What’s a fresh bread fanatic to do?

The following three bread makers are considered by many experts and owners to be the best in their class:

• Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme

• Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker

• Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker

They’ve been selected for inclusion here by features and price point, but I have noticed some overlap in pricing for the bottom two models. In all, you can expect to pay as little as $70.00 for the Sunbeam, and as much as $250.00 for the Zojirushi. That’s quite a bit of difference in price, but there’s a huge difference in features and durability, as well.

Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Maker

The Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker is the Rolls Royce of bread makers, and is considered by many to be the best overall bread maker machine on the market.

It makes horizontal loaves, between one and two pounds, valued by most bread machine owners as being the most pretty, and most like those oven-baked in a conventional bread loaf pan or available from bakeries. To handle the mixing challenges a horizontal loaf brings, the Zojirushi bread maker uses two mixing / kneading paddles. Experts agree that this is a serious advantage over the more usual single-paddle machines. More thorough kneading leads to a more consistent rise and crumb.

The Zojirushi has more useful cycles and options than any other bread maker I’ve come across, including a sourdough starter cycle. I’ve never seen that in any other bread maker. As a fan of sourdough breads, this is a real ‘plus’ to me. Owners say that the Zojirushi bread machine is very flexible and can do more than just make bread. There are cycles for jam, cakes and even meatloaf. There are three custom-memory settings and a long, 13-hour delay timer.

The Zojirushi gets solid reviews from owners, with over 300 written reviews at Amazon.com and anthoer 200 or so at Cooking.com. I did find a medium number of complaints about durability, but nothing that seemed any differ 1000 ent from other high-end bread makers. Some others complained about how large and heavy the machine was, but I think that’s to be expected with a bread maker of this quality and capability. If you want nothing but the best in your kitchen, you’ll want to pay the extra cash to get the amazing Zojirushi bread maker.

Panasonic SD-YD250

If you don’t care about custom cycles, the Panasonic SD-YD250 may be a better option for you. According to reviewers, the Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker is the best mid-range bread machine on the market. It’s a sturdy, easy to use bread maker that makes regularly shaped horizontal loaves, which most people prefer over the more common, vertical ones. I did find it odd that this breadmaker lacks a viewing window, a pretty standard feature on other bread makers. Given how little you can see through the prots of other models, however, I doubt you’ll miss it.

Owner’s love how durable the Panasonic breadmaker is. Of the more than 350 owner reviewers have rated the Panasonic SD-YD250 breadmaker at Amazon.com, more than 70% give it a top, 5-start rating. It consistently makes good bread. The only ‘con’ than reviewers at Epinions.com mention is that now they’re eating more bread than ever before.

Many write that say they’ve used their machines for years. There are only a handful of complaints about breakage problems. While it’s not the cheapest model of home bread maker, we often get what we pay for. I’ve had to replace more than one bread maker simply because I’d worn them out. In such cases, ‘inexpensive now’ creates a false economy as you keep having to replace them. Given the Panasonic’s record of durability, however, I’d say it’s great choice.

Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Bread Maker

If the Panasonic is a bit more than you need, or want to pay, the Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker may be your best option. It’s a solid performer at a low price. Home cooks have praised it’s ease of use and overall performance, as well as it’s affordable price.

The Sunbeam 5891 is packed with all the basics you’d expect from a great bread maker: crust-color selector, regular baking and dough only cycles, you name it. Like most bread makers in it’s price range, it makes a vertical loaf, rather than the horizontal one available in more expensive machines. It sports a good, no-frills approach with 12 preprogrammed cycles and, surprisingly, a jam cycle.

To be fair, I found a few complaints about its durability and many owners say the recipes in the manual could be better. A few reviewers have also complained about the LCD screen, saying it can be hard to read. In spite of these complaints, owners of the Sunbeam 5891, posting at Cooking.com and Amazon.com, awarded the Sunbeam bread maker a good over-all rating. It is considered by many to be the best available bread machine in it’s price range.

So, whether you’re looking for a basic workhorse bread machine on a budget, or you’re ready to step up to the best home bread machine available, it will be hard to go wrong with any of these three bread makers.

By: John Newman – Mormon Foodie From: Article Dashboard

While the breadmaker is baking, the worderful smell that fills your home, gets deep into the soul of every member helping to integrate a family atmosphere that will be remembered during their lifetime.

If you have children and are old enough, you can teach them how to make bread and help prepare them for life. If you are single, you can teach your friends. If you are just married, making bread together helps to build a strong and enduring relationship.

Baking bread at home is a wonderful thing and it be a family affair!

Should You Bake Your Own Bread?

By: Beth Scott

Maybe you’ve never heard it before, but you really should be baking your own bread.

Why?

I think the number one reason everyone should bake their own bread is that it redeems you from years of bad health and medical bills. How so?

Homemade Bread is Healthier

It is much healthier to bake your own bread instead of buying bread that contains chemical additives, hydrogenated oils, unhealthy preservatives, and fattening sweeteners.

If you buy white bread you’re also getting bread that is nutritionless, but don’t be fooled, store bought whole wheat bread is just as bad for you. A lot of times the whole wheat bread sold in stores isn’t really made out of “whole meal” but is just white bread that is colored (using caramel) to make it appear like it’s whole grain and healthy. Store bought whole wheat bread also contains the same emulsifiers, and chemical by products that are in store bought white bread.

When you bake your own bread you never have to worry about these “hidden dangers” or chemicals in bread. Instead you can control every ingredient that goes into your bread, and you’ll know exactly how it is processed and created.

There are many other great incentives for baking homemade whole wheat bread, and I’ll go into each one below.

