We Tested 20 Bread Machines by Making Over 60 Loaves of Bread—Three Proved They Were the Best (2024)

Bread machines are a convenience appliance, and even though some models advertise settings for making jam or kneading pasta dough, they serve one main purpose: to produce freshly baked bread in just a few hours and with very little hands-on work. For many home cooks, it's appealing to add your ingredients, press start, and, a short time later, lift out a fresh loaf without having to knead or turn on the oven.

To find which bread machine met our standards for high-quality loaves, we tested 20 popular models to see which ones were the simplest to use, easiest to clean, and above all else, made great-tasting bread.

The Winners, at a Glance

This machine was spot on with its mixing, kneading, stretching, and proofing, baking up pillowy soft white breads and hearty rye loaves. We appreciated its dual paddles and rectangular pan shape, which delivered easily sliceable (and sandwich-friendly) loaves.

Even with its more compact size, this model from Cuisinart still produced well-mixed, perfectly proofed 2-pound loaves. It had built-in rest periods during kneading that allowed the dough to hydrate fully, helping to contribute to good gluten development and nicely risen loaves.

The Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini takes up less countertop and cabinet space without sacrificing bread quality. Even in its smaller form, it still offers many different settings for a variety of bread styles (like Quick Baking and French Bread), making it both convenient and versatile.

The Tests

• White Bread Test: We made a loaf of white bread from each machine’s recipe bookletand noted how well each model mixed, kneaded, proofed, and baked the loaf.
• Rye Bread Test (Top Models-Only): We followed the recipe for our Bread Machine Rye Bread to see how each machine could handle a standardized formula.
• Usability and Cleanup Tests: We evaluated each bread machine’s settings and display and how easy it was to assemble the paddles and pan. We assessed how easy it was to clean, including the inside of the machine.

How Bread Machines Work

A bread machine consists of a square or rectangular pan, a rotating kneading paddle that sits in its base, and a heating element that wraps around the inside of the machine and radiates heat towards the pan. After you add ingredients and press start, the paddle mixes and kneads the dough. The heating element turns onto a low setting, too, which helps it rise. Once the proofing cycle is complete, the heating element then kicks into high gear to bake the dough.

Most manufacturers have a specific order in which you add your ingredients to make sure that the instant yeast doesn’t prematurely activate, Usually, recipes call for wet ingredients, then flour, then the other dry ingredients added to an indent you make in the flour to keep them dry. This is important for delayed bread cycles so the yeast doesn’t hydrate and start fermenting, but if you’re starting a cycle right away, it’s not a huge deal if the yeast gets wet.

What We Learned

Bread Machines Were Similar In Design, but Unique in Programming

Most of the bread makers we tested had a surprisingly similar pan, kneading paddle, and heating element. There were some clever design elements—some machines had a foldable paddle that would lay down automatically after mixing to avoid leaving big holes in the bread. Others, like the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, had a unique second heating element in their lids to promote browning the tops of the loaves.

What set each bread machine apart was its settings. We appreciated the “rest” cycle in the Zorijushi models which allowed ingredients to warm up before they were mixed. We also liked the pauses in the Cuisinart’s kneading cycles, which let the dough fully hydrate and build stronger gluten strands. It was these subtle differences that helped our winners edge out the competition.

Proper Rise Wasn’t Guaranteed

Bread machines might seem magical, but proper rise isn’t guaranteed. Yeast is a living organism, and its ability to leaven bread requires the right moisture content, temperature, and fuel. Yeast that performs well in some loaves might not do so well in others, due to improper mixing, varying proofing temperatures, or the starting temperature of the water being used.

Because of this, even a high-performing machine can produce a sub-par loaf from time to time. When making bread by hand, a baker can check the dough consistency and rise mid-proof in order to make adjustments, but with an automated bread machine cycle, you just have to try again.

What to Do If Your Bread Comes Out Dense

Your recipe ratios may be off. Dense bread is often the result of a too-dry dough. A good place to begin troubleshooting is by using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients: That way, you won't accidentally add too much flour. Too much kneading can also cause overdeveloped gluten and dense bread, so you may need to play around with cycle lengths. And make sure your yeast hasn't expired!

Two Paddles Were Better Than One

The only winning bread machine we tested that had two kneading paddles was the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, which proved necessary due to its elongated pan. The dual paddles immediately incorporated all ingredients, kneading them well, and even functioned as a dough shaper: during proofing, the paddles would rotate back and forth, stretching the dough to fill the pan fully. The result was a perfectly shaped loaf of white bread with a textbook dome and soft crumb.

The Breville and Breadman bread machines also had rectangular pans, though they were slightly shorter and only had a single paddle. Both models struggled to mix ingredients and would have benefitted from having another paddle or a square pan, like the other models we tested.

