Bread makers are a great piece of kitchen equipment to have on hand, but not everyone has the space or wants to spend the dough on one. But just because you don’t have a bread maker doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious, freshly baked bread at home.
There are many alternatives to using a bread maker, including:
- Traditional Oven
- Dutch Oven
- Smoker
- Air Fryer
- Crockpot
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Microwave
No bread maker? No problem! Up next, we’ll share how you can still enjoy freshly baked bread, using any of the alternatives mentioned above. Just keep reading to find out more about bread maker alternatives.
1. Conventional Oven
The easiest way to make bread is in a conventional oven using baking pans. Follow your favorite recipe to make the dough, combining the flour, yeast, water, and salt. Knead the dough, then add it to a deep pan. Set the oven to about 425°F for around 25 to 30 minutes. It’s that simple.
2. Dutch Oven
Dutch ovens are an excellent choice for baking a fresh loaf of bread. If you are a fan of artisan-style bread loaves, a Dutch oven is the perfect choice. Just keep in mind that a Dutch oven is not ideal for baking a soft style of bread as the steam creates an extra crusty layer.
There are many no-knead recipes you can use to bake your favorite artisan style of bread in a Dutch oven. To make bread in a Dutch oven, just choose a recipe for dough, and get started.
- Follow your recipe of choice to create no-knead bread dough.
- Place your empty Dutch oven in the oven when there is still around an hour of proofing time left.
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees (in most cases).
- After the bread is proofed, you will place it in the hot Dutch oven.
- Bake the loaf for around twenty minutes, or the time specified by the recipe.
This is a very foolproof method to bake bread in, as in most cases, you will not knead the bread and simply allow it to proof.
3. A Smoker
Don’t neglect the smoker as another bread maker alternative. The smoker will need to reach a temperature of around 400 degrees, so before you commit to giving this a try, make sure your smoker can reach these temps. It is also recommended to pick a wood flavor that will not be too strong, go with one that has a more neutral taste like alder or cherry.
To bake bread in a smoker, you simply will need to place your bread in when the smoker reaches the correct time. The time will vary depending on your smoker, but on average, it may take around the same time your recipe calls for in a traditional oven.
4. Air Fryer
What’s not good in an air fryer? Not bread! It’s absolutely delicious in the air fryer. This recipe is a yummy one to make in the air fryer. When baking bread in an air fryer, you will need to:
- Allow bread dough to proof, it can’t proof as it bakes.
- Add the dough into the air fryer basket or rack.
- Set the temperature to 380 degrees.
- Bake the bread until the internal temperature reached 200 degrees which is around twenty minutes.
Bread in an air fryer typically resembles a more crusty loaf of bread. The loaf will be soft and fluffy on the inside, with a thin crust on the outside. Yum!
5. Crockpot
Crockpots are a versatile, inexpensive appliance. They’re also incredibly easy to use. Anyone that’s familiar with crockpot recipes knows that it’s really hard to mess up anything in a crockpot! Bread is no different.
Althuogh you can cook bread in your crockpot, every brand of crockpot is different, so you may need some trial-and-error loaves as you learn the exact temperatures for your crockpot. To bake bread in a crockpot, you will need to choose a recipe, like this one. Then get started:
- Turn the crockpot onto high to around 200 degrees.
- Place the kneaded dough into the crockpot.
- Bake for around 2.5 hours.
Once you see how easy it is to make bread in a crockpot, you won’t miss a bread maker at all. Plus, it’s really so simple, you just add your dough… and go!
6. Cast Iron Skillet
Once upon a time, meals were prepared with just a flame and cast iron skillet. Of course cast iron skillets are one of the most tried and true methods of making bread, no breadmaker required. Here’s a list of recipes that you can choose from to help you get inspired to try bread in your cast iron skillet.
Baking in a cast-iron skillet is that simple, and adds a restive feel to your bread baking process. If you want a crispy crust, such as an artisan-style crust, you can preheat the oven with the cast iron skillet inside. Bake the bread to the requirements of your recipe or until it is golden brown.
7. Microwave
There’s no way you make bread in the microwave… right? Wrong! You can absolutely make bread in the microwave! And you absolutely should! It’s quick and easy, and extra tasty. You just need a few ingredients including:
- Butter
- Active dry yeast
- Sugar
- Kosher salt
- All purpose flour
Get our your measuring cups and get started baking. It might not be the first bread maker alternative you’d think of, but it surely is worthy. Your microwave can actually make a fluffy loaf of bread, although it won’t be as dark as the loaves you’re used to.
Baking in the microwave is far faster than the other methods. The bread only needs to reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees which typically takes around five minutes. While it may not be a favorite bread loaf for many, it will still make a simple loaf of bread for a sandwich.
Final Thoughts
There you have it. Six ways that you can make bread without a trusty bread maker. That’s officially one less piece of equipment in your kitchen taking up space. Time to start “baking” bread!
