I personally use a Bosch Universal, as does my mother. We have both had
kitchenaids, which simply can't do large bread recipes (I usually do 4
loaves at a time) and still use bread machines for a quick one-loaf recipe.
The person we purchased ours from also now carries a new mixer, the
Dimension 2000 which appears to be more powerful, has a better warranty and
is slightly cheaper. If I were buying new, I would look at this one:
http://www.healthforyouministry.com/dimension2000mixer.html.
For the person looking to save pennies -- check out ebay after researching
the model(s) you think you might want. Watch for at least a couple of weeks
to see what a good price is. I've seen appliances regulary go for 1/2 of the
retail/internet prices, some that have never been used (received as gifts,
usually). However, sometimes there are great deals on older equipment -- for
a mixer, make sure it still has warranty left and is working (I've seen
20-30 year old dehydrators listed that are high quality, still working and
essentially the same as new ones, at about 1/4 the price).
Frank - for crust color, try raising your rack one level, or use a pizza
stone underneath the pans on the same or a lower level (it evens out the
heat). You could also try lowering or raising your oven temp by about 25
degrees, as many are not entirely accurate and the exact temp you need
depends on many factors. As a last resort, switch to a lighter bread pan, as
the darker ones will brown more on the bottom.
KOland