Breadmaker is perfect intersection of performance and price

kitchen:


	• Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker Sunbeam Sunbeam average customer review:based on 290 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Breadmaker is perfect intersection of performance and price

This was given to me as a gift. It was originally purchased from Amazon.com at an excellent price (under $50). I have had many bread makers over the years and this one performed well right out of the box. It is less expensive to make bread than buy for me. Plus, homemade bread isn't mostly air. The house smells wonderful too!

Pros:
1 - Very friendly interface and large buttons. They are logical. I have had bread makers that used only symbols which didn't always make sense. Those were clearly models sold in multiple countries and they didn't want to spend the money to print words next to the buttons on the unit.
2 - Good viewing window.
3 - Excellent loaf sizes (1.5 and 2 lb) You would be surprised what a good size 1.5 lb really is.
4 - Bread pan is more horizontal than vertical. I don't understand why this is listed as a vertical one. I have had vertical ones and they are more square than this one.
5 - Offers express bake option for both loaf sizes. Have had bread makers that don't.
6 - Allows crust color choices for more than just the basic setting. Have had bread makers that don't.
7 - At under $50.00 price point this is an exceptional value. Probably willing to pay more but over a certain amount ($70), too many other competitors enter the picture that might offer more preferable options.
8 - Instruction guide is user-friendly and mostly thorough although not perfect. Better than others I have had.
9 - Comes with a 'hook' to help remove the paddle should it get stuck in the loaf.

Cons:
1 - I *think* the signal beep is the notice to add special ingredients like raisins but the user guide doesn't mention it for some reason.

Unknown:
1 - Still very new and longevity is complete unknown at this early stage.

Recommend additional purchases:
1 - Betty Crocker bread machine recipe book. Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook: The Goodness of Homemade Bread the Easy Way
2 - Thermometer capable of checking water temp for optimal outcome. Taylor Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer or CDN IRXL220 ProAccurate Insta-Read NSF Large Dial Professional
3 - Measuring cups and spoons. Norpro Grip-ez 12 Piece Measure Cup Spoon Set

Tip:
If the paddle gets stuck in the bread pan, just soak it for only a few minutes in some water and it will come right off. Don't let it sit for too long though. This is normal for bread makers.

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Sunbeam breakmaker

For 40 dollars it's not a bad machine. I haven't had another one before, so I have nothing to compare it with. The bread is fine, although I am not particularly impressed with the way it looks when the machine actually bakes it. For some reason after the dough raises,when the baking begins, it deflates, so the bread ends up being a little concave. No way does it look like the picture they have on the box witht he bread pushing the lid open!
So far I have used the dough setting and I bake it in the oven, either on my pizza stone or in a regular round pan. I am quite happy with the results when I do that. If I let it raise outside the machine for another half an hour or so and then bake it, the bread turns out quite good.
I have yet to try the other settings, but since I don't have a lot of time to experiment, for the time being I am sticking to what I discovered that works.
The recipes in the book have too much yeast. I keep experimenting with recipes found online and keep reducing the amount of yeast. If I find a perfect recipe I'll add it here.
All in all, the machine saves time and effort. If you use the dough setting ad then bake the bread in the oven you'll be happy.

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