I've been reading with gread interest the stories about the Breadman/Plus.
I purchased one two years ago and have almost driven myself insane trying to
get it to work. I have baked bread by hand for over 20 years, and I have a
background in Microbiology, so it was a real shock to me when I could not
get decent bread out of the bread machine I had wanted for so long. For the
first six months, I contacted the company trying to get their guidance. I
must have tried every trick known to breadbakers to get this thing to work.
I added gluten, lemon juice, dough conditioners, less water, more water,
King Arthur flour, seven different types of yeast, bottled water..... The
testing went on and on. I never have gotten what I consider a great loaf of
bread out of the machine. Most loaves rise and fall tremendously, and all of
the crusts are much too crispy for my liking. I have never gotten a boxed
mix to work, even one of theirs. I suspect that it is a thermostat
problem, but the company would never admit to that. The last conversation I
had with the company, they said, "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make
bread in a bread machine!" What does it take? I only use the machine for
kneading now. I feel like throwing it out of the window, but it was so
expensive! When I have served my time with this machine, I will definitely
invest in a Zo. It gives me a little satisfaction to know that other people
have had similar problems with this machine, and we can get the word out.
Cheryl Backes