The money and the taste is all well and good, but the real reason I kept using mine (until I started travelling): the smell. Waking up in a house that smells like fresh baked bread is just heaven.

* goes to dig unloved breadmaker from the back of the cupboard

Tip: Use the bread-maker (or a heavy-duty mixer with dough hook) to save time on the initial mixing and kneading, but do the remaining steps by hand -- it's much more satisfying, and once you practice a bit, you'll get better bread. You'll spend a little more time, but it's worth it.

Do you really need a bread maker for the initial kneading? It's the same as why a bike is faster than a car. You can either cycle 20 minutes, or drive 10 minutes and spend 20 minutes exercising. Doing it by hand takes maybe 5 minutes longer, but you save 10 minutes exercising.

The very best homemade bread I make is the no knead bread -- it's as easy to make and clean up after as using a bread machine (you just need a bit of time).

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

If you want to get all bread-geeky, this stuff is even better when you've got yourself a starter (I have three kinds :)

Very true. I've already got a nice mixer, so I use it.

My bike is faster than a car in philly