ALDI Lumina Bread Maker $69.99 from 9.11.13

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ALDI

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  DrStinge on 07/09/2013 - 19:49

  +1

  I always think of Lumia whenever I see this brand

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  empty456 on 07/09/2013 - 20:26

  +7

  We have this breadmaker (the model sold 6 months ago, without the fruit & nut dispenser). Good value — we haven't bought a loaf of bread since.

  We normally do a white crusty bread — throw in 310ml water, 450g Laucke bread mix, 1 1/2 teaspoons Wallaby bread improver, 1 3/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (daughter likes tall, soft bread with crusty exterior). Put the machine on a standard loaf, light crust, 750g setting and you're good to go. Fruit loaves and pizza dough are big hits too!

  Just don't take out the paddles until the bread has cooled down totally, and remember to shake the loaf pan upright (left-right-side-to-side) a good number of times before tipping the loaf over.

  • 

    DrStinge on 07/09/2013 - 20:50

    Is it cheaper in the long run?

    • 

      empty456 on 07/09/2013 - 21:03

      +3

      It costs us $1 per loaf including electricity. Takes a bit of discipline and scheduling to remember when to make the bread though. I usually bake it at night before dinner (it takes 3+ hours) so I can take it out of the pan before I sleep.

      I'm a heavy baker though, so I tend to use the machine for kneading dough half the time (too lazy).

      • 

        DrStinge on 08/09/2013 - 09:25

        Thanks :-)

    • 

      retiredfeline on 08/09/2013 - 10:20

      Yes but also after you've had fresh bread you won't be able to go back to store bread.

    • 

      Namarrgon on 08/09/2013 - 19:57

      It's even cheaper than $1/loaf if you don't use bread mix, and almost as easy.

      I put the pan on some digital scales, then add water, oil, plain flour, a little salt, powdered milk, gluten and bread improver, and half a packet of yeast. Takes about 5 minutes. Set the machine for 9-10 hours, then wake up in the morning to that delicious smell of freshly-baked bread wafting through your house.

      I'd probably pay $1 just for that smell :-)

      • 

        empty456 on 08/09/2013 - 20:49

        True, it'd be a bit cheaper. It's just harder to find bulk plain flour and bread flour in my local supermarkets. I'm just going through my last 10kg of bread mix and then back to bakers flour it is for me. Costco sells it on the cheap.

• 

  nerd1 on 07/09/2013 - 20:43

  don't bread mix means all the extras are already added? ie yeast, improver etc? well probably not yeast.

  • 

    empty456 on 07/09/2013 - 21:05

    Laucke bread mix comes with packets of yeast inside (the 10kg bags, at least). Not sure about bread improver, but before using the bread mix I had to mix bread flour, salt, powdered milk, sugar (and maybe some other things I can't remember now).

  • 

    retiredfeline on 08/09/2013 - 10:25

    Yes, everything except the yeast, in separate satchels, and water, which you add to the pan.

• 

  Consumer Sheep on 07/09/2013 - 21:12

  I've had this one for a few years now. It's very noisy so I can't bake overnight without waking the house up. Does a good job with white but not so good with the grain bread. Overall though it's a good unit.

• 

  Bam Bam Cheapskate on 07/09/2013 - 23:09

  I started with lauke bread mixes but didn't get good loaves without improver. Now just use plain flour. Still gotfour satchels of yeast from the mixes.

  • 

    bargaino on 08/09/2013 - 00:21

    Plain flour has less protein than normal bread. You can buy bakers flour, but it costs as much as the bulk bread mix.

    • 

      Namarrgon on 08/09/2013 - 19:58

      Pure gluten is cheap, and a couple of teaspoons with the plain flour adds all the protein you need. Makes a huge difference to my loaf quality.

  • 

    retiredfeline on 08/09/2013 - 10:23

    They work fine for me, you may have to tune the water quantity a bit. You do need to get flour with the correct proportion of gluten as manic says.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 08/09/2013 - 00:57

  I thought the making your own bread fad died off years ago but alas it is still alive and kicking.

  • 

    bargaino on 08/09/2013 - 01:10

    +4

    The "fad" was people buying the machines but never using them.
    I like waking up to fresh bread, and until a proper bakery opens up within walking distance, or I move to France, the machine will do the job.

  • 

    retiredfeline on 08/09/2013 - 10:22

    Like with many other gadgets, there are lots of failed good intentions, I know a friend who hasn't unpacked his unit yet. I've been using a bread maker continuously, now on my second machine, for the last 7 or 8 years, not sure exactly, it's been so long.

• 

  altomic on 09/09/2013 - 19:25

  +2

  This machine doesn't cost much dough

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  mackaxx on 23/09/2013 - 18:28

  Well, after a week of fiddling about with different bread mixes and having flop after flop I'm taking this heap of crap back. Just doesn't get hot enough to cook the loafs top properly.

  I think it's losing too much heat via the seed dispenser.