Whether you’re looking to make bread for the first time or regularly enjoy a homemade loaf but need a little extra help, investing in one of the best bread machines will ensure you can always enjoy the delights of a freshly baked loaf without stepping outside your front door.
To determine which bread machines are the best of the batch, I’ve conducted hands-on testing along with consumer report research to pick the best of the bunch. Apart from considering power, setting options, design, capacity, and ease of use, one of the most important factors is end results, as there’s no point in investing in a bread machine if it doesn’t produce a tasty loaf.
I recommend many other great bread machines, including compact appliances and those suitable for large families who’ll appreciate extra capacity. Here are the best bread machines you can buy right now.
Best bread machine overall
The Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker is not the most expensive or the most feature-packed bread machine you can find, but to us it is the best for one easy reason: it bakes fantastic bread.
During testing, we were really impressed with how it could make such delicious food with so little effort. It's quite a large machine, and it's not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it's core function is so good for the cost, that those small things barely matter.
One of the biggest reasons it works so well is the internal temperature sensors. The machine measures the internal and room temperature to optimize the time to rise and rest the dough, so you end up with something as close to perfect as possible. And it's automated, so you get consistently great bread too.
You pop in the dry then wet ingredients, set the program and then leave the machine to do its thing. One of our test bakes, French bread setting, took 5 hours and 40 minutes, though most of that was spent kneading and rising.
It's important to keep an eye on the timer, though, as you want to get your loaf out of the machine as close to the end time as possible, otherwise it risks getting a bit soggy. Though it's not only bread the maker excels at.
Our reviewer wanted to test the dough setting, so they tried out their family's classic pizza dough recipe, rather than the version in the quick start guide. The machine mixed and kneaded for 45 minutes. As they noted: "I found it easy to work with and was able to stretch the dough without tearing it, so this was a win in my book."
- Read our full Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker review
Most versatile bread machine
The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus is impressively versatile and can make loaves up to 2 pounds (only topped by the Breville The Custom Loaf, which maxes out at 2.5 pounds). If your household gets through a lot of bread, this is a great option, even if the large capacity means you need to make a bit more space on your counter.
It's not always easy to get a consistent and neat loaf in the classic tin shape with good slicing, but the Virtuoso Plus does just that. So, you don’t have to worry about serving up an odd-shaped vertical sandwich.
It produced light and fluffy bread with a wonderfully crispy crumb, and it also has a wide choice of settings to choose from. The Virtuoso Plus will cater for any dietary need — from gluten, salt and sugar-free to vegan loaves.
It even has a setting for a sourdough starter, and if you like to experiment, you can create custom settings to create your favorite recipes. This bread maker is certainly for the sophisticated baker, so if you’re looking to bake a standard loaf, you might be better off with a simpler machine.
It also includes three crust colors, and lets you know the optimal time to add extra ingredients, such as walnuts or olives to your dough, which is very similar to the Breville The Custom Loaf.
The bright LCD display is easy to program, with the baking settings printed on the front of the lid, and unlike those on other bread machines, it tells you what time your bread will be done, rather than how much time is left.
That means you don’t have to do math in your head but rather see exactly when your pumpernickel will be ready to be slathered with butter. It also has a handy viewing window on top of the appliance so that you can take a sneaky peek at its progress.
Depending on your breadmaking needs, the Zojirushi is pricey, so if you are looking to make the occasional loaf or are new to breadmaking, you might prefer to invest in a less expensive model to start.
- Read our full Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus review
Best bread machine for large loaves
If you’re looking for a beautifully designed machine with a lot of fancy features, you’ll love the Breville the Custom Loaf. It can make a loaf that’s up to 2.5 pounds, among the largest of any electric bread baker.
It has 13 settings, including one for an extra-crusty loaf and another for gluten-free bread, making this one of the best bread machines around. It is expensive, but you get some useful extra features you don't find on other units.
There’s a dispenser that automatically adds the fruits, nuts, or chocolate chips so you can truly set and forget it, regardless of your recipe. Although if you're making a large loaf, you may need to add the extra ingredients manually (rather than in the mix) but the machine will tell you when with a beep.
