This machine produces "full-size" loaves but takes up less counter real estate than "full-size" bread machines. Perfect for small kitchens—or counters crowded with gadgets—it has a space-saving design and modern stainless-steel look that weighs in at just over 10 pounds, so it's even easy to take on and off the counter if you want to store it elsewhere. The Cuisinart Compact features 12 cooking programs and three crust shades (light, medium, dark), with options including gluten-free bread, jams, sauces, cake, and more. It claims to accommodate up to a 2-pound loaf, though the Lab found that the largest dough batches rose into the lid of the machine and then deflated; we'd recommend sticking to 1.5-pound recipes.
This loaf maker is the best of the best. It comes with an ultra-thick manual that’s chock-full of amazing and unique recipes, from crusty olive and roasted garlic bread to honey whole wheat cinnamon raisin. It even comes with a recipe for tangy sourdough bread! With a bright LCD display that is clear and easy to read, even the novice baker can make fresh bread in a snap. The Breville can make up to a 2 1/2-pound loaf, yet it has a more compact surface area than some of the other, smaller-capacity models that we tested. The sleek chrome body is beautiful enough to have a permanent place on your counter. This machine passed every test we gave it and churned out loaf after loaf of artisan bread that could rival any hand-made loaf.
3. Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus
The Zojirushi has 15 different pre-programmed "courses" for cakes and a variety of breads, as well as a choice of light, medium, or dark crust, but you can also create your own custom programs. This machine has two kneading paddles to make sure no bits of flour are left unmixed and a 13-hour delay timer. A large window even lets you check the progress of your bread as it bakes.
Great for students, singles, couples, or anybody who only needs a sandwich or two worth of bread at a time, this slim machine produces 1-pound loaves and can fit in smaller spaces, yet it still has many of the features you'd find in top-quality full-size machines. Settings include basic bread (regular or firm), soft bread, French bread, bread dough, cookie/pasta dough, cake, jam, and quick baking. The crust can be set for regular or light, and the quick baking setting produces a loaf of bread in less than two hours. Our Lab loved how easy this machine was to use and found its results up to par with most of the full-size units they tested.
5. West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Maker
Includes 2 knead blades, non-stick bread pan, measuring cup and spoon, and knead blade removal tool. Dual knead blades provide thorough dough kneading for a lighter taste and higher rise!Traditionally shaped, horizontal bread pan can accommodate 3 different loaf sizes; 2 lb, 2.5 lb, and 3 lb. 12 digital settings include Basic, Wheat, French, Sweet, Dough, Gluten-Free, and Custom! Includes 2 knead blades, non-stick bread pan, measuring cup and spoon, and knead blade removal tool.
6. Hamilton Beach HomeBaker Breadmaker
The Hamilton Beach HomeBaker is an inexpensive but ultimately underwhelming bread machine that left us wishing for more. It produced mostly average loaves of bread in most of our tests. We do like its cake setting though, which lets you dump a box cake and all its other ingredients into the machine and press "go". This lightweight bread machine makes two different size loaves of bread.
This bread machine has the exact same design (I’m talking identical) to the CRUXGG model we tested but is $100 cheaper. It also has the exact same loaf pan design as the (more expensive) Oster and Cuisinart units we tested, but yielded a similar or better loaf of plain white bread. The Amazon Basics bread machine doesn’t have a lot of extra features, but it comes at a great price and can perfectly make a delicious loaf of fresh bread. The manual comes with a small section of simple, tasty recipes that even the baking-averse can pull off.
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