Create your own delicious loaves with these top bread makers
What started as one of the most popular lockdown hobbies has taken on a life of its own. Bread makers are affordable, easy to use, and make the most delicious bread.
So, whether you're looking for a new style of cooking to master, or you love a carb-loading session, there's nothing quite as satisfying as cutting into a loaf of bread you created from scratch.
These are the best bread makers to help you get into it!
NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.
The best bread maker for beginners
Breville The Baker's Dozen BreadMaker
Price: $199
The Baker's Dozen BreadMaker from Breville seems to be a favourite among seasoned bakers and newbies alike. Although small, many have raved about how efficient the breadmaker is, and how simple it is to use.
"Big things come in small packages, great-sized bread maker to just leave on the kitchen bench," one reviewer shared. "It also looks super-stylish in brushed stainless. Great features and loaf sizes".
Other reviewers also praised how light the bread maker is to carry.
"It has a simple, no-fuss menu and is light and easy to lift and to store away in a cupboard as I prefer," another wrote, adding: "I like the ability to remove the paddle partway through cooking when the machine beeps".
Best features:
The Baker's Dozen has 13 pre-set programs for baking bread including basic, French, whole wheat, yeast-free, gluten-free and express options, to name a few.
It has a removable kneading blade, which makes cleaning simple.
You can create delicious bread with the automatic fruit and nut dispenser, which adds these ingredients into the dough at the right moment per the programming. This can also be used for chocolate chips.
Choose your recipe, your crust colour, and your loaf size all on the easy-to-use LCD screen.
Cook the bread on your own time with the ability to delay the start timer for up to 15 hours.
The best all-arounder
Panasonic Automatic Breadmaker
Price: $299
Panasonic is killing the bread making game with its Automatic Breadmaker, which is simple in both its name and its style. However, you'll be amazed by how much it's capable of.
Reviewers online have praised its abilities and how quiet it is.
"Aside from the soft beeps indicating a completed program … it was very quiet and could easily be left to do its thing overnight," one fan shared.
One review simply called it a "magic box".
"It prepares such perfect recipes," the reviewer wrote. "All the programs are amazing… I wish I had this in my life a long time ago."
Best features:
While Breville's Baker's Dozen machine has 13 pre-set programs, this one has a grand total of 30. There are so many things you can create in this bread maker.
Panasonic's machine also has a fruit and nut dispenser and a kneading blade, but it's designed with specially placed ribs inside the bread pan which mimic an artisan baker's technique. This gives you soft, fluffy bread every time you bake with it.
Bread mixes can be used in this machine by simply adding water and selecting the matching pre-set program,
If you're gluten-free, you don't have to miss out on the joy. The bread maker has options for gluten-free bread, cake, pizza dough, and pasta.
The temperature required by the bread maker is regulated by both internal and external sensors, which help calculate the optimal cooking time for each program.
The best bread maker for serious cooks:
Breville The Custom Loaf Pro Breadmaker
Price: $379
A high-end breadmaker with a price tag to match, we recommend this one for those who are serious about bread-making, rather than just trying it out for the first time.
While it has many similar features to those listed above, the Custom Loaf Pro has been praised for the way it allows you to customise recipes. This means different loaf sizes, various custom experimentations, and the ability to save these recipes to return to if you wish.
"I bought this specifically for the multiple loaf sizes ... it cooks small loaves just fine," one reviewer on Amazon shared.
"I've made a lot of hot cross buns for Easter and it was brilliant to have the machine mix the dough, and all I had to do was shape and bake them."
Best features:
- Among its many manual programs are recipes for gluten-free and yeast-free bread, so you won't have to worry about cooking for any allergies.
- It has nine custom settings that you can use to save and store your own recipes.
- Its collapsible kneading blade will fold in automatically prior to baking, allowing the dough to expand.
- As all breadmakers should, it has a fruit and nut dispensing tray.
Best mid-range bread maker
Panasonic Stainless Steel Breadmaker with Dual Dispenser
Coming in as the best mid-range bread maker, this Panasonic model is slightly more advanced than the Automatic Breadmaker, but has a range of really great features, too.
It's not quite as expensive as Breville's Custom Loaf Pro, coming in at $308 on Amazon.
"Over the past few months, we have baked crusty sourdough, brioche, and spelt loaves," one reviewer raved on the Panasonic website.
However, the reviewer noted that it took "reading several pages in the user manual, and baking several loaves," before they found the machine "easy to operate and clean".
Best features:
Dual temperature sensors are built into the Dual Dispenser Breadmaker, meaning you can use it to create dough and to create bread – two vastly different things.
With four gluten-free modes, you can make gluten-free bread, cake, pizza dough, and pasta, so you can always cater to your friends and family members who have dietary restrictions.
The Dual Dispenser Breadmaker has two automatic dispensary trays – one for fruits and nuts, and one for yeast, which allows you to make different types of breads. Simply set and forget, and be ready to try something different but delicious just a few hours later.
Check out more bread making options below:
Cuckoo Multi-Functional Breadmaker
TODO Stainless Steel Breadmaker
Breadman 2-Pound Breadmaker
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