Hi,
My toaster is broken and I need to spend $300 at the good guys (damn you amex!).
The good guys has a bread maker for $99. At the moment I buy at least one loath a week for $4.
Is there an easy way to cut bread from a bread maker? Can I use a normal toaster or would I be better off using my existing george foreman grill or buying something like this?
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/sunbeam-9l-mini-bake-and-gril…
Thanks!
Thanks, do you use a normal toaster?
yep, but our toaster has 'some' flexibility for wider pieces. but with practice you can slide as thin as reasonably required.
Definitely go the electric knife - I picked mine up Aldi.
And yes, I just use a normal toaster……all good.
The easiest way to cut bread… is with a bread knife. Wait until the bread is not hot to touch and not too squishy. Use the knife to saw the bread, don't push down (as you would with cheese or something hard). I wouldn't bother with an electric knife as if the bread is still to hot it will just chew it up rather than slicing.
I used to use a normal toaster, but now I use a small sandwich press because I like to slice my bread really thick.
Thanks,
If I had to choose
Ivo Blademaster 200mm Bread Knife $14.74
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/ivo-blademaster-200mm-bread-k…
or
Kambrook Pro Carve Electric Knife $29.95
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/kambrook-pro-carve-electric-k…
Should I go for the electric one?
If it is only or mainly for cutting bread (not carving meat or cutting frozen blocks) I would go with the non-electric knife.
the first one, you dont need an electric knife.
An electric knife for bread is absolute overkill.
I got my electric knife off an ebay bulk buy and it sat at the back of my cupboard for ages. Then I discovered how well it could cut bread and french loaves (I make garlic bread with them), and never looked back since. The double blade action makes the cuts very clean with no messy crumbs everywhere. It is super quick to cut up a french loaf or any other. It does not crush or deform the loaf, even with hard crusts. I don't use this knife for anything else.
I still use the normal (Ikea) bread knife for single slices or when I need to work in stealth mode in the early hours of the morning.
Why not just buy a toaster for under $50? Why the 'need' to spend $300?
Because I don't want to pass up $50 off a $300 spend and I like buying stuff.
But by buying a toaster, just a toaster, you save $250…
Plus $8 a week in bread.
The ingredients to make bread aren't exactly free… you're looking at a false economy
It's like people that come in to spend more on a car, to save money on fuel… you would need ownership of 10+ years to get that money back
@Spackbace: But they aren't exactly expensive either :) plus I get super fresh bread as soon as I wake up.
By the way if you have a amex too I reckon its a good time to check if things you might want are cheap at the good guys. You get $30 store credit on a $300 spend.
Not quite. You have to remove the bread the instant it is done or it will go soggy in the steam. Then at least 30-40 minutes to cool down enough to slice and eat it. I too fell for the idea of jumping out of bed and eating warm fresh bread straight away but it just sits there tormenting you while it's cooling down
It's dirt cheap making your own bread. Flour is the main ingredient and costs next to nothing. But yeah, I have tried bread makers and think they are a waste of money, never found the bread to be that great, and the mixing part means you have a huge hole in the middle of the loaf.
$50 toaster will probably not last very long either, spend a bit more to get a decent one, but not $300! $100-150 will get you something good that will last for years. (My current one was $120 and still as good as new at 6 years old).
@conan2000: It boggles my mind that toasters can be so expensive. Is there more basic technology on the planet? Maybe beaten out by back-scratchers, fly-swatters etc.
Flour is the main ingredient and costs next to nothing. … never found the bread to be that great,
Are you using plain flour, or bakers flour / bread mix, which costs more?
@conan2000: Been using an el-cheapo ($8 or $11 cant remember) 2 slice toaster from coles for well over 5yrs and its still going strong
@daleyboy79:
I think longevity is user influenced…..
we had a string of cheapies that would last 2-3 years, kids like to slam it about/down.
try fire. its a cool invention. low cost if you just burn rubbish around the house
I bake bread in our bread maker a couple of times a week, and have been doing it for nearly 20 years.
I have tried electric knives and special racks, but keep coming back to the normal way.
