Best Bread Makers

Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus sits at #1 in the S tier of our consolidated board, ranked across independent research runs over current expert reviews. The combination of brand reputation for quality and direct recommendation places this at the top.

Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker - BBM800BSS ranks #2 (A tier). Ranked “Best Overall” by The Spruce Eats and praised in Food & Wine for its precise temperature control, sturdy build, and excellent crust. Warranty is 1-year with responsive support; no major failure reports in the first three years.

Our research places Panasonic Compact Bread Maker, Russell Hobbs Bread Maker (RH-BREAD), Russell Hobbs Bread Maker (budget variant), Lakeland Bread Maker - LK-BREAD in the bottom tiers (D/F). Compact size with solid results; best for small kitchens.

A bread maker is a small oven with a removable non-stick pan and a kneading paddle in the base. You add the ingredients, choose a program and the machine mixes, kneads, rests the dough, lets it rise in the warm chamber and then bakes it in the same pan. Better machines control the chamber temperature through each stage, which is why the Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker - BBM800BSS is praised for precise temperature control and the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus for its advanced kneading and proofing system. The paddle usually stays in the loaf, so expect a small hole in the bottom.

A standard white or wholemeal program takes about three to four hours from start to finish. Most machines also have a rapid program that finishes in under two hours, at some cost to rise and texture. Dough-only programs take around 90 minutes and hand you the dough to shape and bake yourself. A delay timer lets you load the pan at night and wake to fresh bread, as long as the recipe has no milk, eggs or fresh dairy.

Zojirushi and Panasonic are the two brands reviewers trust most on our board. The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus leads on build quality and a brand known for longevity, and the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso is still noted for proven durability as the older model. The Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker earned a top score for consistency from RTINGS and a best value rating from Good Housekeeping. Breville also scores well: the Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker - BBM800BSS has no major failure reports in its first three years.

A well built machine lasts many years, and the parts that wear are the non-stick coating on the pan and the paddle. On our board the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus and the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso are both praised for durability, and the Hamilton Beach Digital Electric Bread Maker - HB-BREAD is reported to hold consistent loaf quality over three years. At the other end, the Russell Hobbs Bread Maker (budget variant) has motor failures reported after 18 months and only a six month warranty, and the Lakeland Bread Maker - LK-BREAD has a short-lived kneading blade and parts that are hard to source.

The common complaints on our board are uneven crust, dough sticking to the pan and inconsistent kneading. Uneven crust is reported on the Hamilton Beach Digital Electric Bread Maker - HB-BREAD, the Panasonic Compact Bread Maker and the Russell Hobbs Bread Maker (RH-BREAD), where a single blade is blamed for uneven baking. Motor failures and inconsistent kneading are reported on the Russell Hobbs Bread Maker (budget variant), and unreliable temperature control on the Lakeland Bread Maker - LK-BREAD. Machines with a dual blade and precise temperature control, such as the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus and the Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker - BBM800BSS, avoid most of these problems.

Most machines bake a one, one and a half or two pound loaf, and a two pound loaf feeds a household of four for a couple of days. Larger machines are heavier and take more counter space, so measure before you buy. Compact machines trade capacity for footprint: the Panasonic Compact Bread Maker is best for small kitchens but has limited loaf volume. Zojirushi machines bake a long rectangular loaf that slices like shop bread, which matters if you want sandwich slices.

Yes for both, with limits. Gluten free bread needs a dedicated program that skips the second knead and rise, and most modern machines on our board include one. True sourdough with a wild starter needs a long, cool rise that standard programs do not allow, so most people either bake a sourdough-style loaf with added yeast or use the dough program and bake in a regular oven. Machines with customisable programs, like the Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker - BBM800BSS and the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, give you the most room to adjust timings.

Use instant yeast, sometimes sold as bread machine yeast, because it does not need proofing in water first. Active dry yeast works but rises more slowly, so use a little more. Strong bread flour gives the best rise because of its higher protein, and plain flour produces a denser loaf. Keep yeast away from salt and liquid in the pan until the machine starts mixing, especially when using a delay timer.

Let the pan cool, then wash it and the paddle by hand in warm soapy water, never in the dishwasher, to protect the non-stick coating. If the paddle sticks in the pan, soak it for ten minutes rather than forcing it. Wipe the inside of the chamber and the heating element with a damp cloth once crumbs build up. Never submerge the machine body.

Skip a bread maker if you bake less than once a week, since it takes counter space and a cheap loaf is a small saving. Skip it too if you want crusty artisan loaves with an open crumb, because the enclosed pan makes soft, even, sandwich-style bread. If you already own a stand mixer and an oven, the dough program is the only part you would use. If you do buy one, choose the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus or the Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker - BBM800BSS over anything in D or F tier.