Comparison Kenwood Artisan BM 450 vs Kenwood BM 250

Rated power of the breadmaker.

This parameter is closely related to capacity (see "Maximum baking weight"): the higher bread weight inevitably require more power to heat efficiently. At the same time, models of the same capacity may have different power. In this case, the more powerful device will cope with its task faster, but will consume more energy and, most likely, will cost more.

The number of recipes and special programs (raw dough, jam, yogurt, etc.) provided in the bread machine. The larger this number, the more advanced this model is, the wider its capabilities. On the other hand, extensive functionality significantly affects the price. It is also worth considering that a specific set of programs in different models may be different; so when buying it is worth specifying not only the number of cooking modes, but also their specific list.

— Wheat. Bread made from finely ground wheat flour — the one that is called "white". Delicious and nutritious, suitable for both savory and sweet sandwiches. However, due to its high calorie content, it should be eaten in moderation, especially for people prone to being overweight. In addition, wheat flour has a lower content of vitamins and other nutrients than rye flour.

— French. A kind of wheat bread with a fairly thin crispy crust, light and very soft inside. Historically, such bread appeared as a "breakfast bun", and is very good in this role even now.

— Whole grain. The possibility of baking bread from the so-called whole grain flour (coarse flour). In such flour, unlike ordinary flour, all grain components are preserved, due to which it is especially rich in micronutrients and vitamins. It is believed that whole grain bread does not contribute to weight gain, strengthens the immune system and has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Such bread is cooked longer than usual due to the long rise and kneading time.

— Rye. Classic "black" bread. Rich in vitamins and micronutrients, has less calories than wheat, due to which it is better suited for daily use. However, the recipe for its preparation is quite complicated and relatively few bread machines are equipped with such a programme — mostly exp...ensive advanced models.

— Borodinsky. A kind of black bread. The dough is prepared in a way similar to a choux pastry, it includes additional ingredients — rye malt, molasses, coriander, etc. Such bread has a peculiar smell and a sweetish taste.

— Dietary. Bread without yeast. It is believed that such bread has less effect on the figure; also used during religious fasts.

— Gluten free. Gluten is a group of proteins that are formed when baking bread according to classic recipes. They can cause allergies, in addition, there is a disease in which gluten is not absorbed and damages the intestines. The gluten-free baking mode allows you to prepare gluten-free bread suitable for these types of problems.

— Sweet bread. Programme for baking dough with a high sugar content. Additionally, raisins, dried apricots, nuts and various seeds can be added to such a dough.

— Cake. The programme is designed for baking sponge cakes. Working according to the Cake programme, the bread machine creates optimal conditions for the sponge to rise well and acquire a soft porous structure.

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— Jam. Due to the possibility of mixing and heating the product in the working chamber of the bread machine, many models allow you to cook not only bread, but also jam. For this, a special temperature regime is provided, in which more useful substances are stored than during conventional cooking over an open fire.

— Dough kneading. Programme for preparing raw dough, without subsequent baking. It is useful if you plan to cook food outside the bread machine — for example, you can make dough for pies, dumplings, etc.

— Pasta. Special kneading programme for hard dough for making homemade pasta. It is found mainly in advanced models of bread machines. Allows you to knead a thicker dough than for bread.

— Pizza.... Kneading dough as a base for pizza. The programme involves compliance with a certain recipe using yeast cultures.

— Yogurt. Programme for making yogurt at home. Milk and starter culture are loaded into the working chamber of the bread machine, after which the optimal temperature regime is maintained there for the vital activity of beneficial lactic acid bacteria.

— Cream butter. In some bread machines, it is possible to use a stirrer to whip butter from milk, cream or sour cream. The presence of such a feature is useful, in particular, because the ingredients for making butter do not have to be fresh — thus, you can buy fresh sour cream for eating, and use it for butter after standing for a while.

— Programming capability. The ability to create and edit custom bread baking programs is a key feature of these bread makers, making them highly versatile by providing users with a wide range of options that are not limited to pre-set programs.

— Bread size selection. The option to choose the bread size allows for a more accurate selection of the amount of bread produced, ensuring that it will last until the next baking while also preventing it from becoming stale or spoiling. The number of size options may vary, and this should be confirmed in each individual case.

— Delay start timer. With the presence of a delay start timer, ingredients can be loaded into the bread maker in advance and the timer can be set to begin the baking process automatically at a desired time, such as overnight to have fresh bread ready for breakfast. However, it is important to consider that some ingredients may spoil before the mixing process begins if the delay is too long.

— Temperature maintaining. Thanks to the temperature maintaining function, the bread maker can keep the freshly baked bread warm for some time (up to several hours). This means that there is no need to time the moment precisely to enjoy hot bread, which many people consider to be the most delicious.

— Fast baking mode. The...program for speeding up bread making mainly works by reducing the kneading time, resulting in a denser bread compared to the standard temperature method.

A viewing window in the lid of the breadmaker that allows you to see the contents of the working container without opening the lid. Through such a window, it is very convenient to monitor the cooking process, especially if cooking is carried out according to a non-standard recipe and the state of the product must be constantly monitored.

A device for automatically adding additional ingredients to the dough — raisins, seeds, nuts — directly during the cooking process. The dispenser allows you to fully automate the process of making bread, you can not be afraid to miss the right time to add additional components. Its presence is especially useful if bread is planned to be cooked at night, for breakfast.

The time during which the protection from voltage surges is active.

Many modern bread makers are equipped with such protection; during power surges it disconnects the device from the mains and suspends the programme, and when the voltage stabilizes, it starts it from the place where it stopped. The protection time is the time during which programme data can be stored in the memory of the bread maker after the protection is activated and the external power is turned off. If during this time the voltage has not leveled off and the power has not turned on, the programme is reset and the process must be started over. Thus, the longer the time specified in this paragraph, the more advanced the protection is, the lower the likelihood that the programme will have to be restarted in case of mains failures. In some models, the protection time can be up to 60 minutes.