Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine
Customer Review: Excellent low noise machine
Summary: 4 Stars
This is our first breadmaker and we bought it for about $200 for making wheat bread only (as close to 100% whole wheat as possible without consuming questionable additives and corn syrup derivatives). The baking pan measures 5" wide x 8.75" long and is 4.5" deep. That is the size of the bread it will make when used with full 5 cups of flour. Our toaster is an older Sear's type and has openings of 7/8" x 4 7/8" and can just barely fit the cut slices. It comes with a measuring cup and a teaspoon/tablespoon combo. So far we've used it to make various qualities of wheat bread only. A 4-cup bread lasts for 3-4 days in our family. The bread stays fresh at least for 5 days in refrigerator when wrapped in plastic. This is our formula using the measuring units shipped:
2 cups of whole wheat flour from oriental stores (20 lb Canadian sack that claims "Nothing Added"). 2 cups of Gold Medal or Pillsbury whole wheat flour from Walmart. 1.25 teaspoon of salt. 1.5 tablespoon of sugar. An 1" cube of any butter (or, equivalent volume of cooking oil). 1.5 teaspoon of active dry yeast ($4.xx from Sams Club for 2 lb pack) -- not the fast acting type. At least 1.5 cups of water (room temp).
Our Procedure:
We always shut off the preheat option and set the crust setting to medium. And we are always careful to reduce the final baking process by 10 minutes when using 4 cups of flour instead of 5 as suggested; we just shut it off... haven't investigated custom settings yet. So, when started, it will immediately start making the dough and while it is half-made we check to see if it has plenty of water in it. If not, add more! The dough when done, should stick real bad to dry fingers -- we leave that much water in it! It took us several attempts to figure out why the bread was coming out hard -- mostly for lack of water. Now that we know, we just add the total amount of water at start and do not mess with it till about 30 minutes. Then we move the dough in the pan to make it more of less evenly spread out and smooth out the top a little. Without this step, the bread is almost sure to come out with camel's hump on one side. And at last, we switch it off about 10 minutes early. And we do not cut the bread to the desired brick size as some do. We have also tried making smaller bread with 3 cups of wheat (2 "Nothing Added" + 1 Gold Medal) and it comes out very well too - just a bit smaller.
Caveats:
If you add too much water, then there will be "falls" inbetween thoses "rises" -- basically ending up with collapsed top! The more fatty stuff you add (butter, oil, etc.) the softer the bread gets. Also, just the whole wheat bread (that "Nothing Added" kind) alone deos not make the bread fluffy enough. Even though nothing has been added, probably a significant portion of naturally occuring gluten in the wheat has been removed that need to be purchased separately to make it up!
Finally:
The pan is very easy to clean. Treat it with care though because that is the first part which is likely to fail in the long term making the machine useless. As shipped, the machine in many of its preset cycles would not do a thing for about 45 minutes. Apparently it is waiting to acclimatize the ingredients to come up to room temp. We went crazy thinking the machine was faulty. Then it occured to us to shut off the preheat option. In short, this machine makes excellent wheat bread. If you are inexperienced, like us, then have patience and be prepared to throw away the first couple of breads you make! Quality of the components from other brands costing around $100 locally looked like much more flimsy that the Zojirushi. But still at $200, we feel there should have been two pans: one big and a smaller sized one for smaller sized bread.
Customer Review: I can make 'real' natural yeast sandwich bread faster now.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a 'natural yeast' bread maker. AKA: Sourdough. All methods in this machine's manual that refers to sourdough, is not referring to 'natural yeast'. It's mostly referring to a sponge that needs to be fermented and a sponge can be made with commercial yeast or natural yeast. In order to use the full potential of this machine with methods of making natural yeast bread, the Home Made cycles and programmablity is just what I needed to help me make a soft, sandwich loaf of naturally sweet smelling and tasting bread. Just water, bread flour (or combination of bread and whole wheat) and salt. You can program the machine for Rise1 for up to 24 hours at around 80 degrees F. Normally, I'm looking for my warm spot and this moves as the days get warmer or colder. Rise at room temperature can take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours and you run the risk of over rising if you run to the store. I maintain a Counter Starter of natural yeast and it is ready to make bread dough every morning. I can mix dough in Quick Dough Cyce(with no preheat) in 36 minutes. Remove dough from pan and remove the paddles and clean up any dough remaining. Shape the dough into a rectangle and tuck under the ends and plop it back into the bread pan and spray with olive oil and put in the machine. I cut a cover to fit the top from plastic cover for microwaving food and this keep everything moist while rising. (This same plastic cover can be put over the pan when kneading and flour stays in the pan - so it will keep flour out of other parts of machine) Used the Memory1 to rise for 5 hours; but set my other timer for 4.5 hours because that how long it's taking to rise bread about 1/2 inch below the top of pan. Memory2 I programed to just Bake for 60 minutes. So after bread has risen, I take the plastic top off, go to Memory2 and select light crust and bake for 60 minutes. I have tested the temperature of bread right after finished baking and it was a perfect 210 degrees F. The top was a little light, so I can pop just the bread (no pan) it into a cold oven and baked it for 5 minutes and brown the top a little. So what was that? 36 min. + 4.5 hours + 1 hour = a little more than 6 hours. My other method (trying to get dough to rise in my warm spot) is so unpredicable that you just do not know when the bread will finish rising. For just this alone, I highly recommend the X20 as an amazing tool. This was not a hands off process; but it has been very reliable in the five loaves I done this way.