The Best Bread Machines Were the Best at Proofing

Bread machines can proof each loaf at a precise temperature and the top machines had consistent temperatures throughout this proofing cycle. Even though our test kitchen was 66ºF, the loaves were proofed between 82° to 92ºF, depending on the settings of each machine, and stayed there for two hours throughout their multiple rise stages.

Most Recipes Needed to Be Tweaked

Not all bread flour or yeast is the same. Even with fairly standard recipes, each loaf baked will be slightly unique. That said, we really appreciated the detailed recipes from Zorjirushi, which gave both volume and weight. We also liked their troubleshooting guide in the user manual that helped new home bakers adjust their recipes to best suit their ingredients, like reducing water if the loaf rises too much.

Ultimately, many of the machines we tested produced an acceptable loaf of bread, and it’s likely with more time dedicated to each machine, slight recipe adjustments would likely improve the quality of loaves. However, our winners produced the best loaves of bread based on their default recipes, so if you just want to set and forget and leave the tinkering to someone else, you’ll likely still get tasty results.

All the Machines Were Easy to Use and Clean

Even with unique interfaces, it only took a few seconds to learn how to select the right program on each bread machine and, after baking, the nonstick bread pans were easy to remove and wash.

The one gripe about bread machines is the paddles. Because the kneading paddles are left under the dough during proofing and baking, you either end up with a paddle-shaped hole or the paddle itself stuck in the loaf. Even the fold-down paddles still left big indents, so no machine had a true advantage with clean-up.

What Size Bread Machine Is Best?

The sizes given by manufacturers are often, well, unhelpful: what the heck is a two-pound loaf capacity? Is a one-pound loaf capacity too little? Gah! To put things in perspective, most of the sliced bread you find at the supermarket is around one pound, and most of the machines we tested have larger capacities, around two pounds. In the end, we think a 2-pound machine is a versatile choice that lets you bake up loaves big and small; that said, a 1-pound capacity machine, like our petite winner from Zojirushi, is great for folks who don't have a ton of storage space but have their hearts set on a bread machine.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Bread Machine

The best bread machines can mix, knead, proof, and bake great loaves of bread with their default recipes. They should be easy to use, and their features (like functions that promise different crust shades) should be accurate. We preferred rectangular bread pans with dual paddles, which produced well-kneaded, neat-shaped loaves that slice well. When it comes to size, we'd spring for a 2-pound capacity machine, but if you're low on storage space, a 1-pound machine will do just fine, too.

Our Favorite Bread Machines

What we liked: The default white bread this model baked was truly exceptional, with a slightly open crumb that was tender, pillowy, and the ideal shape for a perfect sandwich. This machine was the only model with a rectangular loaf pan, which produced loaves that were easy to slice and didn't create oddly shaped sandos. What was most notable, however, was how both the white bread and the rye loaf had a slightly more open crumb, which gave the bread a softer, more delicate texture. Because the dough was stretched lengthwise by the dual paddles, it didn't inhibit fermentation during proofing. We also appreciated the extra heating element in the lid for a more evenly baked crust (you can choose between three shades: light, medium, and dark), and the added programming settings, like a delay timer.

What we didn’t like: There’s no getting around it: this machine is big, heavy, and expensive.

Key Specs

• Weight: 20 pounds
• Materials: Plastic, stainless steel
• Dimensions: 18 x 101/2 x 127/8 inches
• Capacity: 2-pound loaf
• Settings: 10 bread, 3 crust, dough, sourdough starter, cake, jam, homemade
• Number of kneading paddles: 2
• Bread pan shape: Rectangular
• Care instructions: Hand wash bread pan with warm water and soap; to clean interior, unplug, then wipe down inside and outside with damp cloth before drying thoroughly

What we liked: For a relatively inexpensive, fairly small machine, the Cuisinart Compact Automatic Bread Maker delivered great results. It was easy to use, baked consistent bread and handled both a default recipe and a universal recipe well. We particularly appreciated the mixing and kneading feature in this machine, which brought all the ingredients together swiftly and developed great dough strength through a series of rests between kneading cycles.

What we didn’t like: The larger loaves were very tall, which made them harder to slice and more awkward to eat. We thought the white bread it baked was a little dry, but that could likely be tweaked with slightly more water.

Key Specs

• Weight: 12 pounds
• Materials: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 10.2 x 13.25 x 11.25 inches
• Capacity: 2-pound loaf
• Settings: 7 bread, 3 crust, dough, jam, packaged mix, cake, bake-only
• Number of kneading paddles: 1
• Bread pan shape: Square
• Care instructions: Hand wash bread pan with warm water and soap; to clean interior, unplug, then wipe down inside and outside with damp cloth before drying thoroughly

What we liked: As the smallest bread machine we tested, we really appreciated how lightweight and portable it was without sacrificing bread quality. The white bread and rye loaves it baked were well-proofed and had a soft, tender crumb, and we appreciated its simple display and menu navigation.

