The BEST Bread Maker We Have Owned!

My wife and I love this thing. We make two to three 1-1/2 pound loaves of whole wheat bread a week.

The loaves rise HIGH (6" or better) and have the classic bread loaf shape!

The texture of our wheat bread is light (not dense) and the taste is outstanding. The reason it is not dense, which many folks complain about, is because we use the right amount of vital wheat gluten.

I would not go back to buying even the best made breads sold at the grocery store. What we make has a superior taste, is much better for you health-wise, and is significantly cheaper per loaf than store bought bread.

It is a piece of cake to use - add the the ingredients to the pan, engage the pan inside the bread maker, press a couple buttons to program, and a the rest is history. The dual kneading paddles mix the dough perfectly. With previous bread makers we owned, all of which had a single paddle, we had to manually assist those bread makers with kneading the dough. We have NEVER had to do that with this one. It kneads the dough perfectly. Clean up is easy ... fill the pan with warm water (add in some dish detergent), let it soak for 5-10 minutes to soften up any baked dough around the paddles, then clean with a sponge, and finally rinse it out.

A couple things in response to others who have posted negative feedback regarding the loaves of bread they have made with this bread maker:

(1) A KEY MISTAKE THAT WILL YIELD A LOUSY LOAF OF BREAD (at least if it is whole wheat) IS NOT ADDING THE YEAST LAST. YOU MUST PUT IN THE LIQUIDS FIRST, THEN THE SALT, AND FINALLY THE FLOUR, VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, AND YEAST. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THE YEAST STAYS AWAY FROM THE LIQUID UNTIL KNEADING STARTS, WHICH FROM THE TIME THE CYCLE STARTS, IS ABOUT 1/2 HOUR. IF THE YEAST DOESN'T STAY DRY UNTIL THE KNEADING STARTS, THE RISE WILL NOT BE GOOD. I CREATE A SMALL DIVOT IN THE TOP OF THE FLOUR WITH MY FINGER, AND THEN PLACE THE YEAST IN THAT DIVOT.

(2) Use EXACTLY the right amounts of the RIGHT ingredients (i.e. the right type of yeast). Failure to do so will yield poor results!

The following recipe is one we worked out for this model. It makes a light, sweet loaf of golden bread. Take a look at the dough after it's kneaded for 20 minutes or so; it should be smooth, not sticky (too little flour) or lumpy (too little liquid), forming a nice ball. If the dough looks good at this point, you're probably all set. Bon Appetit!

1-1/2 cups of warm water
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
4 fluffed cups of whole wheat flour (we use King Arthur)
3 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons of instant yeast