Homemade Bread Tastes Better Than Store Bought

Absolutely no argument here. Everyone I’ve met agrees that the taste of homemade bread far surpasses that of store bought bread, (some have even said they could taste the chemicals in the store bought bread and really hated it). Taste is a biggie for a lot of people, and since everyone wants to eat tasty meals, you can’t go wrong by baking your own bread.

Homemade Bread Saves You Money

It’s much cheaper to buy all the ingredients for making bread separately, than buying them already made into bread. You can easily save $30 or $40 dollars a month, by baking your own bread. This might not sound like much but over time, believe me, it adds up. This is especially true if you buy as many of your bread ingredients as you can, in the bulk department of a supermarket. An entire bag of whole wheat flour (enough to make 4 to 6 loaves) could cost $4.00 or less. This is just one example of how cheap baking your own bread is.

Homemade Bread Is Lower In Fat, This = Weight Loss

My favorite reason for baking bread, is that, if you bake the right kind of bread (like whole wheat bread) it can be a great way to help you lose pounds or maintain a healthy weight.

I’m sure you’ve heard the myth before that bread is really fattening, it’s a myth at least for homemade whole wheat bread. Store bought bread really is fattening because of all the extras that large scale manufacturers stuff their bread with. Manufacturers do this to give their bread longer shelf life and to make the bread look more appealing so they’ll get more customers to buy their bread. These big corporate CEO’s could care less if their bread causes you to pack on pounds. You’ve got to remember, after all, that they’re only in it for the money.

But if you bake your own whole wheat bread you’ll have a truly wholesome bread that will help you to achieve the healthy body and goal weight you desire. Don’t think you can bake your own whole wheat bread? Don’t know where to start? I’ll teach you how to bake your very own bread with no hassle, in simple steps. Visit my Easy Bread Baking website for more details.

Making No-Knead Bread At Home

Zojirushi BB-CEC20WB – White

Zojirushi BB-CEC20WB – Black

Relevant Features

• Automatic settings and customizable controls
• 2 Twin kneading paddles
• Rectangular 2-pound loaf pan
• 3 Level crust control
• 13-Hour programmable timer
• 10 Baking cycles
• Cake and jam settings
• 3 Recipe memory function
• 2-Hour quick-baking cycle
• Sourdough starter
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 17 x 9-5/8 x 12.5 inches
• Weight: 20.1 pounds
• Electric Rating: 120 volts / 700 watts
• Available in white or black color
• Owner’s Manual with recipes
• 1-year limited warranty
• Price: Under $200

For Beginners and Experts

The Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme is a state-of-the-art Bread Machine that combines a range of automatic controls with easily tailored options. It´s an excellent breadmaker for beginning bakers, not only for expert ones.

Because it controls the temperature while the dough is rising, it takes the guesswork out of the leavening process. Additionally, the two kneading blades and the enclosed temperature-controlled environment knead the yeast dough better than any other method. It has a “Preheat” option for all the bread cycles that automatically preheat the ingredients to bring them to room temperature for consistent results.

Its 10 cycles are designed for making everything from wheat bread to cinnamon rolls and can also be put to work for non-bread items like cakes, fruit jam, and homemade meatloaf.

Versatile controls let you use the dough-only function or make a loaf from start to finish, and handy programming options include a sourdough starter, a 2-hour quick-baking cycle, and three crust settings.

The timer allows you to set all controls up to 13 hours ahead, and three memory settings store your most-used recipes.

Structurally, the Home Bakery Supreme has important plusses, a durable plastic body including twin kneading paddles, a broad viewing window, and an angled control panel.

What The Bakers Are Raving About

Two Kneading Blades. Instead of one makes sure that all ingredients are thoroughly kneaded. Additionally, the two blades knead yeast dough better than any other method. Not only does thorough kneading make the bread taste better, but it also prevents unsightly flour on the side of the bread.

Easy Gluten-Free Baking. If you are allergic to gluten, you can make delicious gluten-free bread. No more rock-hard gluten-free bread bought at the store.

Sourdough Starter Cycle. Many people like it sour. Sourdough starter is a form of the original “leaven” for bread. Traditional it takes 7 to 10 days to prepare, but with this bread maker it takes 2 hours to prepare a light sourdough starter.

Quick Bake Cycle. If you are in a hurry, you can bake a reasonable good tasting bread in just 2 hours. Remember, good bread baking takes time.

Keep Warm feature. Just add the ingredients and set the timer before going to bed, and by the time that alarm clock sounds, you will smell the bread waiting for you. If you hit snooze, don’t worry. The Home Bakery Supreme also has a Keep Warm feature to keep that bread warm up to an hour after baking.

More than Just Bread. The Home Bakery Supreme has a cycle for jam and cake. It also works as a portable oven, so you can make other dishes such as meatloaf or lasagna without heating up your larger oven.

Large Viewing Window. Allows you to watch the kneading, rising, and baking processes, so you can make adjustments if you find it necessary. If you need a better look, lifting the lid to peek won’t stop the kneading or baking operation.

Home Made Menu function. With the three memory settings it allows you to adjust each cycle to your preference and remember it, so you can make that perfect bread. If not bread, cake. Or meatloaf. Or anything you wish.

The Recipes Book. Not only does this bread machine comes with an instruction video, it also comes with lots of recipes. The recipes range from basic white bread to raisin bread, whole wheat and fat-free bread, pizza, pretzels, cinnamon-raisin rolls, strawberry jam, chocolate cake, sourdough bread, and Zojirushi’s original Meatloaf Miracle. And more recipes are available at Zojirushi’s Web site.

Customer Testimonials

Zojirushi Features Video

Zojirushi BB-CEC20 Bread Machine Resources

• Zojirushi Product Website
• Bread Machine Recipes
• Owner’s Manual