Bread Machine vs. Handmade Bread

Who doesn’t love the smell of fresh bread baking at home? Whether it’s made by hand or with the help of a trusty bread machine, there’s something magical about that aroma filling the kitchen. With five kids and a busy life, we’re always looking for ways to balance time-saving gadgets with the joy of making things from scratch. In our latest video, we put the bread machine and handmade bread to the test! Which one wins? Let’s dive into the pros and cons of each and see which method is right for your kitchen.

We also made a video showcasing both bread making methods, watch it here:

Hai Path Youtube Channel: Bread Machine vs. Handmade Bread

Table of Contents

The Story Behind Our Bread Machine

A few years ago, my husband Trey, in his thoughtful way, surprised me with the Oster Bread Machine and a cookbook, 300 Best Bread Machine Recipes, to go along with it. We put that machine to good use for a while, making all kinds of bread. But like many kitchen gadgets, it eventually found its way to the back of the pantry.

Below is an Oster Bread Machine we found on Amazon, this is not the exact bread machine we have – ours is probably a decade old so this is the closest machine we could find.

This is the book 300 Best Bread Machine Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt. They have since revised their book cover but it’s the same book.

Recently, I decided to dust it off and give it a second life, and it’s been fun bringing it back into the mix! You might know that our family loves making bread from scratch, and while that’s always a favorite for us, sometimes the convenience of the bread machine is hard to beat—especially on busy days.

Making bread at home has always been our go-to because we can control exactly what goes into it. Plus, it’s not as labor-intensive as people think, and it’s much cheaper than store-bought bread. And let’s be honest—nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread filling the house, whether it’s machine-made or handmade!

Bread is a Staple in Our Home

If you’ve followed along with us for a while, you probably know that we’re pretty seasoned bakers! We make bread at least 3-4 times a week—it’s a major staple in our home because it’s easy to make, easy to grab when kids are hungry and it’s money saving. Over time, I’ve developed a method for baking bread that takes very little effort, and the best part? We don’t measure! Yep, you heard that right. It’s a fun, relaxed approach that has become part of our routine, and it works like a charm every time.

If you’re curious about how we pull it off, I’ve shared the full breakdown in this video right here

The Hai Path: How to make bread without precise measurements

Bread Machine vs. Handmade: The Showdown

For today’s comparison, we decided to keep things as close and fair as possible. We’ll be baking two loaves of bread—one using our trusty Oster Bread Machine and the other completely by hand. To make sure we’re comparing apples to apples, we’re using the same recipe from our 300 Best Bread Machine Recipes book: All-Occasion White Bread. This way, we’re removing as many variables as possible and focusing purely on the process and results of the two methods.

What We’ll Be Comparing:

Time: We’ll break down how long each method takes, from start to finish.
- Which is quicker? And does speed impact the quality?
Ease of Use: Bread machines are known for their convenience, but handmade bread isn’t as difficult as you might think.
- We’ll see which method requires more attention and effort.
Quality of Bread: This is where we’ll compare the final loaves.
- How do they look? How’s the texture of the crust and the crumb? Does one taste better than the other?
Hands-On Involvement: While the bread machine takes care of most of the work, handmade bread offers that tactile, hands-on experience.
- Which method do we prefer for the sheer joy of baking?
Overall Enjoyment: Finally, we’ll talk about which method we enjoyed more, and why.
- Sometimes, the process matters just as much as the final product!

The Recipe: All-Occasion White Bread (with our plant-based twists)

For this experiment, we used a basic All-Occasion White Bread recipe from our 300 Best Bread Machine Recipes book. This recipe makes a 2lb (1 kg) loaf of bread. Since we follow a plant-based diet, we made a few adjustments, and I’ll share both the original recipe and our substitutions below.

