Reply #29: I've had one since they first came out. It still works

[DemBones DemBones]

but my husband bought a new one about a year ago, thinking the old one must be about to break. We love having a bread machine.

I started baking bread the old-fashioned way in 1967, having grown up with the blessing of a grandmother who had baked bread all her life. I love to knead bread but I am physically unable to do it anymore. Even using my Kitchenaid to knead it for me is not easy enough for me. But initially, when I was still teaching, it was saving time that made a machine so great. How many days a week do you have time to make bread? Having a bread machine is like having little elves come in and bake for you, over night if you like, in time to have fresh bread at breakfast.

My machines have the vertical pan so it doesn't look like bread baked in loaf pans -- who cares? The bottom crust is often tough -- who cares? Cut if off and give it to the dog! Or use it for bread crumbs if you're super thrifty, as I often am.

The bread tastes great!!! I have never used bread machine mixes but have made a number of recipes from the booklets that came with the machines and from bread machine cookbooks. You can also just have the machine mix dough and shape it yourself for French bread, rolls, etc. Also PIZZA!!!

I can do all this with my Kitchenaid mixer, too, but remember you have to let the dough rise and punch it down, form it into loaves and let it rise again, and then bake it, which takes time and requires you to be home at the right moments.

Anything else you need to know?