Editing Bread machine (section)

== History ==
[[Image:Bread_Maker.jpg|thumb|Raku Raku Pan Da the "World's first automatic bread-making machine"]]
Although bread machines for mass production had been previously made for industrial use, the first self-contained breadmaker for household use was released in [[Japan]] in 1986 by the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (now [[Panasonic]]) based on research by project engineers and software developer Ikuko Tanaka, who trained with the head baker at Osaka International Hotel to learn how to optimally knead bread; this machine had special ribs inside it.<ref>See the case study of the breadmaker's development, as an example of knowledge management and innovation, in Nonaka, I. and Takeuchi, H. (1995), ''The Knowledge-Creating Company'', Oxford University Press.</ref>

A decade later the machines had become popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. While not viable for commercial use due to the fixed loaf shape and the limited [[duty cycle]], bread machines are suitable for home use, producing their best results when dealing with kneaded doughs.<ref>The [[King Arthur Flour]] test kitchen uses bread machines extensively in their recipe testing; for more details, see ''King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion'', Countryman Press, 2003.</ref>