[AdoptChina]

Hi
With my son's newly diagnosed allergies, I'm going to be making all his bread from now on. I have just made bread in the oven before, but we have a large family (7 kids) and I think a bread maker may be useful for us. Looking at the Zojirushi X20 or V20 or the Breadman Ultimate TR2200C. Any experience or suggestions?
Thanks so much!!!!
Susan

 

[lactationlady]

:

I'm interested to hear suggestions too since my bread machine died.

 

[Stef]

Our Breadman Ultimate died after less than a year of use, but before that we liked it very much. I'm not sure why it died, other than ours I think they're pretty reliable.

 

[PikkuMyy]

I have experience with Zojirushi rice makers and they ROCK!!!! I believe the brand is very reliable.

 

[TigerTail]

kitchenaid mixer and a baking stone

who wants steamed loaves? (unless it's boston brown bread, of course, lol.)

i've had both & no contest. bread machines are silly little plastic gadgety toys. your kitchenaid is a well-crafted tool (or, the 'bread robot' as my ds says) that you can pass to your grandchildren.

mixing & kneading is all you need help with; who can't slap dough in a loaf pan (or in a blob on a stone) & stick it in an oven? give it some thought (loads easier to clean, too, btw.)

suse

btw, rice makers definately rule. and i got a tortilla maker last week, sigh, i'm in love. masa is a pita to handle otherwise... see, i can swoon for gadgets! good ones!

 

[AdoptChina]

I was considering letting the bread machine do all the mixing, kneading, rising etc and then cooking in the oven. I have used my kitchen aid but I have 2 problems with it: the dough balls up and works its way up to the top of the hook (maybe I need a bigger kitchen aid lol) and it takes more time for me to knead, let rise, knead some more etc....with 7 kids and soccer, ballet etc it might be nice to have the bread machine do those things for me..........

but....if they are a piece of junk, I'd rather not waste the money

(as far as the stones, I was thinking of ordering one from pamper chef b/c Im ordering the muffin pan from them......what's your thoughts on PC?)

Thanks!
Susan (with Connor trying to help me type and being no help at all! lol)

 

[TigerTail]

ahh, it sounds like a time management thing. i use sourdough for my baking so i have more leeway in timing it (if it gets left on the counter while i have an unexpected errand no big deal, it won't get funky like baker's yeast.). it takes longer but i just start earlier. as for climbing the dough hook, if it happens, i just scooch it down & start over (or determine it's ready, which by that point it usually in.)

for a stone i just got a pizza stone at big lots, but a ceramic tile from lowe's or something would prolly work too. i hear nice things about pc, but also that they are quite pricey.

some people love their bread machines & might get pissy to hear them called pieces of junk (and my prehistoric one truly was), but it's jmho

it was the devil to clean, too.

susan too

 

[mama2annabelle]

I've had my Zojurushi bread machine for over a year and I LOVE it. It makes wonderful whole grain loaves and is easy to use. I also use it to make dough for dinner rolls, breadsticks, pizza, etc. It has been a reliable machine and I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have the time or desire to make bread by hand.

 

[sandrajoon]

Slight digression...have you considered a Bosch? I hear that they are the best for ww bread - can knead 6 loaves at once as I recall. Can make six loaves of ww bread in 1.5 hours, including baking. Expensive but very, very good. We are saving for one!

http://healthykitchens.com/index1.html

 

[AdoptChina]

Ok here's another question lol
I started looking at some bigger more powerful mixers (instead of the 300 watt kitchenaid I have). I looked I the Bosch MUM7010-6 qt/700 watt, the Electrolux DLX(Magic Mill)--8 qt/450 watt, and the Viking 7 qt./1000 watt. Why does the Bosch only come with a plastic bowl, and a stainless steel one is another $119.95? The other 2 come with SS bowls already. I'm wondering if anyone has the Viking one and how they like it. It looks like a kitchen aid in its design, but is more powerful. I already have a food processor and a blender, so those add-ons on the Bosch don't interest me at this time, but maybe if my appliances wore out, it may be a selling point

thanks!
Susan

 

[zealsmom]

I love my Zojirushi! I've had it for 6 years and it is going strong! My mom's had hers for probably 10 years.

