I begrudge the storage space a bread machine would require, and so have never given in to the siren song of its promises. Your mileage must vary!

We recently bought a book of "no-knead" recipes for yeast-raised bread that guarantees crusty perfection with only five minutes' worth of work per day. Well, sort of, but I do have to be at home for long periods, or at least able to get home when necessary, to ensure that the freshly baked loaf is available at mealtime. And of course, like any manual baking method, it requires skill and experience ...

You pays your money and you takes yer choice.