 Good Fortune with my Breadman 2500 |
| Review Date: October 9, 2006 |
| Reviewer: R. VanCamp, Virginia |
After reading other reviews, I took my life in my hands and ordered the Breadman 2500. Fortunately, I have had no trouble with the machine at any of the stages. Having baked bread by hand regularly for over 40 years, I was surprised to find the Breadman texture quite acceptable. Here are a couple of tips I got from the company while trying to do the basic set up: 1. When you turn on the machine to "burn off manufacturing oils", take the bread pan out and leave the top of the machine open. This was not mentioned in the booklet. 2. When you set the cycle you want for a loaf, don't expect to see words like "white bread" - you get only the amount of time it takes to run the full cycle. Keep pressing "Select" until the arrow on the right stops where you want it. Then do the same with "Crust Control" and "Loaf Size". Then you're ready to push "Start". 3. After you have completed the entire baking, push the Reset button and hold down for 4 seconds. Do this as well if the electricity goes off but you are not baking, or if you unplug the machine. This precautionary measure will keep you from finding yourself in an emergency cycle.
Some people have trouble with the dough ball not picking up all the flour during kneading. My suggestion is that your dough ball isn't quite moist enough. I am creating my own recipes, especially since I like to make some breads with cooked cereal. The important thing if there is some question as to whether you have the right balance of wet and dry ingredients is to observe your dough ball during the 2nd kneading. If there is any flour in the corners that has not picked up after a few minutes, use your rubber spatula to scrape it toward the middle. If this doesn't work, I suggest using a spritzer on the dough ball until the flour adheres. If the dough is sticking a little to the sides of the pan as it goes around, begin lightly sprinkling flour on the ball until it stops doing this. The whole wheat bread, which I made precisely according to the recipe, turned out perfect, but, as I say, if you are experimenting, this is how you can bake any bread recipe you want to and it will turn out perfectly. Your dough ball should be spongy and only slightly sticky.
I hope this is helplful information for Breadman owners. The key to all good bread is learning how to recognize the look and feel of a good lump during and after kneading.
NEARLY TWO YEARS LATER:
It is July 15, 2008, and I'm still baking away. So far I've never had a failure with this machine. I have found a few corrections to the white bread recipe (for 1 1/2 lb loaf) make a better loaf. To start with, I always use King Arthur bread Flour, which a lot of Wal-Marts carry. I use 1 cup plus 3 teaspoons water instead of 2 teaspoons, 2 teaspoons of yeast rather than 1 1/2, tho 1 1/2 works fine. That little bit of extra water helps. I also probably use couple of TBS oil, rather than 1 1/2. And I use 2 teasp. salt rather than 1/1/2. It is important to know that different flours behave different ways, and different batches of flours of the same kind can need more or less moisture. This is especially noticeable using whole wheat flour. If you let the bread sit in the machine for 10-15 minutes after baking is complete, the steam softens the sides enough to dump the loaf out but doesn't leave the loaf soggy. Before I figured that out, I used a small rubber spatula to loosen the sides. Be sure you don't scrape the pan with a metal utensil as it scratches easily. Well, happy baking!! |
Excellent, no problems at all, recommend it
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| Review Date: June 19, 2006 |
| Reviewer: JHW, Los Angeles, CA United States |
I purchased this item with some trepidation, having read the negative reviews on Amazon.com. Recently, I learned that I have some food allergies, and I cannot purchase most bread in a grocery or bakery. I decided in favor of this model because it has the right combination of features, style, and price.
I would recommend this product. During the past two weeks, I have made various yeast and batter breads and had no problems whatsoever. I have never used a bread machine before, or baked yeast bread in an oven. I find the TR2500BC simple to use and easy to clean. My bread loaves have come out just fine.
I suspect the key to good breadmaking is to read the instruction manual a few times before you use it (particularly if you have no prior bread machine experience). As well, level measures of the ingredients and layering the ingredients as recommended by the manufacturer help.
I have been using the bread recipes in _The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook_ by Marjorie Hurt Jones. Thus far, I am quite satisified with the TR2500BC and the recipes from Jones' cookbook. |
Great Machine -- Great Gluten Free Bread! But add the liquid first to avoid motor burnout!
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| Review Date: November 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Cosmo, Indiana, IN |
I bought this machine at Target, mainly because I was very nervous from all the negative reviews and I wanted to be able to return it easily. I safely tucked away my receipt, and started making bread. Very worried about burning out the motor or having the machine jump off the counter in an act of manic self-destruction, I researched why this happens so I could avoid the problem. I discovered two interesting things that may help with the burn out problem and hopping machine that some of the reviews mention.
1. The manual recommends when you first run the machine to do so empty to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process. You need to keep the lid OPEN, which they do not mention; this will ensure the unit does not get overly hot.
