Bread Makers

Lowery :

Don’t worry about Joyce’s review. She must not realize that this is a review on the item, not some other shipping company. Zojirushi’s product has nothing to do with her 1 star.

Ullner :

I have been living on my own since I was 23 (I’m 27 as of the time this review was written;). It was hard to get adjusted to having to have a full time job while still maintaining an apartment. One thing that was a little tricky was getting used to cooking for myself. Since I live alone, and live 30-45 mins away from work, I usually prepare simple things like salads and sandwiches because I didn’t find a reason to make extravagant, time consuming meals for just myself and well… I am also extremely lazy lol, I am a successful young professional but lately the domestic housewife in me has been slowly coming out. However, my limited cooking skills and experience, as well as my busy life (and ok.. LAZYNESS TOO lol) were still nipping at me. Being able to bake my own bread was something that “Domestic Danielle” always wanted to do, but “Clueless Baker Danielle” showed me a flash into the future and all I saw was my kitchen covered in flour and a cage match between me and a lump of dough trying desperately to knead that thing and then having it jump on my face and start to consume me like the blob. OK…. not a pretty sight I know!! There was only one way to satisfy both of my desires, and that was a BREAD MACHINE!!!

My sister has a bread machine and she loves it. When we would get together for family gatherings she would bring a loaf and it was always so delicious, and that too inspired me to start researching them. When I came across the mini Zojirushi, I knew it was love at first sight and absolutely PERFECT for me!! It makes a nice and small 1 pound loaf, which really can last you a couple days if you make small slices. It is also incredibly easy to use and the manual that comes with it is great because those recipes were made strictly for that bread machine. I also love the timer option on it! a couple times I have dumped the ingredients in either before I go to bed or before I go to work and set it so that I can have fresh bread when I wake up or when I come home from work (and waking up or coming home to that wonderful smell is ALWAYS a bonus hehe). And probably the best thing about this machine is that it does EVERYTHING for you!! It kneads and rises and bakes it all in the same cute contraption! As long as you measure everything as it is supposed to be measured then your bread will come out fine. I have made several loaves and they always come out great!

The only word of warning is that you might become like me and become a bake-a-holic. Since its so easy to do and since its so cute to watch it in the machine (I love the little window on the top hehe), you might find yourself becoming bake-crazy! Lately I have been experimenting with the recipes in the book and have been baking loaves for work or baking loaves for friends and people I associate with. I am thinking about baking one for my personal trainer and her family, because I mean what says thank you for helping me attain a hot body like a gift of an adorable bread loaf lol!!

Bottom line is that this is a great product that makes great bread! I am THE bread winner and this bread machine is a winner too!! Its just win-win all around!! I am also psyched to try out the dough function and try to make my own pizza and soft pretzels!! The possibilities are endless!! Uh oh world watch out!!! DOMESTIC DANIELLE IS TAKING OVER!!!

Sheng :

We purchased this bread maker for use on our boat. We are traveling in an area where one can’t purchase fresh bread. The bread maker does not take up much space and is easy to use. The quick bake cycle is great. The loaf size is perfect for two people and the bread has been consistently good. We have tried several of the recipes and have not been disappointed in the results. We highly recommend this product!

Alba :

I love this machine, I have this for over a year now. This is my first bread machine. I wanted something small, this is perfect for family of two. Just made the cheddar cheese with onion bread this morning, it makes the whole house smells good. Clean up is easy. It is durable and small, I highly recommend this product.

Raj :

Do not buy a bread machine if you like inexpensive store-bought generic bread (or if you are not well-disciplined in restricting your intake of superb-tasting bread). It is not worth the cost or effort. These machines are excellent for producing “artisan style” breads without all the questionable additives. The shelf life is much shorter, but this is never a problem because the bread vanishes so quickly.

If you are busy or in a hurry just let the machine do the job from start to finish checking and adjusting the moisture content when the additions signal sounds and centring the loaf after initial kneading ends. If you have time (and inclination) and want a traditional or special loaf shape set the machine to knead and rise and then hand work the final shape before baking it in the oven. Recipes always work well for me when I scoop flour and then shake it into a measuring cup (rather than scooping compacted flour with a measuring cup).

This bread machine has a large, good quality, heavy pan and 2 substantial paddles. I like the texture and size of the bread it produces. - Though they may be bigger than generic sliced breads, slices easily fit in a standard toaster. There are plenty of standard options to bake many different types of bread and 3 fully programmable settings which enable you to address every variation possible (that I can think of).

The instruction book is fairly comprehensive for basic recipes and also includes many interesting recipes. Allowing ten minutes at room temperature ensures easy removal of loaves on most occasions. After some 2+ years of very heavy use the non-stick surface remains intact and still works well.

Unlike other machines the motor does not slow down with heavy ingredients. It is vital to monitor the kneading process occasionally, since there is no feedback from a slowing motor if the mix is too dry - the motor maintains the same speed whatever the contents. In fact (compared to the 5 other (brands of) bread-makers I have owned over the last 15 or more years) this machine gives the impression that it could mix concrete quite capably.

What’s not to like about this machine? More “head-space”over the loaf would reduce the need for occasional cleanups. You must centre the dough if lop-sided loaves are to be avoided (as in all horizontal-panned machines). The price is rather steep (although less than half that of my first machine).

Because of its quality, the strength of the motor, and the ready availability of parts from the manufacturer’s website I expect this machine to last much longer than any of its predecessors.

This machine merits a score of 4.7 out of 5. Despite not being perfect, I thoroughly recommend it.

Benitez :

A few years ago, I started grinding my own wheat with a Nutrimill (it’s great!) and I bought this bread maker for $200 upon many recommendations that it can handle dough made with fresh ground whole wheat. It can indeed make it into dough, but it does a horrible job baking it. So, basically, I spent $200 for a mixer–not a bread baker. It made me very sad, because the Zojirushi is touted as the best one for the job. I wish I had just bought the Bosch Mixer at the time instead.

For white bread it does a great job, but unfortunately, that isn’t what I bought it for!