Marie, I have an old bread machine that I'm certain is better than any of the new ones I've seen. I'll be sad when it dies.

What makes you think the new ones are "better"?

I just want one that does a larger loaf. One of the brands has 2 paddles and I thought maybe that would make it better.

Like Claire_de_Luna, my bread maker is old -- 14 years old! It's my third bread baker, and I bake all my own bread.
Unless the pan is considerably longer in a 2# model, I'd think the slices would be so tall that you would need to to cut them in two for most purposes. My 1 1/2# bread loaves (mostly W/W flour) are already 6-7 inches tall. Could it be that your current bread maker isn't doing its job well? I've done double batches in mine when I have the time to bake the loaves in my oven. I don't think I'd want a taller loaf.

Snowbaby, Wwen you say double batches, do you do them separately in the bread machine and just let them rise outiside of the machine? Or do you double the recipe in the bread machine and then take it out to rise? I've never tried this and don't know if a bread machine can handle that much dough with one paddle.

I have a Kenmore that makes a 2 to 2.5 lb. loaf. Because my kids can go through bread pretty quickly, the larger size is important to me. I am also hoping that if I ever need parts, Sears will be more receptive than I hear Salton (who makes the Kenmore)is. BTW, this is my third bread maker, and so far, I like it the best. I've only had it since the end of November though.

Marie26, I mix up the bread dough in the bread machine. I start with about 4 1/2 cups of flour and gradually add more. The bread machine never stalls out, but if I put 6 cups of flour in all at once, it doesn't mix as well and incredients tend to splash out. Once the dough is mixed, I put it into a large bowl and let it rise in my oven with only the oven light on -- just as I did before bread machines, but without the big mess to clean up.
I am not sure that all bread makers on the market will handle this much dough. When I bought my current machine, I tried out several others that didn't perform as well.

I used to have a Sanyo that made a relatively small but consistent loaf. My old machine is long gone and now I have a Breadman but am not very thrilled with it. The loaf sticks like crazy and often comes out gooey or too done. Does anyone have one they know is tried and true?
Thanks
Dawhna

I have an old model Zojirushi that is excellent, it has seen very hard use. We have changed the belts and worked on it anytime it needed repair but needed to replace the dough pans and discovered that this model is discontinued and the pans are no longer available through the company. They put me in touch with a Bosch dealer in Sandy, Utah to see if they had any available pans. No pans available since they sold all they had in stock but they were able to completely rebuild my old pans! The repair guy said I should continue using this bread machine and not even think about replacing it for a long time. He said he has customers looking for the older Zo because it is one of the few bread machines that can actually be repaired. The new Zo's are now like the other bread machines out there - practically disposible but I understand they make pretty good bread! I rarely bake in my machine since we prefer buns or rolls for sandwiches - even make our hot dog buns. I generally use the food processor to make sour dough or artisian type bread since they are better without so much kneading, however for smooth sandwich bread the Zo and a pullman type bread pan to bake it in can't be beat :-).

So I want to get one!! Which one!!
Help

Well if anyone cares! I went and got the Panasonic SD-YD250 for $138 from millionbuy.com. Works great and is quiet.

What size loaf does the Panasonic SD-YD250 make?

One & half, two, two & half pounds

Here is a link that might be useful: Panasonic SD-YD250

My wife wants "RYE" bread. I can't find it in the stores?
Whats a good website to get boxes of Rye bread mix for bread machines?

Well, my Panasonic is finally giving up -- after about 14 years. We make all our bread. After reading the rave reviews of the new Zojirushi, I purchased one locally this week. I think it is a very poor machine. I've made 5 loaves, some from their manual and some tried and true I've made over the years. The crust doesn't brown on top, so they look anemic. They cook so long that they are dried out. I've baked bread for 45 years, 16 years with various bread machines. This is the worst result I've had. What a disappointment.

Snowbaby,

You may not see this since your last post in this subject was a while back but I would suggest you talk to the people at The Baker's Catalogue (bakerscatalogue.com). I bought my Zo from them many years ago and had some pilot error problems initially. They gave me lots of help and recommendations to make my bread better and it wasn't long before I was turning out wonderful bread. I have been using my Zo at least 3 days a week forever. I have only had a flop when I forgot to add the yeast - duh! I am sorry to hear that you have had problems with the newer type Zo - I know Baker's is still selling the Zo so I feel certain that they can help. We rarely bake in the machine - well, that was true while I had a kitchen but since mine is being remodeled I am now baking in the machine and the bread is as good as ever but I don't care for the shape. (Old upright type pan). Hope this info helps a little.

I recently bought a Hitachi HB-B201 bread machine at a yard sale, no manuals of course. I've used it successfully, even to make wheat bread although it has no wheat bread cycle. The problem I've run into is recipes that call for using the "Dough cycle". The HB-b201 only has Bread, Bread Quick, Bread Mix, Rice, and Jam settings. The Bread Mix cycle does just that, mixes. From what I've read, the Bread Dough cycles on most machines also include the first rise and maybe the second knead steps.

