TravelTalkOnline Forums People Talk Recipes Bread Maker Suggestions

Reading Jean Beswick's Blog has gotten me to thinking about a breadmaker. I would love to start using it now, and then eventually take down to Cattitude for when we are cruising. Certainly easier to carry supplies, than multiple loaves of store bought bread.
Any suggestion for a reasonably priced unit?
And who out there has some good recipes for breads?

When I had a bread maker, probably 20 years ago... I only used it to mix the ingredients...
Then did the rising in a cold oven... and made the bread in meatloaf pans...
I hate those round loaves from a bread machine! esp. with th hole in the middle!
Now I use our Kitchen-Aid mixer... if I ever make a yeast anything!
It's too much of a PITA... I'd just buy bread wherever you are...

Peconic,
I think you missed the point of the original post. They are looking to experiment with something they can use on the boat. All the extra gear you suggest doesn't work onboard. Besides, bread turns into a science experiment pretty fast if you buy in quantity to last a whole week or more.
I think a breadmaker would be a great item if you were aboard alot. I was initially surprise, reading Jean's blog, about the breadmaker but it makes a lot of sense. I'd try emailing Jean to see what she does for recipes or if she is using mixes.

I understand that...
and being a lifetime sailor... I think a bread machine would not be the best way to go...
too much work & time invested, for too little gain...
Just my own opinion...

Brian--but you weren't LIVING on your boat, and possibly can't get to somewhere to get bread for a few days.

Regardless, could we get back to the original question--recommendations for bread makers, anyone?? And bread recipes???

I *DO* live on my boat. A breadmaker is not a good match to living aboard unless you are tied to a dock and plugged in all the time. Even then, they take an obscene amount of space.

I make bread by hand. With only a little bit of practice it takes about the same amount of time to get the dough in the first rise as to load up a bread-machine. I put the dough in the engine room to rise - it's always warm in there even if it has been a while since I ran anything.

Punching the dough down and making loaves for the second rise is trivial.

On a crewed charter (that is what you do isn't it?) there is an entertainment value for your guests of making bread by hand. Heck, I entertain myself making bread. *grin*

sail fast and eat well, dave
S/V Auspicious

Hey Brian:
I think you miss the point...we are "stinkpotters", electric and appliances are a MUST for me. I love to cook, have a microwave, 4 burner stove and oven, food processor, toaster oven, blender, mixer, etc. onboard already. What is one more appliance. It would just seem easier to make bread than to have to buy multiple loaves in the store and freeze them. We only shop once or twice in a months time. Everything that possibly can, will get frozen. Bread takes so much room, along with hamburger rolls and hotdog rolls. Would love to just make what we need.
I have looked at the Sunbeam and the Oster. They are on the low price end, but sometimes the appliances don't like the invertor on the boat and are killed by it. Would rather try to use an inexpensive once to start. Any opinions on these 2 units. And, lets hear some recipes.

Carol, like I said, that is only my opinion...
and yes... I have lived on a sailboat, once for 5 weeks...

Carolyn,
Then your experience (on your "stinkpot", lol) will be like home...
I hate breadmakers... they are worthless, IMO...

Better to get a Kitchen-Aid Mixer, and do it yourself...
and a Kitchen-Aid Mixer takes about the same amount of space (or less) than a breadmaker...
a Kitchen-Aid Mixer is much quicker to use...
and is a multi-taskers, rather than having only one reason for existing...
and the bread baked in a pan (or a french bread mold), won't have that stinking hole in the middle...

Both a breadmachine & a Kitchen-Aid will have the same ingredients for the bread...
I'd look at websites (like www.allrecipes.com) for good recipes...

You might want to make a good sour dough starter, and keep it alive during your travels, also...
(pretty easy to do)...
fresh baked sour dough bread is the best for making baguettes, dinner rolls & sandwich bread!

Carolyn, I have an Oster. I did have a Zojirushi (best one ever!) for around 15 years and then it kind of died on me. After that I started making the bread in my Kitchen-Aid but, for me, that is a big pain in the butt. No matter how carefully or how little flour I put in at a time it (even with the collar on the machine) I had flour flying all over the place. Frankly I think it is so much easier to just dump the ingredients in the breadmaker and push 'on'. I do NOT bake the bread in the machine. I have a microwave/convection oven that does a good job of baking the bread. I have a slew of cookbooks for the bread machine. You can do a search on the web and will find loads of recipes. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I have an oster, it's ok. tons of recipies will come in the booklet w/ your machine. for very soft bread you need flour w/lots of Gluten, using cheap white flour will get you a large lump of white rock (not kidding, have done it). My favorite thing to make is the simple basic bread recipie that came in the book w/the maker, then add a bit of fresh crushed rosemary (may be 1/4 cup ish) and powerded garlic (I'd guess 2 tblspoons ish), 4 hrs later when it's finsihed cut then dip in some olive oil and vinegar while still warm... HEAVEN!

