How good is the bread?

The bread from the Zojirushi BBCCX20 looks great!

But how did it taste?

Last night, I set the bread machine on a 10.5 hour delay so that we’d have white bread when we got up for breakfast. I did not hear the bread maker come on, which is a big improvement over the old DAK model we used to have.

6:05 AM: As you can see from the picture, the loaf looked PERFECT.

Removing the bread from the pan required some vigorous shaking: this loaf had a sense of humor! When I finally shook it hard enough to get it out, I was relieved to see that the kneading paddles remained in the pan when the bread flew across the room (I’m kidding). With other bread machines I’ve used, I’ve always had to remove the paddles (using a pencil eraser in the hole) from the loaf before cutting the bread, so as not to mar the non-stick finish on the paddles. With the Zoj, the paddles lock into place when the machine turns on. It has quite a deep pan and as a matter of fact I was amazed at how high the loaf did rise (clear out of the pan), since the yeast was not exceedingly fresh and came from a gallon sized zip-lock bag we keep in the fridge.

There is a sticker on the side which has a sample recipe printed right on it, with the proper order for the addition of the ingredients enumerated very clearly. The most important procedural step is to put the water in first, then add everything in on top of the water. In the last step, hollow out a hole in the flower for for the yeast and put the active dry yeast in the dry hole, making sure that it does not come into contact with the water until the mixing begins. I made sure to add equal parts on both sides of the paddles to help ensure a thorough mixing.

There are three main concerns I have with the bread-maker (and with bread machines in general): 1) I don’t want to gain too much weight 2) I don’t want to think I need to make bread on a daily basis 3) and I don’t want the bread to be more expensive than store-bought bread. We’re going to make bread mostly on special occasions like potlucks for dinner with company but we’re not going to make it every day. I guess my main which right now is for a high quality, sharp, light-weight rechargeable electric bread-knife. We have a plug-in electric knife around somewhere that the Jackson’s gave us, but can’t find it since we stopped making bread about two years ago.. It’s tough being an American. To lower the per loaf price down a bit more, I think we’re going to have to start bulk ordering our ingredients in 50 lb bags, which means finding robust containers for the staples. At this point I’m thinking of getting out some 5-gallon buckets and buying twist off lids for them.

So, how did it taste?

I made the basic recipe from the sticker on the outside of the machine. (Holly wants me to make a whole-wheat loaf next) SO, it tasted like home-made bread (DELICIOUS!!!), which is to say it tastes great when it’s fresh, but a bit crumbly after it has cooled, when compared to store bought bread.

Luke Loved it.