Does anyone know anything about this? Should I use the regular Bread cycle and just time it to account for the first rise and/or second knead steps? Does anyone have any idea how long this is?

Alternately/Also - does anyone have a copy of the manual they could email or fax me?

Thank you!

You folks are breaking my heart. A machine? For one loaf? Pity.

My 94-year-young mother and I make six loaves a week the old way. The first loaf is gone almost as soon as it comes out of the oven so the idea of making one loaf at a time seems pointless. A well-handled sponge (loaf) is beautiful (and tasty!) thing. Does the heart as well as the tummy good.

Anyone use the new convection bread machines?

I just purchased the welbilt abm600 from a garage sale but i just realized that there is no manual. Is there anyone here who has one they dont need anymore or someone who can send me a copy? I would really appreciate it and will pay for any expenses. Thank you so much. Tina
purpledolfin@optonline.net

I have used a Breadman breadmaker for several years with pretty good results, but as breadmakers go it is not in the elite or higher end products. I really want to get a breadmachine that is built well enough to last another 10 or more years.

I have been doing some research on the subject and it seems to point to the British made Morphy Richards Breadmaker .

These breadmachines seem to be getting the most consistent reviews on Amazon and other places on the net, but I was hoping that someone has been using one and could tell me more about these breadmakers.

Robin

Here is a link that might be useful: Morphy Richards Breadmaker

I have the new large Zojirushi bread machine and I feel it works great. I'm not much of a bread eater (just don't care for it much, hardly ever eat sandwiches) but I love to bake it and love the smell in the kitchen when I'm making it! So I always ask everyone else's opinion of the bread and I get very enthusiastic responses when I ask about the bread made by my Zojirushi.

It makes nice 2 pound horizontal loaves with two paddles for mixing. The bread is a little high but looks fairly "normal". The crust could be a little better, but it is decent. There are a lot of useful cycles, including "Dough Only" and "Sourdough". It will also preheat the ingredients to the proper temperature before starting the bread if you want it to. I find that to be very useful, as I usually store my flour in a very cool place and I can use my water straight out of the tap without worrying about the temperature.

I also don't worry about leaving it unattended if I need to go out to the store for something, as it does not "walk" off the counter. It is actually very stable and doesn't move at all, even when kneading.

I always felt my old bread machine got awfully hot on the bottom and I wouldn't use it without a tray under it to protect the counter. This one has no such problem.

I have never had a problem releasing the bread from the pan.

The only downside I can think of is that it is more expensive than any others I have seen. But I guess, in this case anyway, that you get what you pay for! If need be, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. I wouldn't even consider another brand.

Overall, I LOVE this machine, just wish I liked bread just as much!

I have to second the Panasonic. It is much quieter than my other two previous bread machines. The pan is very thick metal and screws/twists into place at the base rather than clips into the walls of the machine. The direction you twist is the same direction the kneading paddle moves and the pan does not pop out of place ever. I never could get my Breadman hunk of junk to keep the pan in place. The Panisonic also has a fairly small footprint, which is nice whether you keep it on the counter or store it. The only real flaw is the 'warm up' part of the various bread cycles, which you cannot skip and which depend on ambient temp. Basically the ingreidents warm up for 15 to 30 minutes before kneading begins. This can make it more difficult to time things, like knowing when exactly the bread will be done. The Pizza dough cycle is a flat out 45 mins with no warming time, which is handy.

I think the Zo is the top of the line and it does make the "regular" shaped loaf. If I made bread more often, I'd probably have gone for the Zo. But for my needs (occasional spurts of intensive bread making) the Panasonic has been great and has worked flawlessly for two plus years.

Hope you find one you love.

len

For anyone who stumbles on this post, it is a bit outdated but I want to give my view on bread machines.

The best high class bread machine is the Zojirushi BB-PAC20. It has a horizontal loaf pan, extra heating unit on the lid, and customizable programs. This is the best one imo.

The best value bread machine has to be the Oster CKSTBRTW20. At $70, it performs very well at its price.

Here is a useful link for anyone still trying to decide which one to buy: bread machine reviews

asolo - would you care to share tips, hints, maybe a recipe?

Also want to buy a new one!

I to have the Zojirushi BB-PAC20. I have had this for about a year and a half now. This gets a lot of use here from making breads to rolls and pizza dough. Yes it is pricy but you do get what you pay for. I found site dedicated to recipes for breadmachines so I've tried a lot from there. A lot of people I know don't believe in using these but for me it's a time saver, throw in the ingrediants , check to see if it needs a little water when mixing then that's about it. I'm sure I could make it by hand but I have other things I like to do also