
With a retail price of $89.99, the Oster bread maker is pretty middle of the road.

When we made those recipes, we had to estimate the halfway point between ¼ and ½ cup. One thing we found odd was that many of the recipes require 1 ⅜ cups of water, but the measuring cup didn’t have a ⅜ measure. The liquid measuring cup is quite basic, but is certainly handy to have. The extraction tool is simple, but we found it very useful as the paddle remained in most loaves after they finished baking. The Oster ExpressBake comes with a liquid measuring cup, a measuring spoon, and a tool for extracting the paddle from the bread. Included Accessories: Basic measuring cups Since this machine doesn’t have clock, however, we needed to do the math to figure out how long the delay time should be. The Oster is also great for making dinner rolls, bread sticks, and other breads that don’t get baked in a bread pan.Ī timer lets you set the baking time up to 13 hours in advance. We used this setting for pizza dough, which we refrigerated and used the next day, but you can also shape it and bake in the oven immediately. The dough setting mixes and kneads dough and lets it rise gently. Since this machine doesn’t have clock, however, we needed to do the math to figure out how long the delay time should be.īesides baking bread, the machine can also be used for mixing and cooking jam, and we were quite pleased with the results when we tried it. We suggest retrieving the bread as soon as it’s done, so it has time to cool before you slice it.Ī timer lets you set the baking time up to 13 hours in advance. Once 60 minutes have ticked by, it beeps again and automatically turns off. The machine beeps insistently after finishing and then switches into warm mode for an hour. The start button lights up in blue when the machine is active, and it blinks when baking is done. Still, it’s better than having no window at all. A round window in the top of the lid lets you peek at the dough as it mixes, kneads, bakes, and rests, but there are times when the lid gets too steamy to see what’s going on. The top of the machine is removable, which is great for cleaning, but we found this out by surprise when we accidentally knocked it off. One downside is that the screen isn’t backlit, so it’s a bit difficult to read if your kitchen isn’t well-lit. The LCD screen shows your selections along with the baking time, so you can make sure you’ve got everything set correctly before pressing the start button. The control buttons are clearly labeled and a list of available programs is printed to the left of the buttons. Two small hand-holds on the side make it a cinch to hold and carry. Since it’s lightweight at just 8 pounds, it’s also easy to move into storage when not in use. While it’s not super attractive, it’s also not intrusive, measuring just 12 x 11 x 11 inches, so you can tuck it out of sight in a corner. It’s white, mostly square, and the front is rather plain as all the controls are on the top. The Oster bread maker isn’t the prettiest kitchen appliance you’ll find. The Spruce Eats / Donna Currie Design: Plain Jane