There are a couple of tricks when it comes to slicing:
Let the bread cool down - at least a couple of hours.
Use a really good knife, keep it sharp, and let it do the work rather than you pushing down on it.
Don't go overboard on the yeast, or it will have lots of air space inside, and be nearly impossible to cut.
For a basic loaf:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup (and a splash) of water
1 tbsp of oil (I use vegetable oil)
1 tsp of salt
1 1/4 tsps of yeast
Makes good pizza dough, too.
No sugar? I use sugar to feed the yeast then add alot of seeds Nd grains, stops it being to airy.
Nope, no sugar, although I use it when doing wholemeal.
I like your seeds and grains idea, and will try it.
Where do you buy the seeds & grains? Thanks
We have a local shop that sells it all to public. Nanas pantry. You can buy all your bits per weight, my 14 herbs Nd spices for rack cost $8.14 lol.
rabbit shop
What type of flour do you use? Normal white flour or any specialized bread flour?
I use the bread flour from the supermarket. Normal flour probably won't give the chewy stretchy texture.
I just use plain flour.
I know that the purists want me to use bread flour, but I use plain flour 'cos it makes bugger-all difference - a true OzB!
Nice. How long do you cook for and what temperature?
It's a bread maker.
Well now I feel like an idiot. Ha ha
I make my own bread.
Got a decent breadmaker with programs, as I bake glutenfree.
Tastes much better than normal gluten free from Supermarkets.
For bread ingredients suggest to go with Laucke.
They have a good range and their website tells you how to adjust recipe for various breadmachines.
Cant beat the smell of fresh bread on a sunday morning :)
Thanks I checked out Laucke, is there a big difference between these bread mixes and buying the flour etc seperately? The breadmixes seem quite expensive.
Mixes usualy have bread improver and right qauntity. I mix my own.
If using dry yeast mix the flour and salt, salt contacting yeast kills it im told.
I have my first batch on now. The instructions suggested putting the salt in first and the yeast last so I think you heard correctly. Can I premix everything except yeast and store it in zip lock bags?
When you start, using a breadmix gives a more reliable result.
You want it to work otherwise can be frustrating waiting 3-4 hours only to realise didn't work.
With Laucke always check here to ensure you get the correct measure of mix and water.
http://www.laucke.com.au/bread-making-machines
Write down what and how much you use in grams:
Water, mix, yeast, also water temperature is important, usually handwarm is best, especially for Yeast and gluten free.
Use an electronic scale:
1. place breadmachine bowl on scale, note weight in case you get mixed up and reset to 0
2a. if you have pre-packaged,
add mix first, often it is between 5-25g more then on package
Measure weight remove mix until it is exactly what you need, eg 500g or 750g
2b. if you have volume pack just measure exact amount into the bowl
3. Reset to 0
3. Add water, again hand warm, be precise, scoop extra water out of necessary, should be within 2-3g/ml
For water 1g is about 1ml at room temperature, just in case you don't know
4. add yeast
4b. at this point I often do a quick premix uising wooden spoon as my yeast and gluten free doesnt mix well otherwise
5. select program, breadsize, crust settings
6. start
Sometimes 2 mix and 3 water is the other way around, should really make a big difference unless you have time delay.
Thanks for the tips. Can't wait to get home and try it out.
If I want to try the Laucke mix what have you found to be the cheapest way to buy it?
Doing everything with the scales made it easy, thanks.
@daveaus:
Until you figured which one you like suggest 2.4kg packs.
Suggest to go for 750g bread (uses 500g breadmix), as they tend to dry out.
Once you are proficient you could try the 5Kg bags. With those bags it is about $1.40 per bread
plus $0.15 for electricity. If you have solar bake during day if you can.
Both come with yeast. Occasionally the yeast can be dead, often when the seal is broken, in that case open another yeast pack.
My personal tip: 250g wholemeal or grain mixed with 250g white breadmix.
Makes a light wholemeal or light grain bread.
Water you take the average of wholemeal and white, wholemeal water+white water amount then divide by 2.
As always use the water amounts from Laucke website for your machine, not the ne on package.
