Breadmakers

Can you all let me know what one you use & what you like or dislike about it.

I had a sunbeam I loved & then a Breville I hated.

We are looking at getting another one (one of my plans to allow us to save money so I can stay home longer) & want opinions

Thanks

We had a breville breadmaker and it was ok but TBH I make our bread by hand now and it doesn't take much longer and it always turns out great where as we found our breadmaker was abit hit and miss.

If you're looking for ways to save money I've got a list - ATM we're living on less than $60 a fortnight. I make our cleaners, bread, muesli bars, biscuits, pizza bases, washing liquid, and I make Jakes clothes from secondhand adult clothes. Today I made him a pair of cord pants and a 100% pure wool jersey and it cost me $1.50 and took an hour.

Yes please Babe, please share how to make all those things! I can make biscuits..and eat them lol
Our breadmaker we got from LV Martins, seems ok but haven't tried any other ones to compare. Don't use it much, too lazy to slice the bread in the morning as well as making sammies! Plus didn't seem worth it when I could buy a loaf for $1, but should think about it more now that bread is dearer again. Find it tastes funny when made into toast though..what is with that?

Babe - Id love to see that list too!!!

We have a Breville and it is a bit hit and miss (mostly miss!) when I make it, but turns out great when DH does it. I think it's because he's really precise with measurements etc, where as I tend to just bung it all in! Also, it's important to use high-quality (ie, high gluten) flours, and add gluten flour, as the supermarket-brand flours just don't seem to have enough protein.

The one thing we really don't like about ours is that it doesn't switch itself off after it's baked - it keeps the bread warm, which dries it out, so we have to be around to get the bread out of the bread maker when it's done.

But it is FANTASTIC - one of the best appliances we've ever brought. The bread is so tasty, and nutritious (we make the multigrain loaves, full of seeds), and really filling so we don't spend as much money on snacks to keep full between meals.

We make a loaf a day - put it on in the morning, so we have fresh bread for lunch, and then the remainder we eat as toast for breakfast the next day.

I don't find it too much of a PITA to cut, but my father swears by his electric knife?

ETA: We have a Breville "Baker's Oven"...

Edited by anakk

DF and I are bread snobs and must have the good stuff (freyas). But it was only recent that we realsied it was $4! WTF. It was the usual stuff so never looked at the price.We are concidering a bread maker, especially for when I'm at home. But with all the seeds, grains and whatever to make it healthy...does it work out cheaper?

Sorry alliasmum.....can't help with ur question.

Babe...you are an inspiration! I hope you will share the list. We are in desperste need to do something.

The recipe said to do it in it LOL sift flour via beating then add the yeast mixture in BUT it went up under the central thing & slowed it down so it was working really hard & I though hmmm funny smell oh sh*t bit of smoke

No worries Kate, that is going to be the next thing I'll look at. I'm sure it's cheaper.

I have a breville too the one that makes big loaves can't remember the actual size sorry. TBH i haven't used it for a while so it made its way to the garage over the weekend so that i could put my nice shiny and new kitchen mixer on show thanks mum and dad for the belated wedding present. We used it alot when at uni and found it good but as the others have said it takes just as long to make it by hand anyway so if i do want to make bread then i would just make it that way now or i would use the dough programme.

LOL sorry ladies missed all of this!!

Will have to do a couple of posts as Jakes being abit grotty.

Cleaners are easy peasy. I get the Homebrand white vinegar from Countdown and mix it in $1 spray bottles from super cheap auto. I do 300ml vinegar to 200ml water and use it on our wooden bread boards, benchtops, table, and bathroom sink. For the toilet i have a mix of baking soda, washing soda and vinegar which I wipe in the bowl and leave (same as duck?) then go over the toilet with a cloth dampened with vinegar and a sprinkle of baking soda. I use borax, vinegar and salt for the bath and OMG it seriously cleans!! I don't even have to scrub!
So all my cleaners are pretty much non toxic and natural and it costs me peanuts. If I was to buy the eco stuff from supermarket I'd be paying well over $4 a bottle.

Muesli bar recipe as follows:
125g butter or marg
1 cup white sugar
2 TB golden syrup (can sub honey if req)
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup dessicated coconut (can sub rolled oats - the big oaty stuff)
1 egg
1 cup dried fruit
5 weetbix or equiv dry wholewheat breakfast cereal, crushed (I use 4 weetbix - personal pref)


Preheat oven to 180C. Spray/butter 20cmx30cm sponge roll tin.
Place butter, sugar and golden syrup into large saucepan and stir over medium heat until melted.
Remove from heat, add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Press into prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes.
Cut into bars while still warm but leave in the tin until completely cold before removing.
Store in airtight container.

