I find a bread machine to be a very useful item in the kitchen. In 25 years, I have gone through a couple of them…making bread every 2-3 days. They have saved me a lot of money. The ones I have/had were Black and Decker, but there is  a wide variety available, and I know people with other brands who are happy with theirs. Mine seems easier to use, but that may be because I am accustomed to it.
- Product: Bread Machine
- Price: variable…from $50-$350
- Where to Buy: Amazon, Costco, major department stores
- Ease of Use: very easy
- Warranty: 1 year
- My rating: 5 out of 5
The nice thing about bread machines is that you don’t have to worry about the temperature of water (for the yeast), or the temperature in the kitchen (for rising), or kneading…or anything. All you do is put the ingredients in the pan, in order, and set it for whatever cycle you want (dough, loaf, dark crust, light crust, etc).
I have used mine to make bread, cinnamon rolls and pizza dough. I find the timer function useful if I want pizza dough ready from when I come home on a workday, or if I want a fresh baked loaf to go with soup.
I have a cinnamon roll recipe here
and there is a variation on that here
Pizza Dough:
- 1 cup water or beer
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour (if Canadian) otherwise 2 3/4 bread flour)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons yeast
Put all ingredients in order into baking pan. Insert in bread machine, and set cycle.
When ready to use, remove from pan to a lightly floured surface…may need to knead in a bit of flour to make it easier to handle.  Grease 2 12″ pans, or one 15″ pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll out dough and press into pan. Top with pizza sauce, meat, veggies, cheese, etc.
Bake at 425F for 15-25 minutes until edges of crust are golden.