After it finishes kneading, the paddle folds down. That means you don’t have to extract it from your baked bread and there’s no crater in the bottom of your loaf. An interior light makes it convenient to see what’s going on inside the machine without opening the lid. It's a small feature, but it's brilliant, and will keep children entertained for hours! Like all Breville appliances, it has a plug that’s particularly easy to pull out of the socket.
- Read our full Breville The Custom Loaf review
Best bread machines compared
Model | Capacity | No. of settings | Special features |
|---|---|---|---|
Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker | 2 lbs | 20 | Fruit and nut dispenser, delay start, crust color control |
Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus | 2 lbs | 15 | Gluten-free/sourdough setting |
Breville the Custom Loaf | 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 lbs | 13 | Crust color control |
How we test the best bread machines
When we test the bread machines we take several factors into account. The final result — the quality of the bread produced — is the most important point.
But we also look at how easy the appliance is to use, how well it mixes the dough and the capacity of the automatic dispenser to add extra ingredients, and if the machine has one, plus many more elements.
The range of settings is also considered and the maximum size of loaf that can be baked. All of these factors help us determine which bread machines are best for specific categories, such as best compact or best premium bread machine.
Meet our testing team
I started baking as soon as I could see over the top of my mom's kitchen countertop, and I haven't stopped since. I can't confess to being an award-winning baker, as I'm more about the taste than the look, but I've certainly spent a good deal of my time trying out new kitchen appliances and working out the pros and cons of each. While I started baking fresh bread by hand, I've now come to realize the freedom that using one of the best bread makers gives —resulting in a loaf just as impressive as one made by hand, with the benefit of giving you back time, and making it easier for you to enjoy fresh bread daily.
I tested the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus that's reviewed in this guide. It gives a superior performs, which is why it's rated as the best overall bread maker in this guide. My advice and experience comes from five years as a home and kitchen product tester, during which time I've tested hundreds of items first hand, including a good few kitchen appliances and bread machines. Apart from Tom's Guide, my work appears in publications such as Forbes, USA Today, The Spruce, Food52, and more.
How to choose the right bread machine for you
Machine size: Bread machines are bigger than you think, so checking you’ve got the space for it is imperative. Check the dimensions before you buy and measure out where you plan to put it. Remember, you will need to factor for opening the lid on top and space is needed around the machine for it to vent. It’s good practice to leave some space in front too because some machines can ‘walk’ while they knead and you don’t want it to end up on the floor.
I always keep my bread maker on my countertop, as it reminds me to use it, but whether you plan to keep it on display or within a cupboard, check that it will fit in the space.
Loaf size: Don’t go straight for the biggest loaf size on the market. The bigger you go, the more space the machine will take up, so you could end up storing more than necessary. And baking too much bread is just one of the bread maker mistakes you never knew you were making.
On top of this, you will likely waste a lot of bread if you can’t finish the loaves. As there’s no preservatives in homemade bread, it will become stale or moldy quicker than store-bought loaves. If you want an idea for size — a one-pound loaf should provide eight slices, and an extra half pound will give you another four slices.
But also take into account how the loaf comes out, as if you opt for a compact bread machine you might find it produces a cube loaf, such as the Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker.
Settings and programs: The bread machines in this guide all have a mix of programs and will deliver from basic bread to sophisticated loaves, and even jam and cake. When looking for a bread machine, consider which settings you will need, such as gluten-free, express-bake, bake-only, or keep warm.
You might also want a timer setting, so you can wake up to the smell of a fresh loaf. You should also be able to choose between the size of the loaf you desire and whether you want a light, medium, or dark crust.
Bread machine FAQs
Is a bread machine worth it?
A bread machine can be well worth it if you bake regularly and want fresh bread without doing all the mixing, kneading and proving yourself. You still need to measure the ingredients and wait for the cycle to finish, but most of the work happens automatically.
The real question is how often you’ll use it. An occasional baker may not get much value from a premium machine, whereas a frequent baker is more likely to appreciate extras such as a timer, custom settings and an ingredient dispenser.
Is it cheaper to make bread in a bread machine than to buy it?
