Best Review on Zojirushi BB CEC20 Supreme 2 Pound Loaf Breadmaker
I have made over a dozen Gluten-Free loaves with the Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Breadmaker. The dough rises beautifully - nicely browned tops, domed beautifully. I found the three "homemade" cycles exactly what I needed. Most of the GF recipes/mixes I use specifically state "do no use GF cycles" available on other bread machines - so that particular feature is not missed, would have been a waste actually. I used a modified version of the settings I found from other comments here as well as from Annalise Roberts book.
I did read some negative comments but I have not experienced any of these issues - no excessive noise, absolutely rock solid on the kitchen counter, even browning and trivially simple to program and use.
I HIGHLY recommend this bread machine - my experience has been with GF bread but I can't imagine gluten tolerant folks having anything but the same great experience.
Since I must eat gluten free breads, and since the GF breads you buy at the store ready-made are useful only as door stops, I decided to get this Zojirushi since it was rated well and produced a "normal" shape loaf. This breadmaker has a number of pre-programmed cycles for quick bake, white, wheat, dough, (even jam, although I can't imagine using a breadmaker for that purpose!) but you can also program your own custom cycle for gluten free bread and store it in memory. This is important because regular gluten bread has a long knead and 3 rise cycles, whereas gluten free bread should only have one rise. The only good way to get the one rise is to program your own gluten bread cycle, in which you would also eliminate the "keep warm" part as well. A couple of the gluten free cookbooks you see sold here on Amazon tell you exactly how to do this with this Zoji breadmaker. I haven't experimented much with home recipes (which sound really good) although I have bought several of the cookbooks and plan to try some of the recipes when I get all the required ingredients together and have the time to organize. Usually I'm in a rush, so I end up using either Pamela's bread mix or Bob's Red Mill mix you can easily find in many supermarkets and health food stores now, both of which turn out really well with slightly different flavors and texture characteristics, and they are especially delicious to eat while still warm. My whole family absolutely loves the freshly baked breads, and the only bad thing is that I rarely have leftovers if many people are here for dinner.
BalasHapusOne important thing is to not leave the bread on a "keep warm" cycle as you might do with the gluten type breads, but rather, as soon as the baking time is over get the bread out of the machine and out of the pan to cool on a rack. Once cool, you can slice it and then freeze for later use. I put little squares of waxed paper between the slices so they don't stick together when frozen. The toast is wonderful! I've had none of the problems mentioned in some other reviews. I will just say that like with many items, it's important to read the manual and perhaps get one or two of the GF bread cookbooks so that you understand how to load up the ingredients in the pan, whether it's for regular bread or for gluten free bread. Learn the principles of doing bread this way and you'll do fine.
I've had my Zoji for about a year and half now, and it works perfectly, never a problem. The baking pan still looks like new (I'm careful to not scratch it), and it cleans up easily. I'm quite happy with the Zoji, and would buy the same machine again. With breadmakers, I'll add that you have to have realistic expectations. I don't think any breadmaker bread will duplicate what you could do by hand and bake in the oven. For gluten free breads, the result is far superior to the GF junk you buy from the freezer case...those dense, heavy, crumbly and generally tasteless things that no one wants to eat! As I said, freshly baked and still warm, the breakmaker gluten free bread is quite delicious.
After researching bread machines for months, I finally broke down and bought the Zoji. I was concerned about the price but the positive reviews swayed me to spend the extra money. I am really pleased that I did. I make 4-5 loaves a week and have not bought store bought bread for months. The recipes that come with the machine are fine but I listened to a few other reviewers and bought The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and couldn't be happier. I have been trying out different recipes and my kids love it. Our favorite is Honey Whole Wheat but I make at least one new bread every week. One point I would make to people new to breadmaking, make sure you measure accurately and use fresh ingredients. I used some older wheat flour my first try and it was a disaster! I keep my flours in the freezer and the gluten and yeast in the fridge and have not had any problems since.
BalasHapusAfter two carpal tunnel surgeries the pain in my hands won't allow me to knead the dough. So, I bought a machine to do it for me. I really like this bread maker. I have used both prepackaged mixes and recipes from "Bread Winners" by Mel London 1979. All have come out well. The smell and taste of freshly baked bread can not be equaled by store bought.
BalasHapusI received this machine last week and have made seven loaves of bread so far to test it out. There has not been a single failure. I had my old Breadman for about 25 years and it still works but I did have my share of "flops." This machine is so quiet and seems to be built very well. I was quite pleased to see that the paddles have not been stuck in the bread yet. I did read the manual and watched the included video and followed the instructions. I am very pleased with this purchase and highly recommend it.
BalasHapusI am an avid bread maker. this is my third machine. I hated to spend the money -- seems absurd to pay that much -- but it is amazing! No comparison with typical machines. (my last was a cuisinart. was ok, but not like this -- and didn't last long. six months of frequent use and it failed to properly mix. ) this one is easy to use. no need to get the temperature of the ingredients just right. the machines "preheats" to do that for you and get it just perfect. the bread quality is superior. I am absolutely in awe. I bought a bread machine recipe book to go with it and am finding it fun to experiment. I need not worry if it will be a flop! It bakes a beautiful loaf everytime. Treat yourself and your family!!
BalasHapusOld Hitachi bread machine (vertical loaf) died. Wife was distraught. Searched the web and learned about the Zo machines. Wife found her gluten-free bread cookbook used the Zos to test their recipes. On-line reviews were almost all 5 stars. The Zo makes a horizontal, 2 lb loaf and has two mixers. It makes an outstanding loaf of bread, better than we've ever had before.
BalasHapusI finally gave up on my old Williams Sonoma bread maker - after having to go gluten free, the old machine just couldn't turn out a good gluten free loaf since there was no programmability. This machine is perfect. I just use the memory mode and can program exactly how long I need each step to take (and turn off all the extra rises which basically destroy the gluten free dough). I've used it twice so far with perfect results.
BalasHapus