Bread Machine with Delay Timer: Review and Buying Guide

A bread machine with a delay timer lets you load the pan in the evening and have a fresh loaf ready at a set hour the next morning. The machine waits before it starts kneading and baking. According to CTV News Shopping Trends (2024), the timers on the models in its bread-maker guide run from 13 to 15 hours, enough to cover an overnight window.

Why choose a bread machine with a delay timer?

The main benefit is timing. You add flour, water, yeast and salt, set the delay, and the cycle starts once the timer runs out. This suits households that want warm bread at breakfast without mixing dough early in the morning.

Delay length is the first spec to compare, and the guide’s three named picks differ on it and on other features:

The guide also names the KitchenArm 29-in-1 and the KBS 17-in-1, each with a 15-hour delay timer. According to CTV News Shopping Trends (2024-01-23), most bread makers cost under $200, and some cost more than $500. The guide gives no model-specific prices.

What the delay feature changes in practice

A longer delay is useful only if the recipe tolerates waiting. Perishable ingredients such as fresh dairy or eggs can spoil at room temperature during a long delay. The guide gives no safe holding times, so follow your manual and prefer formulas built on water, flour, yeast and salt. Loaf size matters as well: a machine that makes only one size, like the Zojirushi model above, limits you to that yield.

How the delay timer works

A delay timer lets you load the pan in the evening and have bread ready at a set time, because the machine waits before starting its kneading and baking cycle. On most models the steps are the same: add ingredients in the order the manual specifies, select a program, then set the delay timer on the control panel. The machine counts down and starts the chosen program on its own.

The maximum delay varies by model. According to CTV News Shopping Trends (2024-01-23), these machines are listed with the following limits:

Check the maximum before buying if you plan an overnight bake. Timer length and keep-warm both matter: the first sets when the cycle ends, and the second determines whether the loaf stays warm afterward. The same guide notes that the Cuisinart CBK-110P1 has no keep-warm function, while the Elite Gourmet EBM-8103B offers a 1-hour keep-warm. If you bake while you sleep, a keep-warm setting can hold the loaf warm after it finishes, but the Elite Gourmet’s is limited to 1 hour.

Ingredients sit in the pan for the entire delay, so perishable items such as fresh milk or eggs need extra thought before a long delay run. Follow the manual’s guidance for any dairy or egg-based recipe.

Which delay setting to choose: 13 h or 15 h?

The choice comes down to how far ahead you need the loaf to finish. In the CTV News Shopping Trends guide (2024-01-23), the models named for delayed baking split into two groups: 13-hour timers and 15-hour timers. Both let you load ingredients in the evening and wake to fresh bread, but the extra two hours give more scheduling room.

Delay timer is the setting that postpones the start of a cycle, so the machine finishes at the time you choose. Check the maximum on your own model before you plan around it, because the figure is set by the manufacturer and varies between units.

To choose, work backward from your target time. Count the hours between loading the pan and the moment you want bread, then confirm the result sits inside the model’s maximum. If your plan needs more than 13 hours, only the 15-hour models in the table fit. If 13 hours covers it, the Cuisinart CBK-110P1 or the Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA are workable options, and the guide’s other buying factors (price, size, crust settings) can decide between them. The guide’s data here show the Zojirushi makes only a 2 lb loaf.

Keep in mind that a longer delay is only useful if the timer is the feature you need. For a same-day loaf, the difference between 13 and 15 hours matters little.

Our Picks of Bread Machines Available in Canada

CTV News’ Shopping Trends guide to Canadian bread makers (2024-01-23) names three machines that cover different budgets and baking habits. The Cuisinart CBK-110P1 is the top pick, the Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Virtuoso Plus is the upgrade pick, and the Elite Gourmet EBM-8103B is the budget pick. Since this article focuses on delay timer features, the table below lists each model’s timer alongside the other points the guide raises.

The Elite Gourmet EBM-8103B offers the longest delay in this group. The guide also lists the KitchenArm 29-in-1 and the KBS 17-in-1, each with a 15-hour delay timer, though it does not give model-specific prices for them.

Price is one factor to check. According to the same guide, most bread makers cost under $200, and some cost more than $500. The guide gives no price for any named model, so check current retail prices before deciding.

The Cuisinart and Zojirushi both offer a 13-hour delay, but they differ in loaf size and in what the guide says about keep-warm. The Zojirushi bakes only a 2 lb loaf, and the guide does not state whether it has a keep-warm function, while the Cuisinart has none. The Elite Gourmet is the only one of the three for which the guide lists a 1-hour keep-warm.

