Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker, White
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker, White
Customer Review: I made bread!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not an experienced baker, and I've never used a bread machine before, but I've always loved the smell and taste of fresh, homemade bread. When I found a bread machine for under $40 from a seller that would ship it to Canada at an acceptable rate, I jumped on it. These are my impressions:
1. The machine comes with a 1-cup measure, a teaspoon/tablespoon measure, the kneading paddle, the manual, and a mystery tool. The mystery tool is just a little shorter than a ball-point pen and has a lightly bent end on one side and a sort of a shepherd's crook on the other. The manual fails to tell me what this thing is, and my bread-machine-savvy friend couldn't identify it for me, either. I'm keeping it in my junk drawer, just in case.
2. The manual is lacking, as other reviewers have noted. I thought they were a little picky at first (it's not like a bread machine manual is supposed to be NY Times Bestseller-worthy, after all), but then after reading it through a couple of times I noticed that it always says to lift the bread pan "straight out of the machine" without mentioning that it has to be twisted to unlock it from the bottom.
Also, after the first rising phase, there's a 10-beep signal. The manual doesn't mention anywhere that this is the signal to add nuts or fruit chunks or whatnot to your dough (another reviewer said that's what this signal is for), and even the fruit/nut recipes provided don't mention it.
Also also, the manual describes the process of checking your doughball about 5-10 min into the first kneading cycle. It provides rather pathetic line drawings of a too-wet doughball and a too-dry doughball. I'm truly new at breadmaking, and I would have appreciated even a badly-lit B&W photo of actual dough being too wet or dry.
3. The first loaf I made was from a recipe I found online, and I used the 1.5-lb loaf setting instead of the 2-lb, so it wasn't cooked enough. No problem; I have a friend with horses who love bread. They happily helped me dispose of the too-doughy loaf and I made a second loaf, which turned out perfect. The manual could have mentioned whether there are tricks for determining whether a stranger's bread recipe will require the 1.5- or 2-lb setting, though.
4. I feel like I'm being really picky here, but the display isn't as 'easy-to-read' as the description says. It's LCD, and it's on an angle, and it's not backlit or anything. The buttons are very pretty and colorful, but they don't light up when they're being pushed. I can move my head to see what the display says, though. And the window to watch the bread is rather large compared to the photos of other bread machines I looked at!
Because the manual misses a great chance to provide useful information on how to use the machine, I debated only giving this product 4 stars. However, this is the age of the internet, and you can get all kinds of good information online with simple searches. The fact remains that the bread machine -itself- does a great job and is truly a super value, so I'm giving it 5 stars with the caveat that I'll come back and update this review if anything goes wrong.
Customer Review: Good Bread Recipes for the Sunbeam Machine
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an inexpensive, reliable, easy to use bread machine overall. I use it twice a week and I get better at baking with it as time goes on.
Don't use the recipe for the 1.5 lb. "Homestyle White Bread Loaf" on page 13 in the Sunbeam manual that comes with the machine! Try my version instead. After many weeks of trial and error, this adjusted recipe works best for me:
Add to the bread pan in the usual Sunbeam-recommended order - this is the order I use:
1 c. plus 2 T. water
1 T. soft butter
1 T. vegetable oil
3 T. sugar
2 T. dry or powdered milk
1 1/2 t. salt
3 c. flour*
1 1/2 t. quick yeast or bread machine yeast
*Either bread flour, all-purpose flour, or a mixture thereof -
2 c. bread and 1 c. all-purpose works best for me.
Set the machine to bake at the lightest color, at the 1.5 lb. size. When the bread maker finishes baking the loaf, unplug the machine and extract the bread pan (twist to the left and pull up). Don't leave it in the machine. IT'S HOT! Be careful!
Gently twist and shake the bread pan to loosen the loaf or loosen with a thin plastic spatula. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and lay the loaf on its side on a rack to cool. If the mixing paddle is stuck inside the loaf, remove it with the included tool.
This makes a delicious, tender, yet substantial loaf for cold, hot, or grilled sandwiches, toast & jam, French toast, or just about anything. For a delicious stuffing base, cut it into cubes, season, drizzle lightly with melted butter or olive oil, then spread out and lightly toast on big cookie sheets.
Economics: For a 1.5 lb loaf @ 3 cups flour per loaf, I get 6 loaves of bread per 5 lbs. of flour, with around 2 cups of flour left over for the next batch.
UPDATE 2/9/2009: Here's another great recipe for this bread maker. It's made with oatmeal and makes a wonderful tender loaf of tasty bread. In my experience, everybody LOVES it so it doesn't last long. Add to the bread pan in the usual Sunbeam-recommended order - this is the order I use:
1 1/4 c. milk (lukewarm)
2 T. soft butter
3 T. light brown sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
2 c. bread flour
1 c. rolled oats (or old fashioned oats)
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. quick yeast or bread machine yeast
I set the machine at light color for a 1.5 lb. loaf. Makes delicious sandwiches and toast.
UPDATE 4/28/2010: Hodgson Mill Honey Whole Wheat Bread Mix (and all the other Hodgson Mill bread mixes) work perfectly in this machine, and when bought through Amazon subscription (for the current price $9.60 per 6 pack) are actually cheaper than from scratch (fresh yeast is included). All you add is water and a tablespoon of butter or oil for a great loaf. I usually don't use mixes but the Hodgson Mill mixes contain very high quality fresh ingredients and are very easy to use with this machine.
