Compare the Best Bread MakersNovember 2018

A bread maker, as the name suggests, is a machine that allows for the easy baking of all different types of bread. Bread makers usually consist of a rectangular box, with a removable baking tin into which the ingredients are added. This is then placed into the machine, and a program controls the mixing, rising and baking of the bread. They dramatically cut down on the work required to make high-quality bread, meaning it's easier than ever to bake it in your home!

Bread makers are primarily differentiated by their capacity. The bigger the bread maker, the larger the loaves it can bake. Some smaller machines can only bake loaves around 500-600g, while larger models can bake loaves as big as 2-3kg.

Programs

Nearly all bread makers will come with some form of programs already set up on the machine. These provide easy ways to make specific different types of bread - from standard slicing loaves, to French bread, doughnuts, pizza bases, cakes and buns. Many machines also allow you to specify the crust of your loaves - you can set it to light, medium or dark depending on how well-cooked and crispy you prefer your bread.

Some bread makers will allow you to create custom programs, so you can experiment with different recipes. They may also contain extra programs for non-bread cooking - such as making risotto, soup, pasta sauce, and even jam!

Finally, if you frequently find yourself short on time, and need to bake some bread quickly, it may be worth seeking out a bread maker with a fast bake program. While it doesn't create a loaf as high-quality as the longer settings, this mode can create a full loaf of bread from scratch in under an hour - perfect if you need some quick bread for dinner, or are running to a tight schedule.

Programs

Nearly all bread makers will come with some form of programs already set up on the machine. These provide easy ways to make specific different types of bread - from standard slicing loaves, to French bread, doughnuts, pizza bases, cakes and buns. Many machines also allow you to specify the crust of your loaves - you can set it to light, medium or dark depending on how well-cooked and crispy you prefer your bread.

Some bread makers will allow you to create custom programs, so you can experiment with different recipes. They may also contain extra programs for non-bread cooking - such as making risotto, soup, pasta sauce, and even jam!

Finally, if you frequently find yourself short on time, and need to bake some bread quickly, it may be worth seeking out a bread maker with a fast bake program. While it doesn't create a loaf as high-quality as the longer settings, this mode can create a full loaf of bread from scratch in under an hour - perfect if you need some quick bread for dinner, or are running to a tight schedule.

Timers & Pre-programming

One of the large benefits of bread makers over standard hand baking is that they contain a timer for baking the bread. You can schedule the bread to be ready for exactly when you want it - the machine will automatically start baking at the correct time. This is especially useful for breakfast - simply load up the machine with ingredients before you go to sleep, set the program to finish when you wake up, and you’ll have fresh bread waiting for you at breakfast!

Fruit/Nut Hopper

Some more advanced types of bread maker contain separate hopper for additional ingredients to be added to the bread, such as dried fruit or nuts. When used in a program, these ingredients are gradually introduced to the dough during the mixing stage, allowing the nuts or fruit to be mixed consistently through the dough. With this addition, it's easy to create delicious specialty loaves such a walnut loaf, dried cranberry bread, or Greek black olive bread!

Bread Maker Prices

The price range of bread makers is from £27 to £240 and in total we found prices for 42 bread makers. On average, a new bread maker costs £106 and 80% of bread makers are priced between £48 and £200. The most expensive bread maker that we found is the Panasonic SD-ZX2522 at £240, and the cheapest is the Kenwood BM450 at only £27.

Bread Maker Brands - Price Range

Flama bread makers start at £239 and their most expensive bread maker costs £239. The highest average bread maker price out of all brands is Flama bread makers with an average price of £239.

Sage bread makers range in price from £190 to £190, and the average price of Sage bread makers is £190 which is the second highest average price of all bread maker brands.

Gastroback bread makers range in price from £187 to £187, and the average price of Gastroback bread makers is £187 which is the third highest average price of all bread maker brands.

Bread Maker Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 20 expert reviews and 8,268 user reviews for bread makers available online and used this information to evaluate the average rating for each brand of bread maker.

Biggest Bread Maker Retailers

We found 33 current offers for bread makers from Amazon UK making it the biggest bread maker retailer. That is significantly bigger than the second biggest retailer, eBay for whom we found 27 current offers for bread makers. The third biggest retailer is ao with 9 current bread maker offers.

When Are Most New Bread Makers Released?

January to March is the most common period for new bread makers to be released in. If you want the latest bread maker technology you may be best waiting until January 2019. It's also worth keeping in mind that the price of the current bread makers tend to drop off when the next models are released. The biggest month last year for new bread maker releases was March, with 11 new bread makers released that month. In 2016 most new bread makers were released in September, with eight new bread makers released that month. January was the biggest month in 2015 for new bread makers, with 15 new bread makers released that month.

How Fast Do Bread Maker Prices Drop After Release?

In the first 6 months after release, bread makers drop in price by 1% on average. That means that on a typical bread maker costing £106 you could save on average £1 by waiting 6 months before buying.

Maximum Bread Weights

'Maximum Bread Weight' is the largest weight of bread that can be made in your bread maker.

The maximum bread weights of bread makers range from 450g to 1.6kg. The maximum bread weights of most bread makers range from 900g to 1kg. The bread maker with the biggest maximum bread weight is the Sage BBM800BSS, which is a 1.3kg loaf size bread maker and is available at £190.00. The Panasonic SD-ZX2522, which is on sale for £239.99, has the smallest maximum bread weight and is a 566g loaf size bread maker.

Auto Programs

'Auto Programs' denotes the amount of built in programs that your bread maker will come with. These allow for the easy creation of everything from loaves and rolls to more specialist types of bread, and even non-baking foods like jam or risotto.

The auto programs of bread makers range from 3 to 37. The auto programs of most bread makers range from 11 to 15. The Panasonic SD-ZX2522, which can be purchased for £239.99, has the most auto program and is a 37 auto program bread maker. The Unold 68425, which is priced at £104.70, has the least auto program and is a 6 auto program bread maker.

Available Colours

The most common colour amongst new bread makers is White. We found 40 bread makers that are bread makers that have a White coloured. The second most frequently found colour amongst new bread makers is black. We found 22 bread makers that are bread makers that have a black coloured.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Bread Makers?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying bread makers. For each retailer it shows the total number of bread makers where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying bread makers. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 22 of their bread maker prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Bread Makers for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for bread makers by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of bread maker prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's bread maker prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 81.5% of their bread maker prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.