What we didn’t like: This was the only machine tested that produced a lumpy, under-risen loaf, but after retesting the recipe, we found the next batch turned out great. It did take longer to fully incorporate all of the dry ingredients, but not as long as some other models tested.

Key Specs

• Weight: 12 pounds
• Materials: Plastic body
• Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.25 x 12.25 inches
• Capacity: 1-pound loaf
• Settings: 5 bread, 2 crust, cookie/pasta dough, jam setting, cake setting
• Number of kneading paddles: 1
• Bread pan shape: Square
• Care instructions: Hand-wash bread pan with warm, soapy water; to clean interior, unplug, then wipe down inside and outside with damp cloth before drying thoroughly

The Competition

• Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker: While we were intrigued by all of the features on this machine (like an automatic fruit and nut dispenser and four-size settings), it consistently produced denser loaves than the rest of the models.
• Breadman 2-Pound Professional Bread Maker: This machine performed admirably, but both loaves were slightly over-proofed and recipes would likely need to be tweaked.
• Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 2-Pound Breadmaker: This machine was deep, and we had trouble opening the lid on our countertop; it frequently hit our cabinets. It also took longer than other models to fully incorporate ingredients.
• Gohyo 19-in-1 Bread Machine: This machine produced dense bread that had pockets of dry ingredients that were still powdery and unincorporated.
• CUSIMAX Bread Maker: This machine also left pockets of dry ingredients that weren't fully incorporated.
• KBS Large 17-in-1 Bread Machine: The white bread from this model had a gummy interior and inconsistent rise.
• Cuisinart 2-Pound Convection Bread Maker: This machine also struggled to thoroughly incorporate all of the dry ingredients.
• Zojirushi Home Bakery Maestro Breadmaker: This model made great white bread, but we thought the other Zojirushi models performed better overall.
• Neretva Bread Machine: This machine produced dense white bread and had issues incorporating ingredients.
• KITCHENARM 29-in-1 SMART Bread Machine: This model was the trickiest to clean, and its paddle kept getting stuck in the pan with dried bits of dough.
• West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Maker: Even with dual paddles, this machine had trouble incorporating all of the ingredients evenly.
• Dash Everyday Stainless Steel Bread Maker: This machine wobbled a lot during kneading and only baked so-so bread.
• Pohl Schmitt 14-in-1 Stainless Steel Bread Maker Machine: Bread came out unevenly baked and flat from this machine.
• Oster ExpressBake 2-Pound Bread Maker: Unevenly baked, bread was dense and gummy.
• Panasonic Bread Machine: Some areas of the crust came out burnt, and the crumb was very dense.
• Amazon Basics Non-Stick Bread Making Machine: This machine was loud and shook a lot during kneading, and both loaves collapsed heavily due to overproving.
• CROWNFUL Automatic Bread Machine: This product now appears to be discontinued.

FAQs

Is it cheaper to buy bread or to make it in a bread machine?

While a bread machine has an initial investment that might be hard to offset by just buying loaves at the store, making your own bread at home can be a cost saver, eventually. The bigger advantage of a bread machine is having freshly baked bread at home with minimal effort.

Do you need special flour for a bread machine?

Most bread machines use regular, all-purpose flour in their recipes, though some models do offer premixed packets that include all of the dry ingredients. We recommend using the default recipes that come with your bread machine to better learn how they function, and most of those recipes will ask for standard all-purpose or bread flour.

Do you need special bread machine yeast?

Some manufacturers recommend using bread machine yeast, which is a type of instant yeast designed for bread machines, but every model we tested called for either instant yeast or active dry yeast. While any of these yeasts will work in a bread machine, be sure to read your instructions closely to see which type your recipe calls for, as they have different rise times.

Why is bread machine bread dense?

Bread that’s made in a bread machine is mixed, kneaded, proofed, and baked all in the same pan, so there are a number of reasons why the bread might be dense. Adding a little more water helps the yeast ferment more, which can create a more open crumb, or adjusting the machine’s programming to knead the dough slightly less can help the gluten from becoming overly worked. Unfortunately, there’s no single answer to why bread from a bread machine is dense, but many models have a troubleshooting guide to help you adjust recipes.

Can you make sourdough bread in a bread machine?

Yes, you can make sourdough bread in a bread machine by adding some starter. The overall end result might not be as crusty as a loaf baked in a Dutch oven or bread pan, but it will still have that tang.

Why We're the Experts

• Jesse Raubwas Serious Eats' commerce writer and spent over 15 years working in the specialty coffee industry.
• He is also an accomplished home baker who's tackled bread-related reviews for Serious Eats like loaf pans, proofing baskets, and bread lames.
• For this review, we tested over 20 bread machines, baking over 60 loaves of bread. We evaluated bread machines both at home and in our lab so that our top winners—the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, Cuisinart Compact, and the Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini—were all tested multiple times by different people to ensure they were truly the best.