A bread maker is a really useful and convenient home appliance for the bread lover, who can simply toss in the ingredients and wait to sample the savoury loaf. A bread maker is a moderately easy to use machine. It consists of a bread pan with a paddle mounted in the centre, in a small special-purpose oven, with a control panel. If you intend to buy a bread machine, do consider the following:

• Make sure you have enough storage space for a bread maker. Usually measures W50cm x D30cm.
• Choose the capacity of the bread maker based on the amount of bread your family eats. Most produce 1-, 1 1/2- or 2-lb loaves.
• The most basic features a bread machine must have is a white bread or basic cycle, a manual or dough cycle, and a timer
• Select a bread maker with a delay timer if you want bread ready for dinner or fresh for breakfast.
• If you just want to make dough (as for pizza or cinnamon rolls), choose a bread maker that will make dough but not cook it.
• Choose a bread maker that signals you to add ingredients during the bread making process. This is a good feature if you need to add fruits or nuts.
• Pick a bread maker with a "keep warm" function if you're not likely to be around when the bread is done. However, bread that sits in the bread maker for a considerable amount of time after it's baked sometimes gets soft or soggy, so don't put too much bread in the "keep warm" feature.
• Check for other special features, such as crust control, French bread or whole wheat bread cycles, or cycles for fruit or nut breads.
• Usually the pan has effects on the crust. Machines with thin aluminum pans tend to make a lighter and thinner crust than machines with thick cast aluminum pans.
• Some bread makers make round loaves, some make elongated loaves in a bucket-style container and some make horizontal loaves. If you have a preference, keep looking until you find what you want.
• Study the warranty and service options. Look for one with at least a one-year warranty.

Some manufacturers of breadmakers are: AFK , Black & Decker, Breadman , Cuisinart, DAK Industries, Domo, Kenwood, Hamilton Beach, Hitachi , Morphy Richards , Panasonic, Toastmaster, Wel-Bilt, and Zojirushi.

According to Bread-maker.net, some of its best selling bread machines are from Zojirushi, Cuisinart and Breadman. For more information, you can visit bread machines/makers websites like Breadmachine Digest and Bread-maker.net for details.