 

[jplain]

Love my Zo. The company has fantastic customer service and product support too!

 

[TigerTail]

i just got a bigger, more kick-ass kitchenaid so don't have any answers about the others. they look cool on ebay, tho'.

suse

 

[seabreeze6]

We recently purchased our 2nd Zo and love it! We had our first for 10 years and it finally died. The newest Zo really handles whole grains well and had two paddles vs one with other machines. We grind our own grains and make truely delicious whole wheat bread that is not heavy. On average I make about 5 loaves/week as part of my morning routine. Very easy to clean, too.

Like you, I have 7 children(baby just born last week!) and if choosing between fixing a "from scratch" dinner or making a loaf (or two or three!) of bread by hand, the dinner wins out. The beauty of the bread machine is that you can just walk away after adding your ingredients!
HTH!

 

[AdoptChina]

First of all, congrats on baby number 7!!!! Did you give birth to all 7?

I'm thinking that I may go ahead and get the Zojirushi.....I can then bake in the oven if I have time, or leave in the machine if I dont........
(Ive never eaten bread cooked in one, how is it?)

My current KitchenAid is big enough for single batches of cookies etc so I at least have that for now. I think I'd really like to upgrade to a bigger mixer at some point, but the ones I want are between $500-$1000!!!! Need a long term savings plan lol.

Hope to make my final decision by the end of the week!
Susan

 

[LisainCalifornia]

Hello,
I have had this Zojirushi and I love it! Read the reviews on eopinons:

http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Bread_M...splay_~reviews

I like the shape of this loaf too--I use to have one of the old Breadman machines, and hated the shape of those loafs. My loafs now are shaped like regular bread, and easy to slice.

I make everything in it--sourdough, sprouted whole wheat, white. Sometimes when I feel creative I use the machine for all of the kneading and rising, and then I take it out and bake it in my oven. I do this for braided breads or rolls.

Lisa

 

[momto l&a]

I was going to buy a Zo but I came accross the Breadman and being it was so much cheeper bought it.

We love it, makes the traditional loaf only has one paddle but oh the bread

Sometimes a loaf of bread wont even make it through the day

We have friends who have 11 children and they just love their Bosch.

 

[seabreeze6]

Thanks-yes, I have given birth to all my children-we have been very fortunate.

The taste of the bread from a bread machine is very, very good. It does not steam and get soggy unless you leave it in the pan for too long. Once the buzzer goes off I get it out of the pan and put it on a cooling rake. I don't think you can beat hand kneaded and shaped bread for that really wonderful taste and texture but this comes pretty close. I get just enough from one loaf to make all of us sandwiches for lunch with a piece or two leftover.

When I feel I have an extra few minutes I do use the dough cyle and shape and bake, too. The Zo allows you to adjust during the kneading cyle if you need to, also.

If you are looking at mixers I hear that the electrolux is great. My good friend has one and are really into doing bread making by hand (but I talked her in to the Zo when she visited me a few months ago and she LOVES it!) and this one does like 15 lbs of dough at a time! Way cool. But, my kitchen aid is holding up after 12 years so can't see myself getting one anytime soon.

Have fun getting your new appliance!

 

[ComeOnLetsGo]

We have the Breadman - have used it several times per week for 3 years now. LOVE IT! The bread is definitely not soggy - very flavorful with great texture. I use it for whole wheat, french, and pizza dough mostly. I have heard good things about the Zo's also, but have never used one.

 

[AdoptChina]

Well I went for it..........I ordered the Zo today (and got it for $159...woohoo!). I can't wait to try it.

DH asked me what I want for our anniversary...I may tell him the Bosch or Magic Mill or Viking mixer...I figure if I have to cook all our meals from scratch (food allergies) I may as well do it in style lol

Susan