According to the American Diabetes Association, about 1% of the world’s population suffers from celiac disease, a type of digestive disorder where patients experience abdominal pains when they ingest food containing gluten. Gluten is a naturally occurring ingredient found in rye, wheat, and barley. The abdominal pains come from an issue with the small intestines that cannot absorb nutrients from such foods.
Many people do not have celiac disease but experience some discomfort when eating bread or pastry foods with gluten. Others just enjoy having healthy gluten-free bread. Whatever the reason for avoiding gluten, you can prepare quality gluten-free bread at your home’s comfort with a gluten-free bread maker. This article explores some of the best gluten-free makers in the market and offers a few tips on ways to have your bread well cooked and fresh for longer.
Best Gluten-free Bread Maker Reviews
1. Hamilton Beach Bread Maker 29882
The Hamilton Beach Bread Maker 29882 is one of the cheapest but great machines in the market today. It bakes two loaf sizes, 1.5 pounds, and 2 pounds. You can also choose from three crust settings that include light, medium, and dark. Besides, it comes with a timer that delays baking of your bread for up to 13 hours. You can also use it to make jellies and jams.
There are cycles that you can use to get the bread of your choice. They include the following:
• – Basic (white bread),
• – Gluten-free bread (this is the setting you are interested in)
• – Sweet
• – Quick (baking bread without yeast)
• – Bake
• – Dough maker
• – Whole grain, among others.
It takes 3.5 hours for a 1.5-pound bread and 3h 40 minutes for a two-pound bread using the gluten-free setting. Like any other machine, you should always start with liquid the sugar/salt in the order with yeast being the last ingredient. This prevents yeast from coming into contact with liquids.
The machine has a cuboidal shape with a grey top and a black bottom. Its control panel is easy to use thanks to its big buttons and relatively large LCD screen. Besides, it comes with an extra paddle that you can use if the other is in the dishwasher. Both paddles are non-stick, and therefore, easy to clean. The machine has a window on the top lid to make it easy for you to know your bread or dough’s progress without lifting the lid. Most customers have rated the machine as useful, especially the beginners in the world of baking or people who want a machine that can handle several recipes.
2. Zojirushi BB-CEC20 Bread Maker
Zojirushi brand is known for its quality, high-end kitchen appliances. Its BB-CEC20 bread maker is one such appliance. It features an elongated pan that can bake you a loaf that looks similar to what you find in your grocery store. It also has a two-paddle design that kneads the dough thoroughly before the rising stage. You can remove the paddles after the kneading stage if you do not want to leave the paddle holes on your bread.
You can select any of the three crust options that include light, medium, and dark. Besides, there are ten settings that include Quick wheat, Basic Dough, Sour Dough, and Homemade, among others. With the Homemade program, you can adjust the kneading cycles, rising time, crust settings, and the baking time.
It has a 13-hour delay and automatically shuts off after baking. You may use this setting to have freshly baked bread either when you wake up in the morning or when you are back home. However, it does not have a dedicated gluten-free setting on its panel. Nevertheless, if you go through the user manual, you will find instructions on setting the gluten-free setting using the homemade setting.
You can use the machine for baking bread of between one and 2.5 pounds. However, the 2.5-pound bread is likely to raise the lid if you go for a high-rising recipe. Therefore, you have to be careful of what method you use with the 2.5-pound size. On the other hand, it has a non-stick coating on the paddle and pan, which is not Teflon. Teflon is not cook-friendly material but one of the most common non-stick coatings. Luckily, it is not used in this model.
3. Cuisinart CBK-100
This bread maker model is a middle-priced appliance, but at a price nearly twice that of Hamilton discussed above. It has three bread sizes that include a pound, 1.5 pounds, and 2 pounds. Use the load size button on the panel to determine your setting. You may also choose from three crust settings that include light, medium, and dark on the Crust color setting on the panel.
