Bread machines for any toasty kitchen

Think for a second how ingrained bread is in our culture. We “break bread” with family, friends, and frenemies as a way of problem solving. It’s a slang term for money. The value of new inventions is still rated against sliced bread.

So, if you’re going to start making such a time-honored concoction as the humble loaf of bread, you’ll want a gadget that can do it justice. Here are some great options for aspiring breadwinners.

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Hamilton Beach products are usually designed with ease of use and ease of care in mind, and this is no exception. This bread machine comes with 12 settings to bake different bread recipes, including French, gluten-free, sweet, jam, cake, and whole-grain. There are settings for light, medium, or dark crust, according to taste; the appliance also features a dishwasher-safe bread pan and two kneading paddles. It’s an all-one-machine that lets you track the process from ingredients to finished loaf—use it to even prep pizza dough and rolls.

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This behemoth of a bread machine (it stands at a foot tall) can whip up loaves weighing up to 2.2 pounds. It features an intuitive touch-pad display that makes programming easy. From baking to warming, it delivers solid temperature control—but the best part is its “Intelligent Fruit and Nut Dispenser” that automatically drops ingredients into the dough at exactly the right time. You’ll never want to buy pre-made bread again.

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As the name indicates, the Oster bread machine doesn’t just knead, rise, and cook, it also has an Expressbake setting that delivers fresh bread in under an hour. If time is of the essence (when is it not?) and you have a lot of mouths to feed, this is the kitchen accessory for you. Its sleek, compact design (note the little “peekaboo” portal at the top) also makes it an aesthetically pleasing addition to your counter.