Budget or premium: what do you gain?

The CTV News Shopping Trends Canadian bread-maker guide (2024-01-23) names the Elite Gourmet EBM-8103B as the budget pick and the Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Virtuoso Plus as the upgrade pick. The budget pick has a 15-hour delay timer, the longest of the three models named. The upgrade pick has a 13-hour delay timer, the same as the top pick, the Cuisinart CBK-110P1. What the upgrade pick adds is a different set of features and a narrower output.

The guide says most bread makers cost under $200, and some cost more than $500.

The trade-offs follow from the table. The Zojirushi gives up loaf size flexibility for its lid heater and custom programs. The Elite Gourmet gives the most programs and the longest timer, but the guide criticizes its booklet and cord. The guide flags the Cuisinart as having no keep-warm function and does not state whether the Zojirushi has one, so the Cuisinart suits bakers who remove the loaf as soon as the cycle ends.

Which ingredients to avoid with the delay timer?

A delay timer holds the whole batch in the pan until the programmed start, so every ingredient sits there for the full wait before mixing begins. The CTV News Shopping Trends guide (2024-01-23) includes timer settings among its buying criteria, and it names the Cuisinart CBK-110P1, with a 13-hour delay timer, as its top pick. The guide does not say how long specific ingredients can safely wait, so the choices below are general principles rather than tested limits.

• Perishable ingredients: Fresh milk, fresh cheese, eggs and other dairy spoil more easily at room temperature. Check your manual before using them in a delayed start. Some bakers use shelf-stable substitutes such as dry milk powder instead, or add the fresh items only when they start the machine manually.
• High-moisture fruit and vegetables: Fresh fruit, grated vegetables and similar items release water during a long wait. That shifts the dough’s hydration before kneading starts, so the texture can differ from the recipe.
• Live levain or pre-fermented dough: A wet levain already in fermentation keeps working during the delay. Over a long wait it can over-ferment, which weakens the structure. Add the levain at a point the manual allows, or bake it on a standard cycle.
• Yeast in direct contact with salt or liquid before the start: Layer ingredients in the order your machine’s manual gives. Follow your manual’s layering order so the yeast stays away from the salt and liquid until mixing begins, since the sequence matters more when the start is delayed.

Check your model’s manual before loading any ingredient for a delayed start, since the layering order and yeast type vary between machines.

Buying Tips Before You Order

Choosing a bread machine with a delay timer comes down to a few checks you can make before you buy. The CTV News Shopping Trends Canadian bread-maker guide (January 23, 2024) organizes its buying advice around price, size, crust settings, timer settings and loaf sizes. Those five points make a practical checklist.

Compare the delay timer first

A delay timer lets the machine start a loaf now and finish it at a set time, so bread can be ready when you wake up. The guide’s three picks and two other models differ in their maximum delay:

Work backward from your schedule. A longer maximum delay only helps if you will use it, and the guide’s figures show that a 13-hour and a 15-hour timer differ by just two hours.

Match loaf size and price to your routine

The guide states that most bread makers cost under $200, and some cost more than $500. It gives no model-specific prices, so confirm current prices with each retailer. Loaf size matters as much as cost: the Zojirushi bakes only a 2 lb loaf and weighs about 24 lbs, so measure your counter space before ordering.

Decide whether you need keep-warm

Keep-warm holds finished bread at a low setting after baking. The Elite Gourmet offers a 1-hour keep-warm, while the Cuisinart has none. If you tend to leave bread in the machine after it finishes, this difference affects your choice.

Frequently asked questions

Which delay timer length should I choose?

According to CTV News Shopping Trends (2024), the Cuisinart CBK-110P1 and Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA each offer a delay timer of 13 hours, while the Elite Gourmet EBM-8103B offers 15 hours. Both lengths cover an overnight bake, so for a loaf you want by breakfast, the choice depends more on the other features than on the timer.

Can I leave eggs or fresh milk in the pan during a delayed start?

The guide gives no safe holding times for perishable ingredients such as eggs or fresh dairy. Check your manual before using them in a delayed start, and consider shelf-stable options such as dry milk powder as a precaution.

Does the Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA have a keep-warm function?

CTV News Shopping Trends (2024) does not state whether the Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA has a keep-warm setting. The guide lists a 1-hour keep-warm for the Elite Gourmet EBM-8103B and flags none on the Cuisinart CBK-110P1, so confirm the Zojirushi’s feature in its manual before buying if you plan to leave the loaf in the machine after the cycle ends.