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People think making bread and sweets at home helps family members interact with each other and make themselves feel like they are at cafes.

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A spokesperson for recipe website kurashiru. The number of searches on the site for sweets has surged as more people in Japan have started baking to enjoy their time at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

© Jiji Press

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There are loads of very simple bread recipes online and our kids love making it. We get out the salad tongs and a tray and they pretend to run their own bakery. Be prepared for mess though.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

We've not gotten around to the kitchen renovation of our house (the bathroom took long enough, whew) so I don't have an oven. I miss baking back in the states... I love a good crunchy brown bread and they're quite expensive in Japan (and sweet, like store bought bread back in the states). I've been curious about bread making machines here and whether they're good enough for an array of different breads. I've been burned before with Japanese 'oven' type appliances lol

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I've been curious about bread making machines here and whether they're good enough for an array of different breads.

I have a Panasonic bread machine or "home bakery" as they call it here and it's pretty useful. There are modes for pizza dough, baguette dough, etc. Just put in the ingredients and it will do the mixing and raising.

As far as the actual baking part though only good for the square variety obviously. It's nice to have a warm loaf of bread waiting for me in the morning.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@Savethegaijin

We have a bread machine too (mother-in-law received it as a gift and gave it to us). It makes really nice crunchy bread if you use good flour. However, the kneading process is really noisy so definitely no good for a Japanese apato or mansion. The loaf is also a little small for a family of four.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I bet it's mostly just the wife making stuff alone.

In my house, it's me. My wife doesn't eat bread.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@No Business

Contrary to popular belief on this site, Japanese men, especially millennials, are actually pretty good husbands.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

"People think making bread and sweets at home helps family members interact with each other and make themselves feel like they are at cafes."

No, it doesn't.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

@theopolis

yes, actually, it can

3 ( +3 / -0 )

We have a bread machine too (mother-in-law received it as a gift and gave it to us). It makes really nice crunchy bread if you use good flour. However, the kneading process is really noisy so definitely no good for a Japanese apato or mansion. The loaf is also a little small for a family of four.

Yeh you need the double loaf machine otherwise it's just too small. Actually I was surprised how few double loaf models there are here. Then again it is the land of miniature sizes. The noise also depends on the machine. Mine is pretty quiet.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do many of these new bread machines use propriety "ingredient delivery mechanisms", like how some of the new coffee machines work (similar to how printer or razor companies make profit)?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Correct me if I'm wrong, but do many of these new bread machines use propriety "ingredient delivery mechanisms", like how some of the new coffee machines work (similar to how printer or razor companies make profit)?

No, usually there is just a compartment where you can put nuts or anything that won't get stuck to the machine, and it will drop them in when mixing. There is also a yeast compartment that takes any standard instant yeast. Everything else you just throw into the bowl before turning the machine on.

They do sell over-priced "shokupan" ingredient mixes near the bread machines here, but they are in no way necessary. The recipe books that come with the machines just use regular ingredients.

Btw, I have the Panasonic SD-BMT2000 which was around 20,000 yen when I got it a couple years ago, but now it seems to be over 40,000 yen. A lot of people are making bread now since the pandemic, so that might have something to do with it. Not sure how good the other makers are, but I think siroca is the only other company that makes the 2lb loaf ones here. Even the Zojirushi which is popular overseas isn't sold in Japan. Go figure.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

We've got a Pana bread machine too. It's really good, much better than nearly all store bought bread. If you have an oven, you can get it just to do dough and then make pizza (I do it Serious Eats foodie style), rolls, or whatever you want. For just dough that is not proven in the machine, you can overload it by 50% and use 600g of flour, if making pizzas for a kids' party for example.

The other programs sound like gimmicks, but the mochi our machine makes are actually really smooth and super more-ish with kinako or sugar/soy, not lumpy like the not-completely-pounded mochi people make by hand and hand out at events. My wife got the kids to make some udon recently in the breadmaker during lockdown and they were killer. It's very hard to make noodles that are even, but the bite to them was superb. I can easily see why people go to the trouble of making their own noodles.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I've been doing 550 g but haven't gone up to 600 yet. Maybe I'll give it a try (hopefully the machine doesn't get worn out!). I also like to make pizza dough and baguettes for my lunch.

Udon sounds like it might be a good idea. I'm not a big fan of the store-bought noodles and usually have to cake on the tenkasu to add some satisfaction.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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