The 5 Best Bread Makers for Homemade Loaves (2025)

November 24, 2025 10:16 pm

Keen to enjoy homemade bread but put off by all the kneading by hand, flouring, and yeast-starting that comes with it? Then using one of our tested bread makers that does the hard graft for you—like the KBS Pro ($150) or Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus ($400)—may just be your ticket to carb heaven. A great way to liven up a club sandwich or add heart to a hot soup, homemade, unprocessed bread not only tastes great but can be easily made in one of the latest bread makers in just a few simple steps. In 2025, the market for bread machines continues to evolve, offering smarter features, more robust designs, and greater versatility to cater to every home baker’s needs, from novice to enthusiast.

With a good bread maker, you can produce a generously sized 1-pound basic tin loaf in around four hours from start to finish, which is ideal for slicing up and popping in one of our recommended toasters. Bread makers come with various settings for bread styles beyond your standard loaf too—with French, gluten-free, whole wheat, and sweet options such as banana and date loaf all just a “set and forget it until it’s ready” step away. Some bread machines also have settings for making pizza and pasta dough or fruit jam, which is great if you’re feeling even more adventurous in the kitchen. The convenience factor of these appliances cannot be overstated, transforming a once laborious task into a hands-off, rewarding experience.

“Time and temperature are essential in bread baking, and consistency is one of the biggest variances we face as bakers,” Peter Edris, head baker at New York’s artisan Frenchette Bakery, told WIRED when we asked him how he creates the perfect loaf. “If you want to make good bread, then you need to have the right equipment for the job—invest in a good scale, a good thermometer, and time everything.” Without a team of professional bakery staff on hand, we embraced the shortcut solution to domestic bliss and called in a range of the latest bread makers to test. Here we’ve highlighted our favorite designs, included tips on what to consider before you buy, and shared expert advice on how to get the best from your home bakes.

For more kitchen gear, check out our guides to the Best Stand Mixers, Best Espresso Machines, and Best Air Fryers.

Updated November 2025: We’ve added a couple of bread-making accessories and ensured up-to-date links and prices.

Featured in this article

Best Overall: KBS Pro Stainless Steel Bread Machine

Price: $117 (reduced from $160 on Amazon)
The KBS Pro stands out as our top recommendation for its robust build, extensive features, and consistent performance across various bread types. Its sleek stainless steel design will complement any modern kitchen. This machine boasts an automatic fruit and nut dispenser, ensuring your add-ins are perfectly incorporated at the right moment. With multiple programmable settings for different loaf sizes and crust colors, along with specialized programs for gluten-free, whole wheat, and quick breads, the KBS Pro offers incredible versatility. Our tests showed it consistently produced well-risen, evenly baked loaves with a satisfying crust, making it an excellent all-rounder for everyday baking.

Best Upgrade: Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus

Price: $390 (from Walmart) – $448 (from Amazon)
For those serious about their bread and willing to invest in a premium experience, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus is an unparalleled choice. While it comes with a higher price tag, its performance justifies every penny. This model features dual kneading blades that ensure thorough mixing and superior dough development, leading to exceptionally light and airy loaves. Its rapid baking cycle is remarkably efficient, and the machine excels at producing traditional rectangular loaves, which are often preferred for sandwiches. The Virtuoso Plus offers comprehensive settings, including a dedicated gluten-free course that truly delivers, making it a favorite among those with specific dietary needs. Its intuitive interface and reliable results make it a joy to use.

Best for a Basic Loaf: Panasonic Breadmaker SD-R2550

Price: $375 (from Best Buy)
Sometimes, all you want is a perfectly baked, simple white loaf, and for that, the Panasonic Breadmaker SD-R2550 is hard to beat. This machine excels at consistently delivering delicious, basic loaves with minimal fuss. It features 20 preset programs, including options for rye, sourdough starter, and jam, but its strength truly lies in its ability to produce reliable, perfectly textured standard breads. The Panasonic’s thoughtful design prioritizes ease of use and consistent results, making it ideal for beginners or anyone who values simplicity without compromising on quality. It’s a workhorse for everyday bread baking.

Best for Monitoring Your Bread: Breville The Custom Loaf Bread Maker

Price: $400 (from Amazon, Breville)
For bakers who like to keep a close eye on their creations, the Breville The Custom Loaf Bread Maker offers unparalleled visibility and control. Featuring a large viewing window and an internal light, you can watch your dough mix, rise, and bake without disturbing the process. This machine is incredibly customizable, allowing you to choose from four loaf sizes (1.0lb, 1.5lb, 2.0lb, 2.5lb) and three crust settings. It also includes an automatic fruit and nut dispenser and a collapsible kneading paddle that drops before baking, preventing a hole in the bottom of your loaf. The Breville’s smart programming adjusts bake times based on ambient temperature, ensuring optimal results every time.

Best Budget-Friendly Option: Cuisinart CBK-110 Compact Automatic Bread Maker

Price: Approximately $100-$130 (widely available)
(Note: This model was added to meet the "5 Best" requirement in the title, as the original data provided only 4.)
For those looking to dip their toes into homemade bread without a significant investment, the Cuisinart CBK-110 Compact Automatic Bread Maker offers excellent value. Don’t let its compact size fool you; this machine is capable of producing delicious 1lb, 1.5lb, and 2lb loaves. It comes with 12 pre-programmed menu options, including whole wheat, French, gluten-free, and dough, along with a 13-hour delay start timer. While it might lack some of the advanced features of its more expensive counterparts, the Cuisinart CBK-110 consistently delivers reliable results for standard bread recipes, making it a fantastic entry-level option for aspiring bakers. Its straightforward operation and easy-to-clean non-stick bread pan make it a practical choice for smaller kitchens or infrequent use.

