What is the Best Oster Bread Maker?
Get one of Oster's newest bread makers, and wake up to the aroma of freshly baked bread in the morning! All of Oster's modern bread makers feature a delay timer which makes it possible to bake bread overnight. Just load up your machine with the ingredients, select the length of the delay, and hit the start button, and you'll be rewarded with a warm loaf of ultra-fresh bread in the morning. Delayed baking function aside, Oster's latest models also boast many other interesting features, including express bake mode, cycle for homemade jam, crust control, 100% whole wheat cycle, keep-warm feature, viewing window, and – best of all – an affordable price tag.
But with so many similarities between the models, a question arises: how do you find the best Oster bread maker for you? In this article, we take a look at how popular Oster bread makers, including the models CKSTBRTW20, CKSTBR9050 and 5838, fare against each other in terms of capabilities, features and price. We hope this comparison will help you find the best Oster bread machine for you and your family.
Pre-Programmed Cycles for Bread, Dough and Jam
The following comparison chart provides an overview of the pre-programmed cycles available on each Oster bread maker covered in this review:
| Oster CKSTBRTW20 | Oster CKSTBR9050 | Oster 5838 |
|---|---|---|
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Comparison of Oster Bread Makers: Key Features
The following table provides an overview of the key features and functions of the Oster bread machines covered in this review. Note that some of the features – such as crust control, loaf size and delay timer – may only be available on select programs (for details, see the user manuals). If you're unsure of what some of the listed features mean, don't worry – we've reserved the space below the table for exploring and explaining some of the most important and interesting features in detail.
| CKSTBRTW20 | CKSTBR9050 | Oster 5838 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best price on Amazon (in US$) | |||
| Pre-programmed cycles | 12 | 13 | 8 |
| Rapid bake | 58 min | 58 min | 58 min |
| 100% whole wheat bread | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gluten-free program | No | Yes | No |
| Customizable program | No | No | No |
| Crust settings | Light Medium Dark | Light Medium Dark | Light Medium Dark |
| Loaf sizes | 1.0 lb 1.5 lb 2.0 lb | 1.0 lb 1.5 lb 2.0 lb | 1.5 lb 2.0 lb |
| Viewing window | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Delay timer | Up to 13 hours | Up to 13 hours | Up to 13 hours |
| Keep warm function | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| User reviews / best price on Amazon |  Price / Reviews Price / Reviews | Price / Reviews Price / Reviews |
Price / Reviews Price / Reviews |
Here, we explore some of the features listed above in greater detail:
Rapid bake. Need fresh bread in a hurry? Just load up your Oster with the ingredients, switch to Express mode, and by the time your dinner's cooked, your bread will be ready (in case of all three machines, the quickest Express Cycle takes only 58 minutes).
100% whole wheat. Many electric bread machines in the same price category as the Oster bread makers cannot handle doughs that use exclusively whole wheat flour. All of the Oster machines listed above, however, can make 100% whole wheat bread according to their respective manuals.
Viewing window. Most modern bread machines come with a viewing window on the lid, and the Oster mread makers are no exception. Thanks to the window, you can check on progress without opening the lid, at every step of the process.
Delay timer. All of the Oster bread makers come equipped with a programmable timer which makes it possible to delay the bread making cycle by up to 13 hours. Thanks to this feature, you can wake up to the smell of fresh bread in the morning or to come home to a warm loaf of bread at the end of a long day at work.
Keep warm function. This feature prevents baked bread from getting soggy by circulating hot air through the baking chamber for up to 60 minutes after the end of the baking cycle.