I've not made any other type of bread yet; but with the two kneading paddles and regular type loaf pan, I think the consistency of the dough needs to be softer, so it will spread out. My old bread machine has a vertical pan, so it has no where else to go but up. I will probably have to add more water to my old recipes to keep the dough from rising lop sided. When I was mixing the natural yeast dough in the X20, if machine was making a knocking noise, the dough needed a little bit more water. You can get away with a softer dough because the sides of this pan are really high. This means your bread is supported by a form all the way. You do not want the bread rising out of the top.
Enough said. Hopefully, this machine lasts as long as my last Zojirushi (12 years and still kicking). It's not difficult to program the Home Made Memory; but I would you suggest writing down what you need to do. If you use all 3 Memory up and need to do something else, you have to wipe all 3 and start over. Maybe more memory cycles are needed.
Gosh, my only wish would be that they add a Yogurt cycle, then I could finish making yogurt (needs 108 degrees F constant for a few hours) in the bread machine. ;o)
I would give the machine 10 stars if I could.
Customer Review: But how is the bread?
Summary: 1 Stars
I have had my new Zoji about 3 months now. I have made bread for many years, using my Welbilt, but I tweaked the bread pan on some very heavy wheat bread. I bought a Zoji because I read good reviews, and it seemed like the 2 paddles would be better for the heavy breads I like to make my husband for breakfast. My first bread in the Zoji I made honey wheat bread with minced dried fruit in it. The Zoji made a very dense loaf, kind of dry, and burned the sides while barely cooking the top...I thought it was just too much honey causing the sides to burn...but I was wrong...Many loaves later, many types of bread later, I have finally figured it out...It is this bread machine...each loaf comes out cooked very well (too well) on the sides, barely cooked on top...(one loaf came out partially raw) no matter what the setting the crust is not right...The sides too dark, the top too light. ALL the breads came out course, crumby and dry, not just the wheat...I have tried many of my "old faithful" recipes...all made an inferior, dense, dry,crumby bread...the problem I finally found is the 3 rise program...When I programmed the machine last night to only have 2 rises, I actually got a decent loaf of bread...more like home made bread tastes...I have never seen a recipe calling for 3 rises....why did they do this? It makes a dense, "crumby" bread, similar to a factory made bread...nice for a sandwich, I admit, but not what one expects a home made bread to taste like and the texture is awful.
Then there are the two paddles...I thought they would keep flour out of the corners...surprise...I have been having to use the spatula to get flour out of the upper corners...so much for carefree unattended baking...
I figured out lopsided bread (a common problem some folks have)is due to making a recipe with less than about 4 cups of flour...)
I have made enough bread in this machine by now to know it just makes terrible bread...I will have to program in each loaf of bread I make, to correct the 3 rise/crumb issue but still will have to deal with bread that burns on the sides...and may not always be quite done on top...
Given that I have made bread for 20+ years, and long before I had any bread machine, I can probably make it work...with some adjustments...but for $200 I shouldn't have to...
In my opinion, this bread machine flunks the "prima facie" test...It does not make very good bread...In fact it makes downright awful bread.
Now one thing I like about the machine is making cakes in it...it makes cakes a lot less messy to bake...it works just fine for real cake recipes...although it "kneads" so long I was concerned about it overbeating...but so far it has not and has made pretty good cake for the 3 cakes/quick breads I have made...
I haven't tried the jam setting yet...I anticipate it will save some of the mess perhaps...
But--there's just one small problem...
I bought this machine to make bread...and for that function, I give the Zojirushi a BIG HANDS DOWN...
Buy a Breadman, a top rated machine also...a LOT cheaper, and I hear it makes a decent loaf of bread...but then many folks said this one was good also...and I have to strongly disagree with that.
By the way, when I talked to customer service about being unhappy with the machine, and outlining my complaints they told me I could sell it on eBay if i didn't like it ---- so you may not want to expect much from them....the philosophy of their customer service seemed to be "we don't care if you are happy with our product or not--we have your money and now we don't care"
Customer Review: This will not disappoint ...
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to own a low-end bread machine and found that it stayed in the cupboard while I continued to buy bread at the store. Why? It was tricky, unforgiving and 1 in 5 loaves was a good loaf (and I am being generous on the numbers!).
I recently moved to the US and found the sugar, honey and corn syrup additives in US store-bought bread unpalatable to say the least! (I still do not understand why the packaged breads are sooooo sweet - it is like eating a tuna salad sandwich on a slice of pound cake!) I made the decision to invest once again in a bread maker, but was sceptical because my old machine was so difficult to get decent bread out of. A teaspoon of flour either way, or a few drops of water either way, or a few grains (!) of salt either way made the difference between a reasonable loaf or something akin to a brick that was only useful for housebuilding.