I have had a westbend and a panasonic, and both worked well. I usually let the bread mix in the machine and then take it out, let it rise and make it in the oven.

My favourite is French Bread, I love the texture.

Also, the gluten tip is a must - I always ended up with hockey pucks until Jim bought gluten and started experimenting with it - now we have nice and light breads even when using the machines for the full process.

Not sure about the use onboard, I know a lot of sailboaters that make their bread in a pressure cooker - not sure what Jean is using...

But I would love to hear more about her new WASHING MACHINE for $99! ~grins~

Yeah, I saw that. Looking at it, couldn't figure if it said $99 or $599!! Still trying to figure out where the h*ll you put a washing machine on a sailboat!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I looked up "Twin tub washing machines" and they are portables using low amounts of electricity and seem to be priced around $299. Small sized and hold 10 lbs. I guess when all you wear is swimsuits and tshirts, you don't need anything much larger. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> They must have got a screaming deal on a close out or something.

Baking bread in a pressure cooker works without the seal and essentially turns the PC into an oven. Same problem (IMHO) as breadmakers - the loaves look wrong.

If you spray flour out of your KA stand mixer you are either dumping in too much flour at a time or running the mixer too fast.

Granted I am a tidy person to the point of OCD *grin* but I make bread by hand and the mess is limited to the extent of my cutting board, although sometimes it drifts over the side when I back while at sea.

Like you, I use my freezer heavily. We ate bread out of the freezer recently while offshore with winds 30-35 and seas 12-15' for three days between Marsh Harbour and Beaufort NC. It's good to cook ahead!

If you plan to run a bread-maker off your batteries through an inverter you better have a really big bank. I have 675 Ah and wouldn't do that. If you insist on a machine plan your baking around generator runs for battery charging and running the a/c.

sail fast and eat well,

Dave, regarding the flour spraying from the KA stand mixer. I run it at the lowest speed and will add the flour a few tablespoons at a time and it still gets all over the place. Drives me nuts!

Annie, If that doesn't do it I'll dig my KA out of storage and ask my girl friend to video me making dough -- maybe that would help you!

sail fast and eat well!

annie, what mixer blade are you using?
I have never had a problem with flour and the dough hook, nor the cake paddle...
the whisk, on the otherhand, will throw it all over...
for yeast doughs, the dough hook is really the only one to use...

Dave, thanks! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

Brian, I use the dough hook. Drives me nuts when the flour goes all over the place. I use the lowest speed when I add it so I am really surprised.

Hi Carolyn and eveyone else.... We are using the cheapest, smallest Breadman breadmaking machine. It is excellent and probably the best $60-$70 I've ever spent on the boat. Simplicity itself to use... is low powered so runs off the inverter, not just the generator and even has a program that produces a loaf in 1 hour!

We did try doing the pressure cooker method which was successful but way too much trouble. Also it needed quite a lot of propane to make a loaf and propane is far harder to obtain than the diesel needed to top up the batteries. So a breadmaker is definitely the way to go.

Nope.. That's just the price down here in Panama. Plenty of twin-tub (washer, spin dry)available for around the $100 mark. Like the breadmaker, the washer uses a small enough amount of power to run on the 2000 watt 110 volt inverter. The machine is big enough to hold a couple of bed sheets at a time, a few towels and loads of tee-shirts/shorts. That's all you need when cruising ( except for Jean's Dior frocks and the like naturally)

Hi Dawn, where did your Hubby find Gluten? and do you know how much $ it was? I've only looked at Stater Bros so far (a local grocery chain) but no luck....

I buy gluten in the local grocery store, Publix. It is about $2.50 or so. You can order it online from King Arthur Flour. I only use the gluten for wheat or rye breads. I use King Arthur Bread Flour and that has a high rate of gluten in it. I mixed up a Rye sandwich bread in my Oster earlier and it is in the oven baking now. Smells heavenly!

Annie, I'm so jealous! I love the smell of baking bread <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/chef.gif" alt="" />

I'll look closer at the grocery store next time....may be I just missed it... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Blush.gif" alt="" />

Yep... gluten is readily available at any supermarket around here...

Temery, it is sooo good. In fact I had a couple nice warm slices and a glass of wine for my dinner this evening.

Most have answered already, but yes, we found it in the health food section of our local grocery store chain. Well worth the price of $2.25, we add a bit to each loaf for extra fluffiness to the loaf.

that's exactly what I wanted to do with Gluten, but I checked the baking section, I'll check again (better this time) and the health food section too!

so funny - I had almost the same dinner last night, was a sourdough loaf (with a bit of lima bean soup but mostly the SD loaf) and hard cider...

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

Brian, when you make dough in your breadmaker, how long do you bake it in the oven and at what temperature?? Thanks.