disease, these "features" aren't at the top of my list.

The two things I care most about are the shape of the loaf, and the ragged, gaping hole the paddle(s) leave in the middle of it. I love fresh bread of any shape, but if you want to make sandwiches, you sort of want regular shapes with no missing parts.

Petty said:

I agree that Zojirushi models work great. Probably, nobody couldn't harm me to eat shop bread.

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Welcome to the forum!

Ted

Google for no kneed breads, dough, etc.

I saw a recipe years ago, started playing the technique and have not kneed dough since. The recipes are wetter than doughs that require kneeding. Instead of working the dough, you just let the time kneed the bread for 8 or 12ish hours or over night.

We have not used the bread maker or stand mixer to make bread in years.

I bought some cast iron bread pans to preheat in the oven, then add the dough and bake. For a round loaf, I use the cast iron dutch oven.

Later,
Dan

dannc said:

Google for no kneed breads, dough, etc.

We have not used the bread maker or stand mixer to make bread in years.

Later,
Dan

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Same here. I've been making this new ( to me) recipe for sandwich bread. Great bread and less time waiting...plus the dough stays great in the ref for weeks, ready to make a loaf whenever you want.

No-Knead Sandwich Bread Recipe on Food52

I remember a quote from one of the cooking show hosts saying he dislikes appliances and tools that have a single purpose. I think a bread maker would fall into this category.

We bought one for our home years ago but eventually gave it away because it didn't get used enough for the space it took up. I would think it would be even less appropriate for a boat unless you have a very large boat.

Have you considered baking bread in your oven (assuming you have one)?

We just buy bread at the store. We don't use a lot, it's not that good for your health.

The oven isn't much of an option because I'd have to run the genset the whole time it was pre-heating and baking. I can let the bread maker do it's thing while underway, powered off the inverter. I opened up some additional stowage in the galley by removing an old TV/VCR that a PO had installed, so I have the room.

As for health, I never bought the Atkins diet theory. Lots of evil things in our modern diet are probably killing us, but bread has been a staple throughout human evolution. Some say it actually drove that evolution.

WesK said:

I remember a quote from one of the cooking show hosts saying he dislikes appliances and tools that have a single purpose. I think a bread maker would fall into this category....

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That was ol' Alton Brown. I liked his cooking show. Twas back when cooking shows showed how to cook and where not reality shows that are not reality.

Later,
Dan

dannc said:

That was ol' Alton Brown. I liked his cooking show. Twas back when cooking shows showed how to cook and where not reality shows that are not reality.

Later,
Dan

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Yeah, but Gordon Ramsey!

CaptTom said:

The oven isn't much of an option because I'd have to run the genset the whole time it was pre-heating and baking. I can let the bread maker do it's thing while underway, powered off the inverter. I opened up some additional stowage in the galley by removing an old TV/VCR that a PO had installed, so I have the room.

As for health, I never bought the Atkins diet theory. Lots of evil things in our modern diet are probably killing us, but bread has been a staple throughout human evolution. Some say it actually drove that evolution.

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Bread is not good if one has high blood sugar. Of course, many boat staples like rice and noodles are not good either.

You are correct about evil things in our diets but fortunately, modern medicine has kept up so they can often cure the things our bad diets create.

As for the oven, I understand. We have propane so we can bake underway if we want to. Probably not a cake though.

dannc said:

That was ol' Alton Brown. I liked his cooking show. Twas back when cooking shows showed how to cook and where not reality shows that are not reality.

Later,
Dan

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Some of the cooking shows on PBS are pretty good. America's Test Kitchen for one.

WesK said:

Bread is not good if one has high blood sugar. Of course, many boat staples like rice and noodles are not good either.

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An unfortunate generalization. It depends on the bread you choose. Wholewheat and other less refined grain breads are far better than high GI white bread often seen in the diet of those with diabetic conditions.

WesK said:

Some of the cooking shows on PBS are pretty good. America's Test Kitchen for one.

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Yep, and I have subscribed to their magazines for years. Julia Childs old cooking shows are out on the Internet and they are a hoot to watch. She could be very funny, the shows have numerous mistakes both from her, production, the camera operator and noise in the background This just made the show real. AND she shows you how to COOK!

Some of the other PBS cooking shows are ok but then some are too showy. I saw one show about BBQ that seems to be a series but I have only see one or two episodes. The guy was showing his various BBQ rigs HE HAD MADE! One program had him BUILDING the BBQ from an old propane tank. They showed him cutting up the tank, he had properly filled the tank with water, and then started cutting. The program showed him cutting and welding until he had the finished BBQ smoker. You don't see THAT on Kitchen Stadium!

Later,
Dan

I have not tried to bake on the grill but one should be able to bake bread in a dutch oven on a grill or on the stove top. Our bread maker made ok bread but the best bread, with the best crust, is when using the dutch oven and the oven. Using the lid on the dutch oven keeps in the moisture/steam which helps develop the crust.

Using the grill would keep the heat out of the boat.

I pretty much stopped making bread with white flour. Whole grain seems to last longer and a single slice is incredibly filling.

Later,
Dan