It's a favourite appliance of mine, next to the coffee maker, both in
usefullness and on the counter. I wouldn't be without it.

It takes me about 15 minutes to put the ingredients in, and then just forget
it 'til it's done.
It probably saves a bit on power over a conventional oven, too, because of
volume, but that also is minor.
Time saving? Well, I can only say I don't have to watch or time it for
rising, kneading, or finishing. 'Course I don't get the options to change
those items, either.
I like it.

"Brian Christiansen" > wrote in message
...
>I recently put together a toastmasters group presentation about making
>bread. While I was puting it together I got to wondering if a bread
>machine truly saves time.
>
> The bread certainly does not rise or bake any faster in a bread machine.
>
> If you use a bread machine, you do not have to knead the bread, and that
> saves about 10 minutes, but at least some of that savings is countered by
> having to get the bread machine out of and back into storage, unless of
> course you have the counter space to keep it set up all the time.
>
> If you make bread by the sponge method, the sponge has to be started the
> day before the actual baking (or at least that is the impression that I
> get from several of the recipes that I looked at - I have never used that
> method), but it isn't like you have to sit out in the kitchen watching the
> sponge develop.
>
> Also the impression that I get is that the development of the sponge is
> what develops the flavor, and whether the kneading method is by hand or
> mechanical in a bread machine or whatever really does not make that much
> difference (though opinions seem to vary on this as well), but like with
> the straight dough method, I dont think it really saves that much time.
>
> Brian Christiansen
>