I got my breadmaker! I decided to write this review because I've "tried" to make four loaves of bread with it. I'm not giving up on it yet because I did lots of research on it, now that I own it. So let me just tell you my experience.
I love Oster products. This is more expensive than some other brands but this is the one my kids gave me for Mother's Day. I believe that they made a good choice....with ulterior motives!
This breadmaker can make 1 lb., 1 1/2 lb. and 2 lb. loaves of bread. I tried all three. The one loaf that came out good was with the 1 1/2 lb setting.
There are 18 settings for different varieties of breads. I chose three different ones and tried the regular white bread to repeat, which was my sucessful loaf. Three crust settings for light, medium and dark. I tried all three of those as well. Again the one loaf that came out good was on the light setting. There is a good sized glass window on the top that I used and is handy to see exactly what was going .... wrong, as the case may be.
There is also a dough/pasta setting that I can't wait to use! We are pasta lovers! The fresher, the better.
The non stick aluminum pan makes a horizontal loaf of bread. On advice, I used a nonstick cooking spray. Horizontal loaves look much like store bought bread. That is, if they come out right. There is a digital time set. I personally like digital because I can see it from across the room. The non stick pan is easy to wash and I put mine in the dishwasher.
There is a feature for a 13 hour delay that you can set for making your bread later. I probably won't use this but I could see it being benificial for working families. There is also a 60 minute warmer that keeps your bread warm when it's finished. I used this for two of the loaves I made. Later research told me that this tends to harden the bread into "weapons". I can attest to this, hanging head in shame.
I purchased my whole wheat flour, preservatives and yeast from Whole Foods. Great store, if you have one to shop in. This bread maker came with a very resourceful manual that has over 50 recipes in it and also tips on bread making. After reading it thouroughly, doing my research and experimenting, I know now that it's important to have all liquids at room temperature, to follow the directions exactly. Also to have FRESH ingredients.
There is a process that involves a paddle in the first part of the process. This was weird to experience the first time. The whole machine vibrates and it is kind of loud. This is what kneads the ingredients. My investigation revealed that if I removed the paddle after this process, the loaf would not have a hole or sunken spot in it. (I did this with my "perfect" loaf) Then there is a waiting period for the yeast to take effect and the dough to rise. Anywhere between an hour or two. I was told that fast rising yeast will not produce a good loaf of bread. With the Express Bake feature, it only takes 58 minutes to complete a loaf of bread. I need to experiment a bit more with that....
The machine signals you when it's time to add certain ingredients. Nuts, fruit pieces, coconut, etc. Follow the directions in the manual. That's my best advice. The outside of this machine is cool to the touch as well, so no burns!
So, lots of research, following the directions, fresh ingredients, room temp liquids....four attempts. The house smells great while you're making it. The end results of the perfect, warm, melt-in-your-mouth, loaf makes it all worth the trial and error.
Like I said, I'm not giving up yet. I will continue to experiment and research this breadmaker. I also found a great website that gives you all kinds of advice and some recipes I am looking forward to using.
http://www.breadinfo.com/
The End.
More details
Performance
Good performance
Design & Look
Good
Ease of Use
Easy
Cleaning & Maintenance
Easy to clean and maintain
Value for Money
Good value for money
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