There are 11 pre-programmed menu selections: gluten-free, whole wheat, basic, Italian, packed mix, rapid bake, and dough setting. Its booklet comes with four gluten-free recipes for 1.5-pound loaves. Other great programs include the pre-heat and keep warm. You may want to use the pre-heat if your recipe requires so while the Keep Warm program keeps your bread warm and fresh if you do not want to consume it immediately.
The machine will complete baking in a 2.5 hours cycle. However, you may want to use a rubber spatula to incorporate all the ingredients during the dough making stage of your baking. If you find the cycle too short for some recipes, you may use the bake-only setting to extend the baking time.
Like other bread makers, stick to adding ingredients starting with the liquids, dry ingredients, and yeast as the last one. After the kneading cycle is complete, there will be six beeps to let you know that it is safe to remove your dough to paddle if you so wish. Be careful when removing the paddle as it may be hot. There are additional beeps when your bread is ready.
This bread maker has a top design where the control panel is accessed at the top. Its lid has a viewing window to enable you to see your bread making progress without lifting the lid.
4. Oster CKs TBRTW20
You should not confuse this model with the popular Oster Expressbake CKSTBR9050, which is twice the model’s price discussed in this section. It has a tall cylindrical shape and can make between one pound and two-pound loves in one to two hours. You can as well use the fast bake to prepare a loaf within an hour. However, this setting cannot work with gluten-free recipes.
The appliance has 12 pre-programmed settings that include the basic bread, whole wheat bread, ultra-fast, jams, and dough. The 650 watts bread maker also comes with a 13-hour delay timer to ensure that you get fresh bread in the morning or when you come back from the workplace. In addition to the settings, there is a keep warm feature that keeps your loaf warm and fresh long after you have completed the baking process.
The model does not have a gluten-free bread setting. However, you can use the custom settings to put the right kneading time and baking settings for your gluten-free bread. Some users have also made use of 1:1 gluten-free flour with the regular bread setting and got well-cooked bread. It can bake up two pounds of this bread in about two and a half hours. It comes with a measuring cup, a single kneading paddle, and a spoon to measure and prepare the dough.
The lid has a window that allows you to check the progress of your bread. The button and LCD screen are found on the side. The control panel is easy to use, but the LCD does not come with a backlight. Besides, the entire appliance is white or ivory. Therefore, it can fit most kitchen styles. Its aluminum body is both lightweight and durable.
5. Breville BBM800XL
If you are looking for a bread maker that leverages cutting-edge technology, the Breville BBM800XL is the bread maker of choice. You can choose from three crust darkness functions, light, medium, and dark. Besides, it has a pause function for the decoration of the crust. Different loaf sizes include 1.0 lbs., 1.5 lbs., 2.0 lbs. and 2.5 lbs. It also has a smart LCD screen that is backlight and extremely easy to use. Besides, it has a countdown timer and a progress bar that shows both the loaf’s progress and the remaining period.
The appliance has 13 programmable cycles that include custom (with nine cycles), rapid, bake only, gluten-free, crusty loaf, sweet, yeast-free, pizza, pasta, and dough, among others. It also has a temperature and weight conversion button to use the ideal temperature measurements for your recipe. The appliance also has a 13-hour delay time that enables you to have the bread made when allowing it is time to have your snack. You can also set the sound to alert you when your bread is done or just mute it when you do not need to be disturbed.
Its kneading basin has a unique collapsible kneading paddle and another fixed one. When the bread is cooking, you can activate the viewing light and look through the lid to determine your bread’s progress. It also has a non-stick bread pan, which is easy to clean. The package comes with 46 recipes that give step-by-step preparation methods, including yeast-free and gluten-free.
Breville casing is made of stainless steel, which is high quality and durable. The control panel found on the top on one side and has easy to use knobs and the LCD screen. Its lid has an easy-to-lift handle that enables you to lift the lid with a single lift safely. On the other hand, its oven is highly powered with a rating of 830 Watts and can work with 110v to 120v. Should there be a power interruption, the appliance continues to run up to 60 minutes.