Original Recipe:

1 ½ cups water
⅓ cup nonfat dry milk
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 ½ cups bread flour
1 tsp bread machine or instant yeast

Our Adjustments:

Nonfat dry milk: We swapped this for ⅓ cup full-fat coconut milk. Alternatively, you can use dehydrated coconut milk, which is available here. Since we used liquid coconut milk, we had to adjust the flour content to get the dough right.
- In the handmade recipe, I added 1/3 cup more flour.
- In the bread machine recipe, I ended up adding 2/3 cup more flour since the dough looked too wet. Always trust your instincts when you see the dough!
Bread flour: We used organic unbleached all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. This can slightly affect the texture, making the bread a bit less chewy but still delicious.
Granulated sugar: We replaced this with coconut sugar for a more natural sweetener.
Vegetable oil: We opted for grapeseed oil for its lighter flavor and health benefits.
Yeast: Instead of bread machine yeast or instant yeast, we used regular active dry yeast. This may require a slightly longer rise time, but it still works beautifully.

Note on Ingredient Differences:

Coconut Milk: Full-fat coconut milk adds richness to the bread, but it’s also a liquid ingredient, which is why we needed more flour to balance it out. If you use dehydrated coconut milk, the texture may be closer to the original recipe.
All-purpose flour: Bread flour has more protein, which creates more gluten and gives bread its chewy texture. Using all-purpose flour makes the bread a bit softer, but for us, it worked well in both methods.
Coconut sugar: This sugar has a lower glycemic index and a slight caramel flavor compared to regular sugar, which could give the bread a slightly different taste.
Grapeseed oil: A healthy substitute for vegetable oil, grapeseed oil has a light flavor that doesn’t interfere with the bread’s taste.
Active dry yeast: Active dry yeast requires proofing or a bit more rise time compared to instant yeast, but it still gives great results.

Time Breakdown: Bread Machine vs. Handmade

When it comes to making bread, time can be a big factor, especially for busy families like ours. Here’s how the two methods compared in terms of the time it took from start to finish:

Bread Machine: The Convenience/Dump and Go Champion

Using the bread machine is all about convenience. Here’s how the process went:

Setup Time: About 5-10 minutes to measure ingredients and press the start button.
Hands-Off Operation: Once the machine started, it handled everything—mixing, kneading, proofing, and baking—without much intervention.
Total Time: Around 3 hours and 25 minutes from start to finish.
Adjustment Needed: The only moment I had to step in was when I noticed the dough looked too wet, so I added about 2/3 cup more flour to get the consistency right. Other than that, it was completely hands-off!

Handmade Bread: A Labor of Love

Making bread by hand is a bit more involved, but still manageable, especially with our no-knead method:

Total Time: Approximately 3 hours, but much of this was hands-off proofing time, making it easy to fit into our day
Initial Prep: 5-10 minutes to mix the ingredients and prepare the dough. Our no-knead method keeps this step quick.
First Proof: Let the dough rise for 1-1.5 hours, allowing us to do other tasks during this time.
Shaping and Second Rise: Shape the dough and let it rise again for about 30 minutes before baking.
Baking Time: Took around 35 minutes in the oven.

Although this method requires more attention—like checking the dough during kneading and shaping—it’s a flexible process. We fit the steps into our routine, and while it may be a bit more time-consuming, the hands-on involvement makes it feel like you’re truly creating something special.

Which Wins on Time?

If you’re looking for convenience and need to multitask, the bread machine is the clear winner in terms of minimizing active time. However, if you have a bit more flexibility and want to enjoy the bread-making process as a therapeutic, creative activity, the handmade method is worth the extra time.

Hands-On Involvement: Bread Machine vs. Handmade

The amount of hands-on involvement can be a deciding factor when choosing between bread machine and handmade bread. Here’s how both methods compared:

Bread Machine: Set It and Forget It

One of the biggest advantages of using a bread machine is its simplicity. Once you add the ingredients and start the program, the machine takes care of everything—mixing, kneading, proofing, and baking. Other than adjusting the dough consistency (like when I added 2/3 cup more flour), there’s very little hands-on involvement. It’s perfect for busy days when you need bread but can’t spend time monitoring each stage. You simply set it up, walk away, and come back to a finished loaf.

