Product Description
The smartest bread maker. Ever. There's nothing like waking up to a freshly baked loaf of bread. But when there are over 60 different recipes to choose from, how do you make sure you get it right. A very clever interface computes temperature and baking time when you make a selection, while a super easy Turn and Confirm dial gets you started on any recipe in seconds. It even lets you select what time you want the bread to be ready, adds fruits and nuts at the appropriate time, and lets you create your own recipes. It's the greatest thing since, well you know.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #8462 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Size: standard
- Color: Stainless Steel
- Brand: Breville
- Model: BBM800XL
- Dimensions: 13.30" h x16.40" w x9.60" l,16.85 pounds
Features
- Automatic fruit and nut dispenser releases ingredients at the right moment during the knead phase so they are evenly incorporated within the dough
- Unique collapsible kneading paddle thoroughly mixes ingredients then collapses before bake phase to minimize the hole at the base of the baked loaf
- Smart lcd screen with progress indicator displaying 13 automatic settings, 3 crust colors, and 4 loaf sizes
- Loaf sizes include 1.0-pound, 1-1/2-pound, 2.0 ln and 2-1/2-pound (Family size)
- 46 step by step recipes (basic, whole wheat, gluten free, crusty loaf, sweet, yeast free, dough, jam as well custom recipe charts)
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
69 of 72 people found the following review helpful.
By R. Morris
This is probably one of the best breadmakers out there. I've used it to make whole wheat bread on numerous occasions, and except for one time that I'm assuiming was somehow my fault in not measuring the ingredients correctly, they all turned out great--and I'm usually not one to describe bread machine bread like that (this is not my first machine; I've been known to just use them to mix, knead, and proof the dough, then shape and bake by hand in my own pan in the oven). In addition to a variety of preprogrammed settings, it lets you take any of them and customize the exact time of any of the steps, as well as the temperature for the preheat, rise, and bake phases. The phases, if you're wondering, are: pre-heat, knead 1, knead 2, rise 1, rise 2, their associated punchdowns, rise 3, bake, and the optional post-baking "keep warm" phase, though not all programs include all phases (whole wheat is, in fact, the only one that uses them all). You can also save these custom programs in the machine for future use. This is described in the manual and recipe book, as is a lot of other useful information.
The machine is very nicely built, with a stainless steel case (a bit thin, however, so watch for dents), an easy-to-read display and controls, an "oven light" button you can press to show what's going on inside, the ability to turn on or off beep noises (ones you get after certain phases), and a well-thought-out power cord that has a finger/thumb hole for grabbing out of the wall easily.
The pan can make up to a 2.5 lb loaf, and the machine allows for loaves as "small" as 1 lb. (You chan change the loaf size before you start the program. The machine uses this to slightly adjust the time of the various phases.) That's really my biggest problem with this machine--I prefer smaller loaves, which most machines handle nicely, but if you try to make a 1 lb loaf in this one, the pan is so big--particularly its width--that the loaf will be an awkwardly wide, average length, and rather short in height. You'll also have to shape it by hand before the last kneading phase (the machine beeps a few times to let you know when this is) since with all the extra space the machine usually won't be able to turn it into a nice shape. A 1.5 lb loaf bakes nicely in this machine with a good shape, although I also usually shape it by hand before the last knead. This also allows you to remove the paddle, which I do to avoid the indent on the bottom of the loaf (the collapsible paddle makes it a bit smaller than breadm machines with only fixed paddles, but there's still an indent). I'm sure bigger sizes would work even better without much intervention, although regardless of what I'm baking I think I'd still remove the paddle if I'm home when that time comes.
As I've said before, I've used this to make whole wheat bread on many occasions. (I have my own recipe I prefer, though it's not a lot different from the one in the book.) I've also used it to make "jam," though the result was really more of a coulis (which, in their defense, is exactly what the recipe called it). I don't think you'll be able to use this to get the typical kind of firm jam. I've also used it to make pizza dough (which turned out well) and pasta dough (which didn't get thoroughly mixed by the machine, though that could have been because I slightly modified the flour type in the original recipe--and the rest mixed nicely by hand when the machine was done). I haven't used it to make sweet bread or white bread (making 100% whole wheat bread is one of the reasons I do it at home!), but given my luck with the rest I'm sure they'd be good as well. Perhaps the last feature I haven't mentioned is that for sweet breads (or, I suppose, whatever you'd want to use it for), the machine also includes a fruit and nut dispenser in the lid that will open at the approriate time in the cycle to mix them into the dough.
In summary, this is a great machine. I like the ability to customize, although I rarely do so, and it's made many great loaves of bread for me. However, it seems to work best for large loves (>= 1.5 lb). I'm currently renting it through a service I subscribe to, and as much as I like it, I'd like it better if they made a machine that better accomodated the baking of 1 lb loaves. I probably won't buy it (the relatively high price doesn't help, either!), but I definitely have enjoyed the time I've had it so far. I just might opt for a machine with a bit smaller pan in the future. If they made a smaller machine (keep in mind I'm just one person, not a family of four) or even just a smaller pan for this machine (if that would work), I'd seriously consider it. But because loaf size is just a personal preference and this machine is stellar in every other way, I'm going to give it 5 stars. If it matches your needs and you don't have a problem with the price, I don't think you'd go wrong with this.
53 of 57 people found the following review helpful.
By Mike Shkolnik
Pros:
The LCD screen on this is FANTASTIC. The best of any bread maker I have seen.
Large pan size works well for things like brownies and cornbreads.
Customization is great.
Cons:
The collapsible paddle takes a giant chunk out of most breads, especially yeast-free breads such as cornbread.It also wears away the non-stick coating wherever the collapsing part touches another part on the paddle, thus I have eaten some Teflon.
The nut dispenser could be larger. It did not work when overfilled (leaving the nut door open).
I really wanted to love the Breville. The LCD screen is awesome. But the lame collapsible paddle ruins it. It might be going back. What to buy instead?
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
By Brooke
My husband and I had a Cuisinart Bread maker for about 2 years. This past spring, it started behaving strangely and then it started to produce big lumps of really bad bread. Since I had other Breville products, the Smart Grill and the Convection Oven, I decided to give Breville's bread maker a try.
The interface is much easier to use than the Cuisinart. Especially for my parents who have no understanding of technology. The window feature is fantastic and my son LOVES watching the bread knead and mix. The top slips off easily for cleaning, our Cuisinart started to do this on its own when the hinge broke. Breville's was designed to slip off when needed.
I know people have complained about the dent from the collapsable paddle. Compared to the enormous whole from the Cuisinart, the little dent from the Breville was not even an issue for me. Getting the paddle out of baked bread in the Cuisinart was like perfoming major surgery and a surgeon I am not.
Overall, it produced a great loaf of bread in less time than the Cuisinart. It is simple and easy to use and I would happily recommend it to anyone.
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