Program use wholemeal.
Lauke's Bread rules +100
There's a plastic rack you can buy - it looks like bread rack thing - a rectangular board with slats pointing up then you just carve between the slats
Don't cut too hard right out of the oven it's very soft and gets munted easy
Like this:
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/sunbeam-bread-slicing-guide-b…
You can use bread cutter guide from ebay. I saw a friend using it and it looks doing a good job.
It's called a knife…
It's still called a knife….
Unless you have a physical condition that means you can't hold a knife properly, this is just a waste of space and another piece of plastic junk to add to the landfill.
That looks pretty helpful actually.
We have one like that and it is really useful for slicing the bread evenly, so you end up with slices that actually fit in the toaster.
you mean one loaf..
My apologies.
I need to spend $300 at the good guys
shakes head
Forgot to put a value on his time.
This thread is the best thing since sliced bread…
I'm looking for a $6000 bread toaster for my house, any suggestions folks?
Probably a couple of bucks extra, but would really speed up your morning toasting ritual: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/ou-wpl080615.…
Our bread-maker makes awesome pizza doh.
$300 could cover 1 loaf of $0.85 bread a week for almost 7 years. Or the more premium $1.50 loaf for almost 4 years. Zero work.
have you eaten 85c bread?
bread makers are not a cost saver.
i think the $1.50 homebrand grain loaf is pretty good.
Tomorrow's blockbuster forum topic:
How to pour milk.
I currently spend $2/week on milk, however last week my cup broke. I am currently looking to spend $4M to purchase a Dairy Farm to solve this problem.
Can someone recommend what breed of Cow I should buy and how do I get the milk from the pasteurizer to my mouth?
use fire
You will soon "loathe" the loaf
I don't use the bread maker often because the machine makes the crusts too hard. Not a fan of the hole in the middle either. So I need to transfer the dough onto a baking pan and bake in the normal oven for good results. I like soft fluffy bread.
It is easier to slice if you use less water.
Did someone actually ask how to cut bread. Really?
My Mum had a bread maker and the slices always came out way too big for the toaster.
Also I am kind of uncoordinated, hence why I asked.
Breadmakers and toasters come in different sizes. Call me crazy but I would measure both and purchase a suitable pair.
Buy all these 3 items when there is next ebay 20% Discount
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/breville-bakers-oven-bread-ma…
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/breville-electric-knife-bek5
https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/sunbeam-bread-slicing-guide-b…
Toasters are not expensive! Standing on the shoulders of giants. If nothing else compartmentalization of tech will be our downfall
Do I really need a bread maker to make bread or use the oven and a special tray (ones that look like a loaf)?
Its FRESH bread, why would you toast it. Toasting is better with Day old Bread.
When its a day old its also easier to cut.
You mention that a loaf lasts you a whole week, so again toasting it after 1 day makes more sense
Thanks, I have been eating it without toasting on the first day and its been great. Does the fat make much difference to the taste? I have been using olive oil so far, I think I might try butter if it makes a big difference.
BUTTER is always BETTER (but needs to be 100% butter, not a blend)
We got an electric knife and a plastic bread slicing rack thing. It looks like a set of plastic ribs and it helps you guide the knife to make even slices. You could use a regular bread knife but the electric knife helps a lot with not ripping the bread and makes it easier to cut when still warm.
Wow thats a pretty cheap toaster. You should spend more!
This ones not bad @ $9598.25 (including delivery) - http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016… lol
Also a bread slicing guide and a serrated edge knife are perfect for cutting bread - https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/sunbeam-bread-slicing-guide-b… and as long as its not an insanely thick slice of bread it should fit in a normal toaster
You need the Bugatti Noun toaster.
We have been using a bread maker for at least 10 years. We have used all combinations of knives and electric knives along with those guides. About 3 years ago I bought a kogan electric slicer and we wouldn't go back, it works very well. They have them on special every now and then for $59.
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/deli-meat-food-slicer/
we bought a cheapo electric knife from kmart. it works quite well but allow the bread to cool down before cutting for smoother result