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Best Bread Machines – Our Favorites!

Here is our list of the best bread machines. They are perfect for people looking to make bread at home for the first time or home bakers who want an upgrade because their old bread machine broke down. These bread machines range from inexpensive but functional to more costly machines that include tons of bells & whistles.

Most bread machines do an excellent job making bread. Nevertheless, brands differ in their size, cost, ability to make fancier baked goods such as quick breads (i.e. banana bread) or gluten-free products, etc. You need to buy a bread machine that will best produce the baked goods that your family eats (i.e. artisan breads or gluten-free breads). Therefore, here are our favorite bread machines.

Bread Machine

FYI – I used a Sunbeam bread machine for many years in order to make the recipes on this website. When it finally broke down, I purchased a Hamilton Beach (as I am kind of frugal!) in early 2022. I currently use the Hamilton Beach bread machine listed below in order to make all of my new bread machine recipes.

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Bread Dad’s Favorites – They make great gifts for your favorite home baker!

Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker (BB-PDC20BA)

  • The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso is one of the most expensive bread machines but it also has lots of bells & whistles. FYI – This will probably be my next bread machine… if Bread Dad wins the lottery!!
  • The machine comes with a wide bread pan with 2 mixing paddles (versus the one paddle found in most standard bread machine). This allows you to create a bread loaf that is shaped more like a “real” loaf versus the “block” shape created by most standard bread machines.
  • This bread machine has a wide range of settings including Multigrain, Whole Wheat, Rapid Whole Wheat, Gluten Free, Salt Free, Sugar Free and Vegan. Of course, it also has settings for basic breads such as White Bread.
  • The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso has heaters on the bottom and lid of the bread maker to promote even baking.
  • This bread machine even has a “Homemade” setting where you can adjust the knead, rise and baking settings in order to create your own unique baked goods or to manage more specialized recipes.
  • Their recipe book includes recipes for things such as Cinnamon Roll Bread, Mini White Bread, Meatloaf Miracle, Homemade Pasta, Gluten Free Dinner Bread, etc.
  • It is a larger & heavier machine than more “standard” bread machines.
  • Read the Amazon reviews in order to see if this bread machine is right for your family & your kitchen.

Hamilton Beach Bread Maker Machine (29882)

  • Bread Dad owns and uses this bread machine.
  • Moderate cost versus more expensive bread machines.
  • It has 12 settings including basic, French, quick (quick breads), whole grain, cake, dough and gluten-free. The whole grain setting covers “heavy varieties of flour that require a longer phase of kneading and rising (whole wheat flour, rye flour)”.
  • I like their detailed instruction manual because it shows the kneading, rising and baking times for each setting. This helps you to find the appropriate setting for recipes (i.e. banana breads). This can be confusing on some machines (given similar setting names such as Quick vs Rapid).
  • Uses only one mixing paddle.
  • This machine produces the standard bread machine “block” shaped loaf. This is the standard loaf shape with most bread machines (except some of the larger and/or high end bread machines).
  • A little noisier than my old Sunbeam.
  • Read the Amazon reviews in order to see if this bread machine is right for your family & your kitchen.

CBK-110 Cuisinart Compact Automatic Bread Maker

  • Medium cost – Not the cheapest & not the most expensive bread machine.
  • Compact size is a little more friendly for “tight” kitchens. Uses a vertical design to maximize space.
  • It has 12 settings including white, French, whole wheat, dough, cake, gluten-free, etc.
  • The machine “beeps” when it is time to add fruit & nuts, remove paddle, etc.
  • Uses only one mixing paddle.
  • This machine seems to make tall loaves (as part of its vertical design). Make sure you are comfortable with that type of bread loaf.
  • Read the Amazon reviews in order to see if this bread machine is right for your family & your kitchen.

Best Smaller Machine – When baking for themselves or smaller families, many people like to use smaller bread machines that have only a 1 lb loaf capacity. Here is our favorite bread machine with a 1 lb loaf capacity.

Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Home Bakery 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker

  • Be aware that many online bread machines recipes are for 1.5 lb and 2 lb loaves (and these recipes won’t work in a 1 lb capacity machine). You will need to look online specifically for 1 lb recipes or use the recipes included in the company’s instruction manual.
  • Read the Amazon reviews in order to see if this smaller bread machine is right for your family & your kitchen.

Other Popular Bread Machines – These are mainly 1.5 lb & 2 lb capacity bread machines. Many of these bread machines are used (and loved) by the visitors to Bread Dad. Moreover, most of these machines are popular & well-regarded bread machines. Nevertheless, you should make sure that any machine that you purchase includes the settings that you want (as not all bread machines make banana breads/cakes or can handle gluten-free recipes).

  • Amazon Basics 2 Pound Non-Stick Bread Making Machine – A basic & inexpensive model that is put out by Amazon.
  • Breadman 2 lb Professional Bread Maker, Stainless Steel, BK1050S – This machine has 14 settings to help you make white bread, whole wheat, French bread, quick breads, artisan dough, pizza dough, jams, gluten-free, etc. It also has a fruit and nut dispenser, collapsible kneading paddle and more.
  • Breville BBM800XL Custom Loaf Bread Maker – This is one of the more expensive bread machines. It has an automatic fruit & nut dispenser and an unique collapsible kneading paddle to minimize the hole in the bottom of the bread.
  • Crownful Automatic Bread Machine – This inexpensive bread machine has 12 settings including “Basic, Gluten-Free, French Whole Wheat, Quick Bread, Sweet Bread, Dough, Cake, Sandwich, Butter Milk Bread, Kneading and Bake – even pizza dough”. It also has an interesting & compact design.
  • Frigidaire Bread Maker – Well known for its refrigerators, Frigidaire also makes bread machines. It has 15 settings including “Whole Grain Bread, French bread, Quick Bread (no yeast), Dough, Cake” and more.
  • KBS Large 17-in-1 Bread Machine, 2LB All Stainless Steel Bread Maker – This bread machine is popular because it has nonstick ceramic bread pan (non-Teflon). It also has “presets including Soft bread, Sweet bread, Natural sourdough, Whole-wheat, Quick, Sugar-free, Multigrain, Milky loaf, Cake, Raw dough, Leaven dough, Jam, Bake, Yogurt, Gluten-free, Ferment”.
  • KITCHENARM 29-in-1 SMART Bread Machine – This bread machine has 29 automatic programs including “21 Bread Menus (Basic White, Sweet, French, Whole Wheat, Rye, Keto, Gluten Free, Sourdough..), 7 Non Bread Menus (Cake, Jam, Yogurt, Dough..), and the Fully Customizable Cycle-Level Programming HOME MADE Menu.”
  • Oster Expressbake Bread Maker (CKSTBR9050-NP) – Manufacturer claims that this bread machine can make 1 lb, 1.5 lb and 2 lb bread loaves. It has 13 settings including basic, French, whole wheat, dough, cake, bake, gluten-free, etc.
  • Panasonic SD-RD250 Bread Maker with Automatic Fruit & Nut Dispenser – Renown for its electronics, Panasonic also makes bread machines.
  • Pohl Schmitt Stainless Steel Bread Machine Bread Maker – This machine has 14 settings for “Whole Grain Bread, French bread, Quick Bread (no yeast), Dough, Cake”, etc. According to the company, it also makes 1 lb, 1.4 lb and 2.2 lb bread loaves.
  • West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Maker (47413) – Many people like this machine because it has a larger capacity than most bread machines. According to the company, this machine can handle “2 lb, 2.5 lb, and 3 lb. loaf sizes”.

Related Products

  • Bread Machine Cookbooks – Popular bread machine cookbooks with tons of recipes.
  • Bread Machine Yeast – The type of instant yeast used in most bread machines. Bread machines do not generally use active dry yeast.