Tips to Note When Making Gluten-Free Bread with a Bread Maker
As said earlier if you would like to make a perfect gluten-free bread without a stand mixer, a bread maker is your best bet. While you can make bread in an oven, a dedicated bread maker gets the hard work off your bread making process so that you are left to enjoy the sweet aroma of the bread.
1. Making Gluten-Free Bread without a Specific Program: If you are making bread using a machine that does not have a gluten-free setting, read the user manual on ways to override the pre-programmed settings. Ensure that the machine has a 20-minute mix cycle, an hour rise cycle, and an hour bake cycle. At the same time, stop the second rise as it is meant for gluten bread and might damage the gluten-free ones.
2. Bring your ingredients to room temperature: Ensure that the ingredients are at room temperature when combining them. You may warm a bowl and then put un-cracked eggs on it to make them warm.
3. Always start by putting the liquid ingredients into the pan and then the dry ingredients at the top. You may whisk the dry ingredients before pouring them into the pan.
4. Use a rubber spatula to help incorporate ingredients during a mix cycle. On the other hand, if you do not want holes made by paddles after baking, remove the paddles after the mixing stage, just before rising. Reach out to the dough, remove them and smoothen the dough with the spatula. Please note that it is perfectly fine to leave the paddles in place.
5. Consider buying an instant-read thermometer: These inexpensive thermometers enable you to check if the bread is fully cooked. Use it to check the temperature of the bread before it leaves the oven. It does not matter whether it smells nice and done. As long as the temperature has not hit 205 degrees F, it is not well-cooked in the middle.
6. Let the bread cool down: Put the bread onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool for 20 minutes. You can now cut and consume your bread.
7. Store the bread when it is fully cooled: Let the bread cool for a few minutes before putting it in a ziplock bag. It should stay fresh for several days. However, if you want the bread to stay fresh for an extended period, you need to invest in wax food wraps. These wraps help the bread to stay fresh for longer and prevents the crust from getting overly dry.
8. Do not refrigerate your gluten-free bread: Refrigerating the bread dries it pout, making it hard to eat. Bake bread that you can eat in a few days so that there is no need to refrigerate the bread.
How Much Power Does a Bread Maker Use
Before you purchase a bread maker, it is vital to check whether it is worth the effort based on the ease of making gluten-free bread and the cost of running the machine. Then compare these costs and benefits with buying gluten-free bread.
The amount of power consumed by a bread maker depends on the type of bread and model of the maker. Some recipes require the bread to bake for a long period, which results in higher power consumption. However, we will look at average power consumption rates with a regular need for bread. Most machines have 600-700 Watts power rating and will be used for an average of 30 hours each month (about ten loaves, each taking 3 hours to bake). If we used rates on the higher side, the power consumptions would be:
30 hours x 600 watts = 18Kwh
In the USA, the cost of 1Kwh is about 12 cents (varies with the state). This means that you would pay (18×12 = 2.16 dollars) for power consumption. This is about two dollars a month, which is not a high cost for many households.
How does It Compare with a Conventional Oven?
You may be wondering why you need to buy a bread maker when you have an oven at home. First, the ease of making bread with a bread maker is the biggest advantage. Second, the power consumption of both has a high disparity. Unfortunately, most ovens use between 2500 and 5000 watts an hour. This four to five times the consumption of the bread maker. Therefore, if you are a regular bread eater, consider cutting costs and making the process easy at the same time.
What If you are Spending Less on Buying Bread?
The issue of quality comes into play. Most bakers add some additives to extend its shelf life. They may not be good for your health. When you bake your bread, you know what goes into the bread and how healthy it is.
Are you thinking of quality gluten-free bread? Any of the models reviewed in the section above offers an excellent baking experience. Read the user manuals, try new recipes, and enjoy quality gluten-free bread. There are tons of recipes available on the internet on this.
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