Funny you should mention this.........after years of making homemade bread
using my KitchenAid, Cuisinart, or by hand, I finally decided to purchase a
Zojirushi ...V20, apparently a recent model, highly-rated machine that
makes 2-lb loaves, etc. After two days of testing per instructions, my
husband and I were both disappointed and the machine was returned to the
vendor for a refund. We were disappointed in the quality of the bread, and
it seems "finicky" when it came to amounts of ingredients. If I used
similar recipes from the included instruction book, one time it would rise
and "explode", pressing to the top of the machine; another time it hardly
rose at all.
Our own preferences are to keep the complete control over the resulting
bread product by continuing to make it ourselves, adjusting ingredients as
the mixing continues, kneading until it feels right, shaping things "just
so", etc. Also, the resulting bread just didn't have the same zesty flavor
that my own recipes have -- recipes that I have created and adjusted little
by little over the years.
Now before everyone who owns a bread machine sends me "flames", please
don't assume I'm saying that breadmakers are terrible or that no one should
own such a machine. Indeed, the Zojirushi is a very nice machine, but it
just isn't for *me*. I'm also lucky to have a nice, big kitchen with some
great appliances (e.g., KitchenAid, Cuisinart 14-cup, 6-burner Viking stove
with convection oven, convection wall oven, etc.). It was a "fling" to try
the breadmaker, and I discovered that I just prefer my "homegrown" recipes
that I make and bake myself. Also, I think breadmakers are wonderful for
folks who have a family and extremely busy work schedules and can't be at
home to make a full recipe themselves, or who are disabled to some extent
and can't knead dough, can't get around, etc.
Nevertheless, I still save lots of recipes that are sent through the list
"for bread machines only" because I usually end up modifying them a little
to suit my taste preferences, adjust the quantities for my own baking needs
(e.g., make 4-6 loaves at a time), etc. For me, looking at the ingredients
and descriptions is very enjoyable as well as educational, and reading the
posts gives me ideas for new recipes I might want to create for myself.
Joan
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Magic in bread machine
Date: Sat, 03 Mar 2001 13:52:17 -0500
> From: Valerie Mates <valeriemates@earthlink.net>
> Subject: new machine with no magic
> Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2001 21:21:08 -0500
"My friend has a brand new bread machine. She says that it makes okay
bread, but that the fresh-baked bread from the machine doesn't have the
same magic that fresh-baked handmade bread from the oven has. I like bread
machine bread just fine... I'm wondering if anybody else has experienced
this,... if you've found a way to add the missing "magic" to your freshly
machine-baked bread. Thanks for any advice!"