Making bread in a bread maker

A bread maker sits on the worktop and turns flour, water, yeast and salt into a loaf. Much of the result comes down to what goes into the pan, and the order it goes in.

Choosing a machine

Inside a bread maker is a small oven holding a bread pan. One or two paddles at the bottom of the pan mix and knead the dough.

Bread makers often have separate programmes for white, wholegrain and other doughs, and a timer too. You can load the pan in the evening and set it to start, so the loaf is ready in the morning.

Some machines will make dough only. You then shape the rolls or buns and bake them in the oven.

Pans come in different sizes, and recipes for bread makers are often written for one loaf size. Compare the pan with the recipes you plan to use before you choose.

Once it arrives

AMDEA, the trade association for makers of household appliances, runs a service called Register My Appliance. It explains that a maker sometimes finds a problem only after a product has been in use for a while. Registering gives the maker a way to contact you.

Recalls are also posted on GOV.UK, where you can search the product safety alerts by type of product.

Putting the ingredients in

The machine's instructions give the order for the pan. Liquids usually go in first, with the dry ingredients on top. That keeps the yeast away from the water until the programme starts.

The NHS says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day, about one level teaspoon. It adds that around three quarters of the salt we eat comes from everyday foods we buy, bread among them.

The flour

The Flour Advisory Bureau (FAB) is part of UK Flour Millers, the millers' trade association. It describes wholemeal flour as the whole wheat grain, with nothing added or taken away. Brown flour usually keeps about 85% of the grain, and white flour around 75%.

For bread, FAB's advice is to use strong bread flour. A flour that is too weak can leave the loaf with a flat top.

In the UK, millers must add calcium, iron, niacin and thiamin to non-wholemeal wheat flour. GOV.UK says folic acid joins that list from 13 December 2026. Wholemeal flour is outside the rule. Self-raising flour that already holds enough calcium does not need calcium added.

Wholegrain kinds of starchy food are a good source of fibre, so the NHS suggests choosing them when you have the option.

When a loaf goes wrong

FAB has a page on what went wrong with a loaf, and several of its answers fit a bread maker. A heavy, dense loaf can come from flour with too little protein, too much salt, or yeast killed by too much heat. FAB says dough that collapses as it goes into the oven has most likely been left to prove for too long.

A sour, yeasty smell points to too much yeast, or yeast that has gone stale. Too much yeast can also make the bread go stale quickly.

Home-made bread has no preservatives, so it tends to go stale sooner than bread from a shop.

Keeping flour

FAB suggests keeping flour in its own bag or an airtight container, in a cool part of the kitchen. Its advice is never to mix old flour with new. Wholemeal keeps for about three months and white flour for six to nine, because the oils in the bran and germ can turn rancid.

Baking for someone who avoids gluten

Coeliac UK, the charity for people with coeliac disease, says gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Some people also react to avenin, a similar protein in oats. Bread and flour are among the most obvious sources.