>I'm interested in obtaining a breadmaker and
>would appreciate if you would tell me about
>your breadmaker- if it makes good bread, etc.
>
>Would you recommend your breadmaker? Would
>you buy it knowing what you know about it now?
>
>The breadmakers I've 'looked" at are:
>Welbilt (1 lb) square model
>Welbilt - the 'dome' model
>Regal
>Hitachi
>Williams-Sonoma (1 and 1-1/2 lb models,
> I have their catalog).
>
Here are the responses I got on bread machines.
***************************************************************
>From: garryt@dad.MENTOR.COM (Garry Thompson)
>Date: Tue, 20 Nov 90 10:28:51 PST
>Subject: Some recipes and some ramblings
I have owned my bread machine (Welbilt) for about 2 years now and my only
complaint is that it makes round bread. This does make for strange sandwhiches.
The number one factor that seems to infleunce rising and baking is the moisture
content of the bread. I almost always am around when I start the bread to make
sure the moisture content is correct. Humidity and temperature variances really
do make a difference.
....
*****************************************************************
>From: JMH@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
>Date: 13 Nov 90 18:20:50 GMT
I have been using one of the cheaper Welbilt bread machines for about
5 months now. It cost ^$100 at Service Merchandise. It makes great bread
although their recipe calls for much too much salt (IMHO).
The loaves are round, and not easy to slice. It is inappropriate
for sandwiches but makes tasty toast. I feel it was a good investment,
it sure is nice to wake up in the AM to the smell of fresh-baked bread.
Jim Hodgers
******************************************************************
>Date: Tue, 27 Nov 90 16:37:07 PST
>From: anilam@Eng.Sun.COM (Anissa Lam)
Ardy,
We almost got the Welbeit 350 bread maker a week ago, but decided not
to buy it at the last minute. I notice the 'pan' which holds the bread
actually has a round hole on the bottom. This means that i have to
place the pan in the bread maker first, then put the ingredients in.
And the space between the maker itself and the pan is quite big. This
means that the bread machine will get dirty quite easily.
I decided to buy another brand (haven't decided yet) instead. The one
i liked is the Pansonic bread machine. The pan can be taken out,
put all the ingredients in and then put back to the machine.
I may not explain this very well, but hope you will understand that
if you are looking at the machine.
...
*********************************************************************
>Date: Wed, 28 Nov 90 09:25:58 EST
>From: Fred Ullom <TACON019@YSUB.YSU.EDU>
I bought a Welbilt cheapy bread maker for $129. Works great.
You have to get used to the round loaf, though.
If you buy a DAK, you get a nice recipe book with it.
Once you get the hang of it, you can be creative and throw anything
into your loaf. Great fun....Good bread
**********************************************************************
>From: erspert@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
>Date: Fri, 30 Nov 90 11:30:03 -0500
I got a bread machine a little less than two months ago and love it,
as do all my friends. I usually have some sort of fresh bread in the
house. Even with just two people living in my apartment, we always
finish breads while they're still fresh, plus I've tried freezing and
unfreezing bread, and it still tastes great. I've had no trouble
making the "vanilla" breads, like French bread, and the fancier ones
like orange chocolate chip bread and onion dill bread. Some can be
made in five minutes by just dumping in the ingredients, and others
require a little work, like whipping egg whites. The only problem is
that if you're not there to take the bread out of the machine when
it's done, it can get a little soggy. Our machine has a timer, which
minimizes this problem.
I'd say that the bread machine to get is the Auto Bakery sold by DAK.
I bought it for $200, and they've just cut the price to $130, which is
better than any prices I've seen in stores. One benefit of buying
from DAK is that they send you additional recipes. Between the low
price and the additional recipes, I would strongly recommend DAK. I
can give you their address or phone number if you need them (plus,
it's a fun catalog to get). If you really want to save money, in the
latest catalog they've announced that they'll begin selling returned
but all right items for even less.
Ellen Spertus
>Date: Wed, 28 Nov 90 06:33:52 GMT
>From: dbw@crash.cts.com (David B. Whiteman)
The machine I have is a National Breadmaker. National is the brand name of
Panasonic inside Japan; however, Panasonic sells their kitchen products in the
US under both brand names. I wish I could tell you that I went to a great
effort in selecting the perfect bread maker, but this machine was a prize for
watching a cooking demonstration in a shopping mall. I strongly suggest rather
than soliciting comments via the net you just go to gourmet cooking stores, and
just try out the bread the machines make. I think it is fantastic, but I would
not call myself a gourmet critic. All my friends at work gobble down the bread
over any other goodies that anyone else brings. I have used the machine 5 times
The first three times I used "bread mix" that the gourmet place gave with the
machine -- a 3rd party bread mix designed for machines -- open the packet, add
water, and pour the yeast into the dispenser. The other times I just made the
basic white bread. Each time I was impressed with the results, and the bread
was better than my home attempts at making bread from scratch or using frozen
store bought dough. I have not used any of the other recipes. This machine
has a timer, so you can set the machine for when you want the bread ready. It
also has a quick mode which skips the punch down and second rising, and a dough
mode which just makes yeast dough from which you can make other stuff from. It
also has a light crust mode. The recipe book is extensive. This machine when
you use the timer mode immediately mixes the dough without adding the yeast, and
then waits for the appropriate period before you want the bread ready, and then
adds the yeast and proceeds from there. Other makers don't do any mixing at all
until the timer says it is time to make bread -- I don't know which is better.
One other thing: midway through the cycle the bread machine makes a loud noise
which was loud enough to wake me in another room with the door closed -- this is
the punch down between the two risings.
I hope this info is useful
David
>Date: Sat, 1 Dec 90 11:49:34 PST
>From: <relay.sgi.com!sgihub.corp.sgi.com!freya!jeffg@SGI.COM> (Jeff C. Glover)
I have the DAK bread machine, and have used it for about six months
now. It makes great bread, is very easy to use, and has removable
elements for easy cleaning.
Problems? None I can think of other than it takes four hours to make
the bread and I don't want to wait that long. :-)
The instruction manual is more than sufficient, and the unit makes
larger loafs than most of the other brands.
I've seen it discounted at $150, but not recently.
Jeff