Bread machines are wonderful. I have purchased several over the last fifteen years or so (and have given some of those to friends, trying to inspire them to bake regularly, too. Thrift shops are a great source for new or slightly used machines, by the way.) The only real drawback to the machine is the amount of counter space it takes up. As for effort, the whole process takes perhaps 5 to 10 minutes of work). Having the aroma of freshly baked bread fill the house is quite a bonus to the pleasure of producing a loaf which costs perhaps 1/3 of what a bakery loaf would cost and is as good or better in texture and flavor and nutrition. Know that public libraries are filled with many bread machine cookbooks -- and that the King Arthur Flour sandwich bread (tailored to my specific taste) is the basis of many of the breads I make each week. I encourage everyone to explore bread machine bakery!

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