10 Best Bread Makers For Making Delicious Loaves At Home

Our winning bread maker wowed us by creating beautiful white and wholemeal loaves. Fluffy inside and crunchy on the sides, they had a fabulous farmhouse flavour. The rapid bake mode produced equally yummy results, so don't hesitate to use it if you're in a hurry. There are lots of gluten-free programs, too, so nobody has to miss out.

One thing to note is that this machine is taller than average, meaning it might not fit under kitchen cupboards. Oh and slices from the XL loaves are unlikely to fit into a toaster, but that's surely the definition of a first-world problem!

Key specifications
Number of settings: 30
Settings of note: Sourdough, brioche, french, manual
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: Medium, large, extra large
Dimensions (cm): H36.2 x W40.8 x D25.2

Looking for crunch and colour? Compete in your very own Bake Off with this stylish unit. Well risen, fluffy and tasty, this delivered loaves worthy of a professional bakery, so get ready to brag to your friends. There’s a 15-hour delay timer so you can set it before you sleep and it will keep it warm for up to an hour after baking. There’s a decent 20 settings to make everything from pizza dough to brioche.

Though a great all-rounder, this really shone on gluten-free bakes. Whereas other machines struggled with them, this handled the recipes with ease, and was best on test.

Key specifications
Number of settings: 20
Settings of note: French, brioche, gluten free, rye bread
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: 3 choices
Dimensions (cm): H36.2 x W40.8 x D25.2

This pricey Panasonic is worth the money if you're an enthusiastic baker keen to try new recipes. It boasts 32 auto programmes, including sourdough and brioche, and has an ingredients dispenser for adding chocolate chips (or fruit and nuts...). There's also a separate yeast dispenser, so you really don't have to do much, but the manual settings are customisable.

Every loaf we made looked and tasted wonderful, including our gluten-free and rapid bake attempts. It's just a shame there's no viewing window for watching it work its magic, which both children and adults enjoy!

Key specifications
Number of settings: 32
Settings of note: Sourdough, spelt, brioche, rye, manual
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: Medium, large, extra large
Dimensions (cm): H36.2 x W40.8 x D25.2

This bread maker is relatively affordable for a Pansonic. Its 21 auto programs offer plenty of choice without overwhelming beginners and it's noticeably quiet and stable in use. It made consistently first-class loaves that were perfectly risen and blissfully airy, but there's no ingredients dispenser, so you'll have to pause it and drop in any extras yourself.

The screen is quite small and the buttons are on the top, meaning shorter people may struggle to set programs. Clearly, these are minor niggles.

Key specifications
Number of settings: 21
Settings of note: French, brioche, compote
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: Medium, large, extra large
Dimensions (cm): H36.2 x W40.8 x D25.2

This bread maker feels reasonably priced at under just over £70, given its 14 eclectic settings including cake, jam and yoghurt. If you’d rather stick to bread, fear not, for it excelled at producing all manner of crusty loaves with barely any effort required on our part.

It’s very beginner-friendly with a touchscreen display and its delay timer lets you set it to start bread making up to 13 hours in advance. There’s no automatic ingredient dispenser and the viewing window is small, but it’s a reliable all-rounder.

Key specifications
Number of settings: 14
Settings of note: Cake, French bread, yoghurt
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: Medium, large
Dimensions (cm): H28.5 x W26.5 x D36

This good-looking Sage bread maker came out on top for its wholemeal bread. We loved the farmhouse feel to our loaf, with its crunchy crust and springy inside, and were similarly pleased with our white creations.

The modify button lets you customise any of the settings, there’s an automatic ingredient dispenser and the kneading paddle collapses during baking to keep your finished loaves free from holes. The internal light offers improved visibility, should you want to watch it in action, and the notification beeps can be switched off if they get on your nerves. The included recipe book is a comprehensive godsend too.

Key specifications
Number of settings: 14
Settings of note: Pasta, pizza, yeast-free
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: Small, medium, large, extra large
Dimensions (cm): H35.2 x W24.8 x D39.9

We weren’t fibbing when we told you that not all bread makers will make your bank balance weep. This gimmick-free Cookworks model comes with a recipe booklet that helped us make yummy loaves from scratch. Our white and wholemeal bread emerged crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and we appreciated the keep warm function.

The quick bake setting worked well too, but it still took nearly two hours, which didn’t seem particularly fast. It’s quite bulky to store but it offers great value for money if you’ve got the cupboard space.

Key specifications
Number of settings: 13
Settings of note: Sweet bread, cake, pasta
Gluten-free setting: No
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: Small, large
Dimensions (cm): H35.4 x W28.7 x D25.8

Connoisseurs will tell you that the key to a great sandwich is structural integrity and a decent surface area on which to load-up your favourite toppings. This machine then is the perfect choice for sarnie-lovers, producing tall, long and narrow loaves. Unsurprisingly then, the machine is on the taller side too, so you’ll need plenty of counter space.

The bread itself from white to wholemeal loaves was well risen, fluffy and tasty, though the gluten-free recipe was less successful. Easy to clean, with a well backlit display, it’s a no-frills option, but was simple to use.

Key specifications
Number of settings: 15
Settings of note: Brioche, French, cake, wheat
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Yes
Choice of sizes: Yes
Dimensions (cm): H29.2 x W14.2 x D29.7

The quick bake setting is a funny one because it’s often on the slow side! Most bread makers we tried took the better part of two hours in rapid mode, but this model wowed us by creating a white loaf in just 58 minutes. It was pale on top and a touch too dense, but we happily gobbled it up.

The wholemeal bread we made with the brand’s recipe was excellent but the one we made with ours was a let-down, so follow Morphy Richards’ guidance. There’s a delay timer that can be set up to 13 hours ahead of time and the 12 settings include cake and jam. Not too shabby for £60, huh?

Key specifications
Number of settings: 12
Settings of note: Sweet bread, cake, pasta
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: Yes
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: Medium, large
Dimensions (cm): H30 x W28.5 x D40.5

With a handy, large window on the top to check where your bread is up to, you need never get a recipe wrong by opening your machine too soon and disturbing the baking process. Top marks, Lakeland.

Great for white and wholemeal loaves, all achieved a good rise and crust colour. There are just two loaf sizes to choose from with this one though, and there’s no jam-making function. But if you want to get experimental and add your own ingredients, you can; just wait for the sound of the beep to throw in fruit, nuts, olives or whatever takes your fancy. Crumbs.

Key specifications
Number of settings: 12
Settings of note: Brioche, French, cake, wheat, buttermilk
Gluten-free setting: Yes
Jam setting: No
Choice of crusts: Light, medium, dark
Choice of sizes: 700g, 900g
Dimensions (cm): H29.5 x W25 x D36