"Nick Cramer" wrote

> My daughter buys a lot of bread, mostly whole grain, for herself, hubby
> and
> 3, 5 and 7 year olds. I'd like to buy her a bread machine. Easy to make
> good bread (and maybe other stuff) with, easy to clean and not too
> expensive (I'm 74 and on Social Security and a small pension).They live
> with my wife and me.

Hi Nick. How much were you looking to spend? To an extent, you 'get what
you pay for' with breadmachines but thats not always true.

Zorashi's are expensive but generally worth it if you need a high powered
very flexible machine.

I just bought a replacement machine at Amazon.com, the Cuisinart CBK-100.
This is a better more reliable machine than their CBK-200 (which also costs
more). I've made 2 loaves and am happy with it's performance. It isn't
'super fancy' and it would be an easy starter machine. The recipe book that
comes with the CBK-100 is not huge but has samples of just about anything
I'd make. They also have a low-carb section which matches your diabetic
needs.

I also have a Breadman Ultimate TR2500. (Long story why I have 2). They
are reliable but the little screen is very hard to read unless you are right
over it. There are no replacement paddles but by suprise I found the
Cuisinart CBK-100 paddle fits (but doesnt come back off, an advantage if you
don't mind the hole and have ever lost a paddle).

I agree with the others that posting on your local Freecycle or checking
your local 'Goodwill' etc types of places is a decent idea. A used machine
should be 20$ or less. At freecycle, it's FREE but unless you live in a big
city, the cost to drive to pickup may be more than you want to spend (or you
may not have a local freecycle).

> Although I have diabetes and mostly eat dark rye now, when I made
> sourdough, I could easily eat a loaf a day. Now, I could at least taste
> what she makes.

Grin, you will love it! Used machine or new, either way you'll find out
fast that home made even if in a machine, is much better than store stuff.
It has another bonus in that it's normally 1/3 the price as well. Since
there are no preservatives, (most of us think that is a bonus) it will not
last as long if left out of the fridge, but you can always freeze it or just
refridgerate it. (Mine's always in a plastic container on the counter so I
find depending on type, it will mold in 4-6 days if not eaten up but it's
been my choice to keep it on the counter, not a flaw in the process).

How's this for an idea? I made a nice Dijon mustard bread with a little rye
last night. It's a 2 lb loaf. I'll render it to *costs* (but have to use
USA$ and I seem to recall you are an OZ person? We meet elsewhere in other
groups).

The prices are approximate:
15cents white flour
20 cents rye flour
10cents dijon mustard
1cent dry asian mustard
10cent honey
0cent salt (Sorry, too small an amount to calculate)
3cent yeast
-------
59cents ingredients- 2lb loaf. One of my *most* expensive ones
20cents electric- very rough estimate, probably 10cents reality

Get the picture? Grin, yup. Now, I have seen dijon mustard bread at the
store, and it's usually a 1 lb loaf for $4.99. It's also not as good as my
own and you don't get the fun of smelling it baking.

Here's the one downside and I left the rec.food.sourdough group in as they
may have better answers. Breadmachines do a fine light rye or pumpernickle
but they arent optimal for sourdoughs. It 'can be done' but isn't a native
process for it. What you can do is knead the dough in the machine though by
loading a standard mix for a sourdough and let it do that part.

Carol, alt.bread.recipes poster