Customer Review: 400+ loaves later...good,durable machine for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
After wearing out 2 other machines pans (both Breadmans) it was time for a new machine.
I chose this one based on price (I pd $55, I see now sometimes it's cheaper), decent reviews, and my primary usage for the machine is to bake a loaf of bread or mix dough for pizza, cinnamon rolls, and hamburger buns, etc. I don't use most of the settings on the machine, I don't program my own cycles, etc, so I was hoping for a cheaper alternative to an expensive machine.
I have used this machine for a year, and have to say the pan is about worn out, BUT has made it through approximately 400+ uses, about 14¢/use! (I do not buy any store bought bread products, use it about once a day for a loaf of bread sometimes 2x) The pan is wearing out (machine itself is going strong) - the center post is getting wobbly and starting to cause dark goo to go into the bottom of the loaf. This is not unique to this machine, as that's what happened to my 2 previous machines as well. Otherwise the machine still looks new. The company quoted a new pan to be $30.
It has performed well, cooks well, is easy to clean the pan, and is quieter than the Breadman I had, and takes up a little less space, but is taller. Despite it's low cost, there are still quite a few options - primary importance is the light crust choice, multiple loaf sizes of 1, 1.5 & 2, delay bake timing (wake up to fresh bread!) and the dough mixing. The only feature I missed (& only one time) was the delay interrupt when my power went out in the middle of a loaf.
*Some complain of fallen loafs - I have no problems with this, unless I forget the yeast! - I mostly use recipies from books or the internet and have experimented and now mostly make about a few varieties of bread depending on the use (white, cinnamon raisin, onion, french & herb), and a few doughs. Most loaves due well on 1 1/2 - 2 tsp yeast.
(to save money on yeast you MUST buy it in bulk at a warehouse store. Grocery stores are extreme in their yeast prices. It stores well in the fridge, I buy 2 lbs at a time and it has never gone bad)
*Another complaint was of a knocking noise - I have had that on french bread, but it signals me there is not enough water in the loaf - add another tablespoon or so while it's mixing and the problem is resolved.
At this point my dilemma is buy a new pan for $30 or a new machine for $50, I would like to see the companies include 2 pans for a better price than replacing the pan later as this is what seems to fail long before the machine is worn out.
Making your own bread is fast and so worth it - you control what's in it and get no preservatives or garbage that you don't choose and it tastes 100x better than store bought. My husband now thinks all store bought bread tastes like cardboard and doesn't like any bread offered accept in fine restaurants - all the fast food through mid price restaurants just don't compare to food made at home on fresh bread. (and invest in a great serrated knife for slicing the bread.)
Customer Review: Breadmaker is perfect intersection of performance and price
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Customer Review: Excellent entry level breadmaker but plan on replacing it soon
Summary: 5 Stars
With the cost of bread going through the roof I thought I'd investigate making my own bread. I chose this bread maker because it's very cheap and gets good reviews. I've never owned one before and I'm not a baker.
I started with a bread mix from the local grocery store. Not much cheaper than buying the bread but a good way to start. When I turned the machine on it was obvious there was something wrong with it. There was a dreadful sound everytime the dough hook turned as if something was slipping inside. The bread came out very well but I had to return the machine to the store to get a new one. Lost half a star right there.
I then tried a loaf using bulk ingredients. Much, much cheaper that way but still very easy. Just chuck the wet ingredients in, then the dry, and finally add the yeast into a hole you poke into the flour. Set the bake type (nearly always basic), chose the darkness and loaf size (1.5 or 2lbs) and hit the on button. Three hours later you have bread.
There are a couple of dough types the breadmaker struggles with - I can hear the motor groaning to turn the hook. I doubt I'll get more than 20-30 loaves out of this machine before it, too, dies. However the important thing is that I know I enjoy making bread and when it does die I'll happily spend $100 or so on a better machine.
The bread that comes out is fantastic (but it doesn't poke out the top like in the picture, thank goodness). The machine is very easy to clean although I do have to soak the loaf tin in water overnight to get the dough hook off. It comes with a weird hook thing that I assume is to pull the dough hook off with but it doesn't work.
The book that comes with it is minimal and only has a sample recipe for each of the 12 or so bake settings. I purchased an extra book for recipies but, quite honestly, they're all kind of intimidating. Great if you want to bake bread in the shape of a swan but not what I'm looking for. When I want something, say raisin bread, I just go to the Internet for recipies. They've all been good so far.
One feature that is missing is a beeper to indicate that the first kneading is over and you can add extra ingredients such as raisins, cheese etc. Not really a big deal, I just listen for the kneading sound to finish.
And yes - I'm saving a ton of money, especially now I'm buying my ingredients in bulk. And, again, the bread is better than any 'artisan' bread from the supermarket bakery.
Update: It's now Nov 2009 and the bread machine is still working. It outlived my expectations. Also I found the fruit setting has a beep for raisins or whatever after the first knead cycle so I was wrong on that one. I use it a lot to make pizza dough now. I gave it the full five stars because it's darn good value for money.