Handmade Bread: Low-Hands, High-Satisfaction

While handmade bread may sound more labor-intensive, our method is surprisingly hands-off. We use a no-knead approach, which makes the process much simpler. Here’s how it goes:

Initial Mix: We combine the ingredients and mix the dough for about 5 minutes. This is the most hands-on part of the process.
First Rise: We let the dough rest and rise for about 1 hour. During this time, we’re free to do other things around the house.
Stretch and Fold: After the initial rise, we do a few stretch and folds—a simple technique to build structure without intensive kneading. This takes only a couple of minutes.
Shaping and Second Rise: We place the dough into two loaf molds for its second rise, which takes about 30 minutes before baking.

In total, the hands-on time for our handmade bread method is quite minimal. It’s a relaxed and flexible process that allows us to fit it into our day, while still enjoying the tactile experience of working with dough. Plus, it feels great to shape and mold the bread with our own hands, making it a creative and satisfying part of our routine.

Which is Better for Hands-On Involvement?

The bread machine is the clear choice if you want the most hands-off experience. However, our no-knead handmade method strikes a nice balance—minimal effort with a satisfying sense of involvement. It’s perfect for days when you have a little more time but still want to keep things simple.

Results: Comparing the Loaves

After baking both loaves, we had some interesting results when it came to their appearance, crust, and crumb.

Appearance:

Handmade Loaves: We divided the dough into two pans, resulting in two smaller, rustic-looking loaves. In hindsight, it could have been baked as a single loaf, but splitting it into two seemed practical at the time. The loaves turned out with a darker, artisanal crust.
Bread Machine Loaf: The bread machine produced a larger, square-shaped loaf based on the shape of the container. It was more uniform in appearance compared to the handmade loaves.

Crust Comparison:

The handmade loaves had a slightly darker crust, likely due to the longer exposure to direct oven heat.
The bread machine loaf had a medium crust, as we selected that setting. If you prefer a darker crust, most bread machines, including ours, allow you to adjust the settings.

Crumb:

Both the bread machine and handmade loaves had a similar crumb—fluffy, soft, and light. There wasn’t much of a difference in texture or softness between the two.
The main distinction was in the size: the bread machine loaf, being larger, had more of that fluffy interior. The handmade loaves, being smaller, had a higher crust-to-crumb ratio, which gave them a slightly different mouthfeel.

Bread Machine Loaf Quirk:

One thing to keep in mind when using a bread machine is the kneading paddle (the piece that kneads the dough). If you don’t remove the paddle before the baking cycle starts, it will end up embedded in the final loaf, leaving a small hole where it sits. To avoid this, you need to keep a watchful eye on the kneading cycle and remove the paddle before the dough begins to bake. This will give you a loaf without the telltale kneading paddle imprint.

You may also notice some unmixed patches of flour in the corners of the loaf. This is expected, as the machine may not catch all the flour in the corners during the kneading process, and it can end up being left unincorporated.

Conclusion: Which Method is Right for You?

Both methods—using a bread machine and making bread by hand—have their own set of advantages. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your lifestyle, schedule, and what you enjoy most about baking. Here’s a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of each method:

Bread Machine: Pros and Cons

Pros:

Convenience: I personally LOVE the Dump and Go aspect of a bread machine. Very little hands-on time is required. You can set it up and walk away, letting the machine do all the work while you’re at work or sleeping.
Consistency: Produces a uniform loaf with minimal variation, perfect for quick and reliable results.
Customizable Settings: You can adjust the crust color and loaf size settings easily.
Energy Efficiency: The bread machine uses less electricity compared to preheating and baking in a full-sized oven.

Cons:

Less Control: You have less influence over the dough’s texture and shape, as the machine does everything.
Loaf Shape: The bread machine loaf is square and larger, which may not always be the desired shape for everyone.
Limited Crust Options: While you can adjust the settings, the crust won’t have the same artisanal look and feel as a handmade loaf.
Large appliance: Although it can be comparable with other kitchen gadgets, this bread machine does take up a bit of space on the counter and in the pantry where you store it.

Handmade Bread: Pros and Cons