2. It is critical to always, always, add the liquid first, regardless of the instructions or whether or not it is a gluten free recipe. Adding the flour first then the liquid on top will contribute to the `hopping' and burn out your motor, eventually. The reason this happens is simple, the paddle is short and when it first starts to move, if you have the flour on the bottom it moves through the flour slowly pulling in the liquid. This creates a cement like mixture initially, until all the liquid can be pulled in. Just like when you mix by hand and do not have enough liquid in the flour, it is bloody hard to mix. This results on lots of strain on the paddles (making the machine jump) and the motor (burning it out). Add the liquid first then the flour on top, when the paddle engages, you can literally hear it swooshing though the liquid, gradually pulling in the flour. The machine doesn't even shimmy in the slightest. And the bread still turns out wonderful.
I had been diagnosed with Celiac disease about 15 years ago and have tried every frozen gluten free bread on the market, toasting the life out of each slice to get something palatable. I wanted real bread again. I picked up two gluten free mixes (Annies and Bob's Red Mill). The first loaf was amazing; I almost cried when I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with SOFT bread, I hadn't experienced that since grade school. It was great. The second loaf was just as good. I used the gluten free setting for the first loaf and the Whole Wheat Rapid setting for the second. In both cases I left the bread in the machine after the cycle was done for 15 minutes. If you do this, the machine goes into a `warm' mode, which slowly brings the temperature of the bread down and assists in ensuring the inside is cooked rather than too moist. Both came out wonderful, but different consistencies. The second loaf was a bit denser, but just as delectable. As for density and texture, I've learned that much of this can be managed with experimenting with the yeast/sugar combinations a little less of both, denser bread, a little more, lighter fluffier bread. Also experimenting with the different machine settings will result in a different texture of bread for the same bread mix.
This is a great machine, changed my family's life, we can actually enjoy real bread. And I can add fiber! Which is sorely lacking from most gluten free breads or mixes. |
Breadman TR2500BC OK so far
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| Review Date: September 25, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. Musicant, Berkeley, CA USA |
I've had mine about six months, made over 25 loaves of bread, a couple of pizza doughs (baked half one day, refrigerating the rest and baking a pizza the next day) and several dough recipes used for coffee cake. I am quite pleased, so far. I made a whole wheat bread recipe from the enclosed booklet, which came out perfect but was a dull loaf and have concentrated on trying to duplicate my personal favorite hand-made whole wheat bread, which I've made for years. Thus, I'm experimenting with the ingredients and having good success (far better than I used to get when making it by hand!), and have virtually perfected the recipe for the Breadman. I used to make a 2 lb loaf, and did that in the Breadman a few times but the pan is short and high and the slices are really too high for my toaster. So, now I cut down on the ingredients and use the 1.5 lb cycle and the bread is toaster-friendly. It actually comes out weighing about 1 lb. 14 oz. I've also made some great rye loaves and a nice pumpernickle, sticking with the 1.5 lb size/cycle.
The pizza doughs, made from the included recipe book, came out perfect. I made pastry doughs from a recipe in the newspaper (twice), and they too came out perfect.
It is important to be very careful to follow the product instructions. Measure ingredients very carefully and add in the order prescribed. I have a small digital scale I use in the kitchen (maximum 17 ounces or so) and I have found this invaluable when I use the Breadman. Instead of taking pains to carefully measure ingredients by volume each time, I have found it much easier to determine once exactly the weight of, for example, one level cup of white flour and then use the scale when I need any amount of white flour in a recipe for the Breadman. I also use the scale when adding liquid ingredients. When adding oil, I don't need to get a measuring spoon oily. I put my small oil bottle on the scale, hit the tare button and start pouring. If it's 1.5 tablespoons oil in the recipe, I stop pouring when the scale says -.70 ounces.
I don't want to have the paddle baked into my loaves, so I always remove it before the last rise cycle.
I took the time to put wide clear tape on the cover (front and back) of the included instruction and recipe book to keep it in good shape.
I had problems getting the Extras function to work, but found a workaround. I called Salton customer service, but the representative said she always just tosses extras in at the start. She thought they are supposed to dump at the beginning of the 2nd knead cycle. Actually, they dump somewhere in the middle of the 2nd knead cycle, when they do dump! I have gotten it to work consistently by pressing the Extras button right after pressing the start button. Actually, for the pumpkin (and sometimes also sunflower) seeds I add to my whole wheat bread I don't think it matters if I add them at the beginning. But for fragile "extras" it would be better to add them later in the process.
I'm so glad I bought this machine. It's saving me so much time. I am enjoying it immensely, and I no longer care when I'm running low on bread. It's just an excuse to have more fun with the Breadman!
In case anyone's curious, I measured the energy usage of the TR2500BC:
Plugged in: 8 watts
Preheat: 3 watts
First knead: alternates between zero and 50-90 watts
Second knead: 110-130 watts
Rise: 8 watts
Bake: 554 watts = 4.62 amps (at 120 volts AC)
And here's my recipe for my whole wheat bread, essentially the same as the one I've made for years and years and finally perfected for use with the Breadman. This comes out perfectly if you make it according to the instructions. Let it cool completely (3 hours is sufficient) before slicing with a sharp knife. To make this like I do you will need a good scale, preferably digital. Add ingredients in the order given and use the 1.5 lb whole wheat cycle. After 2:05, remove the paddle. The bread is finished 1:30 later.
