(Pocket-lint) – Fresh bread in the morning is one of life’s true pleasures, but ask anyone who’s tried and they’ll tell you just how painful the effort of making it yourself, from scratch, can be. Baking in your own oven can be time-consuming and error-prone, with no guarantee on your first umpteen tries that you’ll produce anything tasty at all.

• Best stand mixer: Brilliant kitchen mixers for baking and food prep

There is another way, though — breadmakers have been around for decades, but as with most kitchen appliances they’re improving all the time. There are now countless models out there to help you produce delicious loaves of all types, including gluten-free variants, exactly when you need them with a minimum of fuss.

Get that fresh-bread morning whenever you want with any of the great breadmakers we’ve featured on our list below. 

Our pick of the best bread makers to buy today

Cuisinart

Cuisinart Bread Maker

squirrel_widget_3667652

It’s far from the cheapest maker out there, but this model from Cuisinart is a really solid starting point for most people. It’s got a small display that makes choosing settings and setting timers way easier, and a solid capacity to make chunky loaves. 

A delayed-start mode is useful for getting fresh bread in the morning (it’s life-changing) and it’s really easy to remove the bread pan, too, which not all break makers can boast. 

Oster

Oster 2-Pound Expressbake

squirrel_widget_177292

Right at the other end of the price spectrum is the Oster Expressbake, which actually boasts many of the same features as the Zojirushi above, but also has some clear drawbacks for being several times cheaper. It’s a lot louder, and a bit slower, and you’ll likely find that your loaves aren’t quite as uniformly even in their finish.

If those drawbacks aren’t an issue, though, you’ll be getting bread maker at a very reasonable price, even if you might have to make sure it doesn’t walk itself off your counter-top in more intense moments of its kneading. 

Amazon

Morphy Richards Fastbake

squirrel_widget_177293

Morphy Richards is first up, with a machine that matches the Oster Expressbake for its low price, as well for its relatively healthy set of features. 

Its fast bake mode, as the name suggests, can even get you a completely baked loaf in 50 minutes, the sort of turnaround that means you don’t have to leave it on overnight or plan around it too much. Of course, if you do want to, a delay timer means that you can leave it overnight for bread in the morning. You also have the option of three loaf sizes, to make sure that you’re not throwing away unused bread in a couple of days’ time. 

Amazon

Russell Hobbs 23620

squirrel_widget_177294

An alternative option at the exact same price-point is offered by this Russell Hobbs maker, which has a really similar set of options but might suit you if you’re a fan of the brand, or if you want a black unit in particular. 

Its own fast-bake option takes 55 minutes, in comparison, and smart touches like a keep-warm setting and the option to select how dark you want your crusts are welcome. Up to 13 hours of delay also mean that the all-important “wake up to the smell of fresh bread” test is passed. A dishwasher-safe bread pan and kneading blade will also make for easy cleanups. 

Amazon

Panasonic SD-2511W

squirrel_widget_177295

Our final spot goes to Panasonic, for a bread maker that looks a bit less like one than we’re used to — and it packs a baffling ability to make jams and compotes that goes some way to explaining that. If you’re into making jam to spread on your home-made bread, then this is an all-in-one machine that’s perfect for you. 

17 pre-programmed bread options meet a range of loaf size choices to leave you with a wealth of choice as to what to bake, and an automatic ingredient dispenser means you don’t need to remember to come back to put raisins in later. The odd uneven finish aside, it’s a great little (okay, quite chunky) machine, with that added bonus of adaptability.

Morphy Richards

Morphy Richards Homebake

squirrel_widget_2698419

Another solid option comes again from Morphy Richards in the form of this modern-looking maker, which has a 2-pound capacity as many others do, too. 

With plenty of settings that you can change if needed, but a core system that’s very easy to set up, it’s a great machine for experts or novices. 

Writing by Max Freeman-Mills.