I'm SOOOO tired of paying $3 or more a loaf for tasty and good 100% whole wheat bread and I hear on here all the time that you can make a loaf for less than a $1 if you have a bread machine.

Is it really worth it? Can you really control your calories better and make healthier bread at home? We don't eat a ton of bread, mostly b/c it's bad for you and expensive... but maybe I would if I had a machine.

Any suggestions on models / brands for bread machines out there for people on a budget? We're living on one income right now to save for a down payment on a house... so lower end models (that are good) would be greatly appreciated!

Also--- anyone have a 1. Good 100% whole wheat recipe
2. Any other tasty and HEALTHY bread recipes?

I don't use a bread machine for my bread - I have a kitchenaid stand mixer, so I just use that for the kneading portion and let it rise and bake on its own. It IS cheaper to make your own bread (by a lot) and controlling the ingredients is nice, but I wouldn't invest in a breadmaker if you're not really sure you're going to use it often.

I'm of the Alton Brown school of appliances and kitchent tools - no one-trick ponies! A bread machine just..makes bread. A stand mixer is invaluable, and also takes care of the one bread-making task that takes a lot of time and would make a bread machine useful.

I have a bread machine that I never use. The bread just isn't that good. (Disclaimer: we have an older machine, but at the time it was a highly rated model.)

If you don't eat a lot of bread, I'd skip the machine. I suppose if you can pick one up for next to nothing at a garage sale or the Salvation Army it might be worth it; then again, there's a reason why bread machines tend to end up in garage sales! If you really want to save $, it doesn't take all that long to make 3-4 loaves of bread by hand (freeze for later use), and it's kind of fun.

Just my opinion.
Kim

Check out the book, "The Best Bread Ever" by Charles Van Over. It's a good introduction to making simple bread relatively easily. You don't need a bread machine--just a good recipe book and a mixer/food processor.

yeah, we have like ZERO counter space in our apartment, so a stand mixer was not an option. Come to think of it, I don't know where I'd put a bread machine either!!!!

Is making bread by hand (kneading it) worth it? I'd really only make wheat pizza dough and wheat bread... that would be it...

I have one. I use the dough making function a lot. We make our on pizza dough. I can program it to start at a certain time so it is all done with whatever kneading and rising times are needed before we get home.

I have made bread in it. I've forgotten my brand. It makes the loaf standing up so you have a poof on the top. It looks funny.

I'd search the garage sales and thrift stores. Just make sure it works. Make them plug it in for you and test the functions.

I have to agree with the others about the stand mixer. We use that also. You just can't preprogram a time on my Kitchenaid.

Go to the library or check all over the web for some recipes. You can always lighten up some of the ones that you find. You don't need to use butter. You can use Smart Balance or olive oil instead. You can cut down the sugar or use Splenda. That is if nobody who will eat the bread has a sensitivity to Splenda or the other subs. I can't use it because boobalah has a sensitivity.

I have a bread machine, and I use it for making bread in advance - like if we're going somewhere in the morning and I want to bring a fresh loaf with. I set the timer, pop in the ingredients, and at 6AM I have a warm loaf, lol.

I do most of my baking by hand. It's a great stress reliever. I beat the crap out of the dough when I knead it...makes me feel sooo much better on a stressful day!

I have a bread machine, but I haven't been happy with it recently so I wouldn't recommend it. My friend has a really nice one and she loves it. I'll ask her what make/model it is. I make my own bread every week and use the recipes that came with the machine. There is also a book I bought with other recipes in it, but I'm at work and so I can't tell you what it is right now! I also make pizza dough and rolls (make dough in machine, then bake) with my machine as well.

I got my bread maker for $5 at a yard sale, and don't use it often. I would recommend looking for a used one. I haven't found a recipe for whole wheat bread that's low cal enough for me to use for everday bread yet. The calories are comparable to Pepperidge Farm breads, I think, and I have a 50 cal/slice whole wheat bread that I buy at the store for $2 a loaf for sandwiches. If you can find one inexpensively, it won't cost a lot for you to experiment.

Allrecipes.com has a ton of bread machine recipes. If you just google "bread machine recipe + whole wheat" or whole grain or whatever, you'll get a lot of recipes.