Making bread in a bread machine can be cheaper than buying a comparable loaf, especially if you usually buy premium or specialist bread. Your actual saving will depend on the ingredients you use, electricity costs, the price of the machine and how often you bake.
It may take time to recoup the upfront cost, and waste can quickly eat into any saving. Homemade bread often goes stale faster than packaged bread, so it makes sense to bake a size your household can finish or freeze part of the loaf.
Does a bread machine give you more control over ingredients and additives?
Yes, a bread machine lets you choose the flour, fat, sweetener, salt and other ingredients that go into your loaf. That makes it easier to avoid additives you don’t want or tailor a recipe to your tastes.
That doesn’t automatically make every homemade loaf healthier — it still depends on the recipe. Be careful when adjusting salt, sugar, yeast or flour, as each plays a part in how the dough rises and what the finished bread feels and tastes like.
What loaf size should you choose in a bread machine?
Pick a loaf size your household can eat while the bread is still fresh. A one-pound loaf gives you roughly eight slices, with around four more for each additional half-pound, although this will vary with the loaf’s shape and how thickly you slice it.
The Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker and Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus make loaves up to two pounds, which should suit many households. The Breville Custom Loaf gives you more flexibility, with one, one-and-a-half, two and two-and-a-half-pound options — useful if you sometimes bake for a crowd but don’t always need a large loaf.
Do you need an automatic seed dispenser in a bread machine?
No, you don’t need an automatic seed dispenser, but it’s handy if you often bake with seeds, nuts or dried fruit. It drops them into the dough at the right point in the kneading cycle, so you don’t have to wait nearby for an alert.
The Breville Custom Loaf has an automatic fruit and nut dispenser, while the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus tells you when to add extras yourself. Both approaches work; the automatic option is simply more convenient when you want to load the machine and walk away.
Can bread machines make gluten-free, low-salt, sugar-free, or vegan bread?
Yes, some bread machines can make gluten-free, low-salt, sugar-free or vegan bread, but not every model has a dedicated programme for each. The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus caters for all four, while the Breville Custom Loaf has a gluten-free setting.
Dedicated cycles are useful because alternative flours and recipes may need different mixing, rising and baking times. If you have coeliac disease or a serious allergy, remember that a specialist programme does not prevent cross-contamination from shared ingredients, utensils or equipment.
Can you make sourdough in a bread machine?
Yes, some bread machines can help you make sourdough. The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus, for example, has a setting for preparing a sourdough starter, while machines with custom programmes may let you adjust the timing yourself.
It may not be a completely hands-off process, though. Sourdough is less predictable than standard yeast bread, and a machine can’t look at the dough and decide that it needs longer to rise. Expect to adapt your recipe or handle part of the process yourself.
Can a bread machine make pizza dough?
Yes, a bread machine with a dough setting can do the mixing, kneading and first rise for pizza dough. In our testing, the Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker handled a family pizza-dough recipe in forty-five minutes, producing dough that was easy to stretch without tearing.
You’ll still need to take the dough out, shape it, add your toppings and bake the pizza in an oven. Even so, handing over the kneading and proving makes homemade pizza much less labour-intensive.
What kind of yeast should you use in a bread machine?
Bread-machine yeast or rapid-rise yeast is usually the easiest option because it works quickly in an automated cycle. Active dry yeast can work too, but some recipes require you to dissolve it first.
Use the type and quantity specified in your recipe, and add it in the recommended order. Different yeasts aren’t always interchangeable measure for measure; too much can make the dough overflow, while too little may leave you with a dense loaf.
How easy is a bread machine to clean?
Most bread machines are fairly easy to clean because the bread pan and kneading paddle lift out. The awkward spots tend to be around the paddle, dispenser and seals, where flour or baked-on dough can collect. Some owners find the Breville Custom Loaf’s collapsible paddle particularly fiddly to clean.
Once the machine has cooled, wipe out loose flour and crumbs and wash the pan and paddle as directed. Don’t put removable parts in the dishwasher unless the manufacturer says they’re dishwasher-safe, and never immerse the main unit in water.
