France in Focus

We normally eat wholemeal bread and have been buying complet loaves from Aldi. It was very good but they appear to have altered the recipe recently which has made us decide to make our own again so looking for recommendations for a bread machine. Thank you

Panasonic always used to be the best but not cheap.

We have a panasonic (somewhere in a cupboard) it has as many bells as whistles, makes jam too. Still doesn't make a decent loaf if you cannot find good flour and yeast, so we gave up trying.

We have a Panasonic machine ( the same model the Camerons used if that's any recommendation) and use Francine multi-cereal flour and yeast. It's quite acceptable and cheaper than driving into town every day for a baguette

Over a period of time we have had a couple of these machines, basically I wouldn't give it cupboard space, poxy little loaf of bread, all that faffing about sorting the ingredients the night before, no thanks never again, AJM get yourself a bike.

In the days when I made bread, I made it by hand. Have you thought about buying several loaves and freezing the excess untill you need them?

ajm wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 2:49 pm use Francine multi-cereal flour and yeast.

I use that flour too and really like the results. But, I do it by hand. No longer own a bread machine.

MAD87 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 3:32 pm In the days when I made bread, I made it by hand. Have you thought about buying several loaves and freezing the excess untill you need them?

Would do that if we could find a proper wholemeal loaf and as we can't we will have to make our own.

hughnique wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 3:21 pm Over a period of time we have had a couple of these machines, basically I wouldn't give it cupboard space, poxy little loaf of bread, all that faffing about sorting the ingredients the night before, no thanks never again, AJM get yourself a bike.

No faffing about at all. Ingredients bunged into machine about 1700h ready in 3 hours, covered and left to cool overnight - simple.

Same here. I used to make bread by hand but got fed up with the time wasted trying to get the mess off my hands after kneading. Have now been using a breadmaker for maybe 15 years now. Very quick to bung the ingredients in and then hit the button and get on with something else. I use the Francine multi-cereal as mentioned above in a 50/50 mix with the cheapest type 55 I can find. Makes it a bit lighter and saves money.
Home made is much easier on the teeth than baguettes that barely last long enough to get them home.