10 oz water (or if using powdered eggs like I do, 11.1 oz water)
1 medium egg (if using powdered eggs, 0.2 oz)
0.5 oz oil
0.2 oz salt
1.3 oz nonfat dry milk (if using regular milk, use 1 cup and reduce water accordingly)
8 oz whole wheat flour
8 oz white flour (I use bread flour, but it's not essential)
1.3 oz sugar
0.45 oz wheat bran
0.9 oz wheat germ
1.5 oz pumpkin seeds
0.17 oz active dry yeast
Edit: I've had the machine about 1 1/2 years and used it about 100 times, including the bake cycle 1/2 those times. Yesterday I did the complete whole wheat 2 lb. cycle and then pressed Stop/Reset and unplugged the machine, just like I normally do per the instructions in the manual. About 2 hours later I filled the ingredient pan to make a different type of loaf and plugged it in and it didn't beep. The interior light went on but nothing was on the display and there was no response to button pushes. I presumed that this is the "emergency cycle" mentioned in R. VanCamp's review here (the most popular review). The machine came back to life the next morning. In the future I will always plug the machine in and make sure it's in the mood to work before putting ingredients in the pan. I read another review here on this machine by a user who said that twice their machine did this even days after last being used. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Another edit 2 1/2 years after purchase: I had read a review here by a guy who said he'd never use the delay feature because the bearing can't take it:
- - - -
Do not soak the pan in water to clean it! I've learned this the hard way. The weak spot is the shaft seal. It gets worn and allows water to seep down the shaft. The shaft may be stainless steel, but the bearing is plain steel. (Not bronze - what were these clowns thinking!) It eventually rusts and seizes up. Worse, the entire assembly is riveted together and is unrepairable. You're stuck having to buy a whole new pan, which as of today is $40 - an utter ripoff, given the quality of its construction. This problem, BTW, also argues against setting up the machine on timer, since sitting with unmixed ingredients also exposes the shaft to water leakage.
- Andy
- - - -
I took his word for this and have never used the delay feature and left water in the pan to soften dough caked on the shaft only briefly, however after having used the machine close to 200 times over the 2 1/2 years I've had it, the bearing is failing. The shaft is easily pushed toward the bottom of the pan and almost comes completely out of the bearing. When pushed back up, the shaft is covered with a black gunky substance eerily similar to motor oil! If the orientation of the shaft isn't correct, the parts don't fit together and the dough doesn't mix, meaning you need to adjust the components to get your dough to mix. If improperly aligned, the paddle does not rotate. You might not notice this before your recipe is rendered a disaster. I tried looking for a new pan but discover that Salton does not offer these. It's ebay or nothing, and I saw a used one sell a couple of days ago for $35 shipped, no bargain. I think if I'm careful enough I may be able to get by with the pan and paddle I have if I inspect the orientation of the spindle of the pan and that of the machine before dropping the pan in the machine, but it's not for sure. If I'd known about these difficulties I would have bought the Panasonic SD-YD250. The Panasonic's replacement parts are said to be somewhat expensive but at least they are available. |
Pretty good, pretty good
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| Review Date: August 15, 2006 |
| Reviewer: jen l, new york, ny |
Don't know if I got a later model or something, but I haven't had any problems with this machine. I was a bit scared to order this after reading the reviews on the site, but the fact that it is totally programmable (I am an experienced breadmaker), stainless steel, and on sale, won me over. The bread pan has never jumped out of its holder, the machine doesn't walk away, and it hasn't broken after making 7 loaves of bread. Nor does it show any sign of slowing down.
6 out of 7 recipes I have tried have made perfect bread, but one, the banana-whole wheat bread, leaves unmixed ingredients on the side of the pan, because it is a thin dough, more like a batter. If I check on it, like it says in the directions to do, and scrape the ingredients down once, it works perfectly. Usually a single-paddle machine relies on the dough being thick enough to stick to all the ingredients on the side of the pan as the dough is being turned around in the pan, so, thin, almost liquid doughs will always have this problem in a single-paddle machine. Since I'm not ready to splurge $200 on the japanese double-paddle machine, I'll deal with it for now.
I plan to adapt artisan bread recipes to this machine and see how that goes. I was going to get the Cuisinart because of their artisan bread feature, but it turns out that you can just program this machine to do artisan bread! The only thing that I wish this machine had is the alarm that the Cuisinart has which goes off and tells you when to take out the paddle so you don't have a big hole in the bottom of your bread when you're done. I suppose I could just calculate when the shaping will happen and set a kitchen timer for myself. The hole is not that bad, so I probably won't bother.
All in all, I'm just glad I don't have to give up an entire weekend day to baking bread, and that I can have fresh bread in the middle of the week, waiting for me in the morning. |
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