Bread winners.(Gift Guide)(breadmakers)(Cover Story)(Evaluation)

Publication: Consumer Reports

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.

Breadmakers allow virtually anyone to bake bread with just minutes of effort and few skills beyond the ability to measure ingredients and push buttons. What's more, they produce bread that's better than respectable in quality. And they allow you to control what goes into your loaf, which might appeal to people with food allergies or gluten intolerance. Until fairly recently, however, breadmakers have generally been expensive. But prices have been dropping; the average machine now costs $57, though higher-end brands can cost up to $200.

Our tests show that you don't need to spend much to get a decent machine. We rated six models, priced from $40 to $200. All were judged good or very good overall.

RISING TO OUR CHALLENGE

Putting the machines through their paces was easy--no surprise, because breadmakers leave little for the baker to do aside from choosing a...

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