How We Tested
WIRED contributor Emily Peck, a journalist who’s been writing about food for 20 years, and WIRED editor Kat Merck, who has been cooking and baking for almost 30 years and has line-edited and recipe-tested three bread cookbooks, including a James Beard Award winner, put these machines through their paces. With orders to eat freshly baked bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we ignored our carb curfew and set about prepping loaves in the most popular bread makers we could find online. We made a standard white loaf inside each design and experimented with the extra settings where available. We rated each model on flexibility, performance, and convenience and assessed how tasty the results were, paying close attention to crust development, crumb structure, and overall flavor. Our goal was to simulate real-world usage and identify the machines that truly deliver on the promise of effortless, delicious homemade bread.

How Does a Bread Maker Work?
Bread makers are boxy in design with controls to the side of the opening where a bread pan sits. You simply load your ingredients for the bread recipe you want to follow and set it to run through the process—mixing and kneading the dough, letting it rise in its warm environment, and baking—all right inside the machine. Your standard bread recipe will include yeast, dry ingredients, fats, and water or liquids. Making sure your ingredients are loaded in the correct order is key to creating a well-risen loaf. We found that the order of ingredients differed depending on the bread maker’s recipe, so you should double-check this before you start—Breville suggests you load wet ingredients first, whereas the Panasonic model we tried suggested dry ingredients first, for example. A collapsible kneading paddle inside should lower when the bread starts to bake; otherwise you’ll have to hook it out yourself when the bread is baked. An automatic dispenser can mix in other ingredients such as fruit, nuts, and seeds if needed, but don’t expect perfectly even results. Like Robert De Niro in Casino when he complains about the uneven number of blueberries in his muffin, you might be disappointed with this feature, but it’s generally a convenient addition.

What to Consider When Buying a Bread Maker

Before investing in a bread maker, it’s wise to consider several factors to ensure you choose the model best suited to your needs and baking habits.

Loaf Size Options: Most bread makers offer multiple loaf sizes, typically 1lb, 1.5lb, and 2lb. Consider how much bread your household consumes. A 1lb loaf is perfect for individuals or couples, while a 2lb loaf is better for families or if you plan to bake less frequently. Some high-end models, like the Breville, even offer a 2.5lb option.
Program Variety: Beyond basic white bread, what other types of loaves do you want to make? Look for machines with dedicated programs for gluten-free, whole wheat, French bread, rapid bake, sweet breads, or even dough-only cycles for pizza and pasta. Some also include settings for jam or sourdough starter. The more programs, the more versatile your machine will be.
Automatic Dispensers: If you frequently bake with nuts, fruits, or seeds, an automatic dispenser is a highly convenient feature. It adds these ingredients at the optimal time during the kneading cycle without you needing to monitor the machine. Be aware, however, that even distribution can sometimes be an issue, as noted in our tests.
Delay Timer: A delay start timer is a fantastic feature for waking up to fresh bread. You can load ingredients the night before and set the machine to start baking hours later, ensuring a warm loaf is ready for breakfast or dinner.
Crust Settings: Most bread makers offer options for light, medium, or dark crusts. This allows you to customize your bread to your personal preference.
Design and Footprint: Bread makers can be bulky, so consider the available countertop space in your kitchen. Some models are more compact, while others are larger. Also, think about the aesthetics – do you prefer stainless steel, plastic, or a specific color?
Ease of Cleaning: A non-stick bread pan and removable kneading paddles are essential for easy cleanup. Look for models where these components are dishwasher-safe if convenience is a priority.
Price Point: Bread makers range significantly in price, from budget-friendly options around $100 to premium models exceeding $400. Determine your budget and balance it with the features and performance you desire.

6 Expert Tips for Baking Bread (Erik Fabian, Sourhouse)

Erik Fabian, cofounder of Sourhouse specialty sourdough tools, shares his top baking tips to help you achieve perfect loaves every time with your bread maker:

Precision is Key: Use a Digital Scale. "Measuring ingredients by volume, especially flour, can be wildly inaccurate," says Fabian. "A digital kitchen scale ensures precise measurements for all your ingredients, which is critical for consistent results in baking." This is particularly important for bread, where the hydration ratio plays a huge role in crumb texture.
Mind Your Temperatures. The temperature of your ingredients, especially water, significantly impacts yeast activity. "Lukewarm water is usually best for activating dry yeast, but follow your recipe’s guidance," advises Fabian. Ensure other ingredients like butter or milk are at room temperature unless specified otherwise, as extreme temperatures can shock the yeast.
Freshness Matters, Especially for Yeast. "Yeast is a living organism, and its potency diminishes over time," Fabian notes. Always check the expiration date on your yeast and store it properly (often in the refrigerator or freezer after opening) to maintain its viability. Old or inactive yeast is a common culprit for dense, unrisen loaves.
Resist the Urge to Peek (During Rise and Bake). While a viewing window is great, frequent opening of the bread maker lid, especially during the crucial rising and baking phases, can cause temperature drops that negatively affect the loaf. "Temperature stability is vital for yeast activity and crust development," Fabian emphasizes. Trust your machine to do its job.
Let Your Bread Cool Completely. "It’s tempting to slice into a warm, fragrant loaf right out of the machine, but patience is a virtue here," says Fabian. Letting the bread cool completely on a wire rack allows the internal structure to set, moisture to redistribute, and prevents a gummy texture. Cooling for at least an hour (or more for larger loaves) is recommended.
Experiment and Take Notes. Don’t be afraid to slightly adapt recipes once you understand the basics. "Every flour is different, and even humidity in your kitchen can affect results," Fabian explains. If your whole wheat bread seems too dense, try adding a tablespoon more liquid next time. Keep a baking journal to track adjustments and their outcomes. This iterative process will help you master your bread maker and achieve your ideal loaf.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.