Recently I purchased the above named bread machine. I wasn’t really expecting much, because the reviews were so mixed and the price was so reasonable. When it arrived it was properly packaged and everything seemed to be in order.

Upon looking at the instruction booklet it was obvious that it would be a simple machine to run with just a few steps to start it up. You need to pick the type of bread you’ll be baking, the size loaf, and the darkness of the crust, that’s it.

I had to wait a couple days after I got it to try it, because I didn’t have any yeast and wouldn’t be going into town for two days! That was a long two days.

Yummy, whole-grain bread, fresh from the machine.

Anyway, with fresh yeast in hand I loaded it up with my first recipe. I didn’t use one from the provided booklet, as we had owned a bread machine many years ago and I still have the book with delicious bread recipes in it. I pressed the appropriate buttons and waited anxiously for 3 hours and 40 minutes for the bread to cook.

The very first loaf was OK, but the top had fallen. I had just read that if you’re using a better grade yeast than the one that the booklet recommends, then you should lessen the amount of yeast by about one-quarter teaspoon and see if that helps.

Even with a sunken top the bread tasted delicious. So, I tried it again with the recommended reduction in yeast. Viola, a beautiful loaf indeed. Nicely rounded top, large size, tasted fantastic.

Since that time I’ve tried at least a dozen different recipes and only one fell really flat and that was my fault. I added too much water to a loaf that looked to be too dry. The rest have tasted and looked fantastic. As a matter of fact the loaf pan has created some of the hugest loaves of bread I’ve ever seen. Some so tall that one slice will make a whole sandwich, top and bottom, if you cut it in half. Most of them aren’t that tall, but it was fun when it was.

Anyway, I would highly recommend this bread machine. It is pretty quiet; kneads the dough powerfully; only needs occasional scraping of the sides; has a beep to let you know to add extra ingredients like nuts and fruits; keeps your bread warm for a period if you don’t get it out of the machine right away; it also makes pizza dough very nicely; is super easy cleanup; it makes jams and quick breads, but I’ve not tried those yet so can’t comment; and has a relatively small footprint. (No bread machine does because it is has to be big enough to bake a loaf and be the oven too!)

Just remember that you may need to play around with the recipe a little for your location. Altitude and humidity can really affect how a loaf rises. Watch for too much water, and if the top falls, even when the dough looks perfect, decrease your yeast a little and see if that helps. I think I’ve already made enough loaves of bread to make up for the cost and they are healthier and tastier than what I can buy in the store.