So, I read the reviews for the Zojirushi and looked at the rather hefty price in comparison to some other machines ... and then I read the reviews some more and mulled it over and looked at the price a few more times... Then I got brave and decided that if people took the time to review a product I should take on board the comments - I am glad I did.
RESULTS:
This machine is so forgiving that if your ingredient measurements are not entirely accurate you still get a perfectly good loaf.
I have had to adjust the recipes to take account of altitude (and the recipe book even tells you what those adjustments are!) and I still get perfect loaves. Tastes great, texture is wonderful and NO CORN SYRUP!
PAN:
It is easy to use; the bread pan is of excellent quality - if you let it cool to cold before you clean it, never use metal in it, and don't use abrasive cleaners or scouring pads then it is an incredibly non-stick surface and I see no reason why it would deteriorate.
DOUBLE PADDLES:
I too was sceptical about the potenital for double the paddles to do double the mangling! My old machine used to make a real mess of the loaf and I generally had to remove the paddle forcibly from the bottom of the bread. The paddles on this machine leave the loaf by staying in the pan as it is turned out (remember to treat the paddles in the same was as you would treat the pan) and the holes it leaves in the bottom of the bread are pretty unnoticeable, particularly when you slice the loaf. It certainly doesn't affect the shape of a slice in my opinion.
USE:
I use mine every other day; it lives on my counter-top. I never buy bread from the store and fully intend to use it for cakes, jam and the rather fun meatloaf setting!
RECOMMENDATION:
I know that the price is a bit off-putting and I know that you are probably as sceptical about reviews of products bought on-line as I am. However, the machine has written this review for me (figuratively speaking of course - it might be clever but it isn't THAT clever!) and I have no other reason to write this review other than to give credit to an excellent machine.
If you genuinely intend to use a bread machine frequently then it is worth the extra money. If you genuinely prefer fresh-baked bread to store-bought bread then it is worth the extra money. If you have used a cheaper machine in the past and want one that works for sure, then this is definitely worth the extra money... If you are looking for a bread machine to grace your counter-top and smell good once a year, buy a cheaper one!
Customer Review: Solid performer, but with limited flexibility
Summary: 4 Stars
This is my third bread machine. My first was the original Zojirushi, and the second was a Breadman. I still use both the Breadman and the Zojirushi BBCCX20. According to most baking sites I've seen, the Zo and the Breadman are the leading contenders in this category today, so here's my comparison:
- The Zo is more solidly built and has a stronger motor. It can handle stiffer doughs that literally stopped the motor on my Breadman.
- The Zo is much quieter than the Breadman. The pan in the Breadman clanks around in its clips and makes quite a racket during kneading.
- Unfortunately, the Zo has an annoying 15-second beep to signal the right time to add nuts or fruits. As far as I can tell, there is no way to turn off this feature. For me, this is a big deal, because I used to love to set up my bread machine to make bread during the night, giving me a wonderful hot loaf of bread for breakfast. With the 15-second beeper, which sounds a lot like an alarm clock, using the Zo BBCCX20 overnight simply isn't an option. I wish there were a way to turn it off.
- The double paddles on the Zo do a better job of mixing ingredients without the need for scraping down the sides of the pan.
- The Breadman is a much more flexible machine. It's "Pause" button let's you add 15 minutes at any point in the cycle. Without the ability to pause, the Zo sometimes starts baking before the loaf is fully proofed. With bread, where the length of the rise depends on so many factors, having the flexibility to pause during a cycle is very valuable. You can program custom cycles on the Zo, but that's only a solution if you know in advance that your loaf is going to take some extra proofing time.
- Crust control is better on the Breadman. Even set on "light" crust, the Zo tends to produce a dark crust with breads that have a lot of sugar.
- The Breadman has a small bin that automatically dispenses "add ins" (fruits, nuts, etc.) at the right point in the cycle. You just load it up at the beginning of the cycle and the "trap door" releases the goodies at the right time near the end of the kneading cycle.
In a nutshell: The Zo is a better built, more powerful, quieter bread machine. It's solid, reliable, and great for doughs that would stop a lesser machine. The Breadman, on the other hand, provides much greater flexibility to make changes to the cycle once you've started and to get the crust you like. It also has an automatic fruit/nut dispenser and no long, annoying beep. If Zojirushi and Breadman would combine the Zo's motor and mechanics with Breadman's control panel and programming, they'd have the perfect bread machine. As it is, you have to choose based on what's most important to you.
UPDATE 02-JAN-2010
I found a new bread machine that has replaced both the Zo BBCCX20 and the Breadman as my favorite machine. It's the Zojirushi "Mini" (BB-HAC10). It takes up half the counter space of the Zo BBCCX20 and makes a perfect size loaf for a small family. It still doesn't have the flexibility of the Breadman, but at least they shortened the "add ingredients" beep (which goes on for so long on the full-size Zo that I can't use it for overnight bread making). Other than the beep, the Zo Mini is the quietest bread machine I've found. I really like it. You can find a more complete review on the Zo Mini product page. Happy Baking!