** Different measures of same ingredients results in completely different types of bars. If softer, chewy bars are more popular (they are here) then use less weetbix and oats (tho not sure about adjusting coconut measure as I don't use it at all). Otherwise follow directions for drier, firmer bar. I muck around with the measures everytime I make them just to see how they turn out and they're always nice just different textures really. **


Washing Gunge

1 quart Water (boiling) **1 quart equals approx 4 cups **
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
Eucalyptus/peppermint/teatree (whatever you want your washing to smell like!)
Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted (but I didn't find that worked coz my soap kept caking up again so I boiled the butt off it and stirred til it was nearly all melted, got too impatient and just went onto the next step which worked out fine).
Pour the soap water into a large, clean bucket and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
Add 2 gallons (makes about 10 litres all up) of water, stir until well mixed.
Cover pail and use 1/4 cup (or a dessertspoonful which is what we use - thats enough to even get the pee smell outa Jakes cloth naps) for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel) --> will it ever!!!! I actually ended up adding alot more hot water to it coz it was so thick!!


Trying out this Dishwashing Powder...

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda (alternative - 1/2 cup baking soda & 1/2 cup washing soda. This is the variation I'm trying as we've got hard water and washing soda is a great water softener and really cuts through the grease on dishes!)
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid
30 drops essential oil

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

I use straight washing soda and water to wash our lino and wooden floors and its great!

Cordial

750g/3 cups sugar
1.2 litres boiling water (I used water straight from kettle instead of boiling on stovetop and it was better I found)
2 TB Citric Acid
1 tsp natural essence (Hansells does a range of natural, colour-free essences like orange, raspberry, strawberry, passionfruit, peppermint etc)

Dissolve sugar and citric acid in boiling water. Stir in essence.
Makes approx 1.5 litres.

** Haha how easy is that??!!! OK my variation is below - less sugar, more essence.... **

2 cups sugar
1.2 litres boiling water
2 TB citric acid
1-2 TB natural essence

Mix as above.

** I found out by accident that less sugar (because I ran out) and more essence (because I was showing mum how to mix the same batch up and told her 2 TB instead of 2 tsp) actually works just as well. Its not as sweet but thats not a bad thing and because of the stronger flavour you can use less of it therefore making it go furthur!! Don't let the kiddies mix it up though - Jake would totally drink it straight if he could. Its really yummy - especially the orange flavour!!! I use PET bottles and make double batches and freeze them then just let them defrost in the fridge along with the bread and muffins and things as we go through them at a similar rate. Good for the fridge because it helps keep it cool thus saving power ;) its all about the savings! **

Ginger Beer

PLANT
1/2 tsp dried yeast
8 tsp ground ginger
8 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water

GINGER BEER
4 cups sugar
22 cups cold water
1/2 cup lemon juice

To make plant, on day one, place yeast, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp sugar and the cup of warm water in clean jar. Mix well, cover jar with square of muslin (or porous-type material - I used a clean nappy liner (UNUSED) :), and secure with rubber band. For each of the next 7 days, add 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp sugar, stir and cover.

To make sugar syrup for ginger beer, on the eighth day, combine sugar with 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer til sugar is completely dissolved. Combine sugar syrup and remaining water (18 cups) in a clean bucket. Mix in lemon juice (I didn't have a 1/2 cup so just put in what I did have uhm about a 1/4 cup I think - seems to still be fine).

Line a sieve with a triple thickness of muslin, place over a bowl and strain plant mixture. Pour resulting liquid into bucket mixture and stir well.

Pour into clean bottles ** PET bottles are best ** and seal, leaving a little space at the top. Store in a cool place. Ginger beer is ready after 5-6 days or when it is suitably bubbly.

Makes approx 6 litres.

** If you want to make another plant try dividing the mixture left in the muslin when you strain it in half. Place one half back in the jar, and 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp sugar and 1 cup lukewarm water. Cover and feed each day as above. Either chuck out the other half out or use it as a second plant so you've got 2 going. If your PET bottles start to bulge at the bottom or sides then twist the lid and let out abit of the gas. I've had to do this almost every day. Also I didn't get around to doing the syrup til the 10th day so while I stopped feeding it on the 8th day it was sitting on the bench for a couple more days but it certainly doesn't seem worse for wear. **

Babe, you are awesome! I do some of the vinegar things but you have given a great variation. Must get some borax powder.

I swear by vinegar & water to wash the windows!

WE love ginger beer so will definitely give that a go!

The washing gunge do you add to the normal washing powder, so use it as a "fabric softner" or do you use it instead of powder?

Is the dishwashing powder for the dishwasher or for the sink or can you use it for both?