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: Zo BBCCX20 Supreme Bread Machine
Summary: 2 Stars
My Dad lives in the mid-west and makes bread by hand on a regular basis. His bread takes no more than an hour to rise and turns out beautifully every time. I live in South Texas, and I have always had a problem getting the dough to rise - I tried brand new yeast, I "bloomed" the yeast, I took the temperature of the water to be certain it was within the correct limits - all to no avail. It would not rise in one hour or ten.
So I thought that maybe a bread machine would cure my bread making ills. I sprung for a really good one - a Zo. I got a used one. It came with bread crust still stuck to the top of the machine and crumbs throughout the machine and some sort of "ick" below the pan. Okay, it was used. I cleaned it out and got started making bread, using the directions that came with it. I will mention that I also bought the fancy Bread Making book that was recommended, too.
My first attempt, I used a recipe that came with the machine. The flippers on the machine "kneaded" and the low heat gently warmed it, but after 4 hours, it was still just a pale, misshapen, unrisen lump of hard dough. Disgusted at my failure once again, I pitched it and started over, using a recipe out of the acclaimed bread machine cook book. No difference. Would not rise.
Thinking it must just be me, I asked a friend over who has significant bread making experience with both a bread machine and without. They did exactly the same thing I did (so it wasn't my technique) and the dough wouldn't rise for them, either. They tried several different techniques but the dough refused to rise in the machine. Again, we tried brand new yeast and flour, correct water temperature, then really hot water temperature, then with bottled water (thinking that maybe chlorine in tap water was killing the yeast), but all to no avail as the dough would not rise in the machine.
So, for me, the Zo bread machine was an expensive waste of money and just takes up room in my pantry. I am resigned to not being able to make bread at all. I went home to the mid-west for the holidays and made bread with my Dad. It rose within 45 minutes and baked up fluffy and beautiful. WTF? I had such high hopes for the Zo bread machine. Sigh.
Customer Review: Over-rated
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this machine based on these stellar reviews for my Mother's Day present after using my Mother-In-Law's Hitachi breadmaker from Christmas of 1994. This "Zo" machine lacks flexability and has the pre-programmed menus so restrictive that it requires Vitalgluten for almost everything.
I believe breadmakers started out as machines that weren't very good at making a nice loaf, people complained, be-rated, and the technology improved(circa 1994). The Hitachi I borrowed took 5hours to make whole wheat bread, had a 100min initial rising and a pre-knead cycle. It used 3 rising cycles to get the loft on a nice light whole wheat bread for nutritious sandwich bread. This was my main objective, making nutritious, simple, wholesome sandwich bread for my 3 kids. The next era of breadmachines set in and people complained that it "took too long" so, now you can get a loaf in 3 hrs, BUT you have to use extra gluten and bread flour, not AP with the whole wheat(I like a mix, not 100% whole wheat). For me, faster is not better, and I am suprised that anyone would think that who appreciates homemade bread. I use to set the Hitachi up at night with the timer and "let 'er go" nice bread in the morning. I didn't care it took 5 hours, and if I wanted something faster, I could use the quick white menu. The "Zo" just doesn't allow for it.
The "Zo" has a 3hr cycle for whole wheat, you CANNOT change the crust, it is set at medium, and is too dark. It also has 3 "programmable" settings, but you have to stay within the confines of 2 risings. I tried to mimic the settings from the Hitachi and have to use 2 progammable recipes and be around to start the 2nd cycle. The double paddles doesn't mix any better in my opinion. I haven't made anything heavier than cracked wheat, so, it might be necessary for heavier recipes.
I also put the paddles in and try to make sure they are 90 degrees to each other or you end up with the dough ball on one side of the pan. I am just a little sad. The recipes are lackluster that came with the machine, and I was annoyed that I had to start buying an ingredient other then flour, butter, salt, yeast, dry milk, and honey especially for the price. Most people are trying to AVOID gluten.
Customer Review: It is even better than I hoped it would be.
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased my Zojirushi BBCCX20 bread maker 14 months ago. I have not purchased any bread products since. It paid for itself within the first six months.
My old cheap breadmaker bit the dust after relatively few uses, so I did exhaustive research before purchasing a new one. I decided to consider quality as well as cost and settled on the Zojirushi. It was the best decision!
I make all of my family's bread, rolls, hamburger and hot dog buns, bagels, pizza, you name it. All with my Zoji. I run the bread machine an average of two times a week, but have run it up to four times daily when making dough. I have never had a problem with it. Even whole wheat bread bakes up beautifully. I make a whole wheat and white bread flour mixed bread for my family's daily consumption, and it makes a loaf that is too big for my toaster!
I substitute olive oil for butter in all of my bread recipes and add it directly into the water in the bottom of the pan. Put the flour on top of that and the rest of the dry ingredients layer on top of the flour. It all mixes perfectly every single time.
The machine has several "blank" settings where you can save your own recipe settings in the machine. I have used that a couple times. Works great.
This summer I also made peach, blackberry, and blueberry jam in the Zoji. It's as easy as: mash the fruit, and a little lemon juice and a packet of pectin. Put it in the Zoji and set it to the jam setting. It cooks and stirs it for you. I put it in sterilized canning jars and into the freezer. I make jam every year, but I will no longer dread the process! That simple process saves our family so much $$.
I have also made banana bread and meatloaf. Everything just comes out perfectly. I can't give it a high-enough recommendation. I have no doubt that if I had purchased another cheap machine I would have burned out the motor on it long before now. At this rate I expect my Zoji to last ten years or more.
I bought a Betty Crocker bread-machine recipe book and a used copy of "The Complete Bread Machine Book" by Marjie Lambert as well. All the recipes turn out perfectly in the Zojirushi.
Customer Review: Outstanding bread machine
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned three bread machines over the last 15 or so years, the first bread machine that came out, a Breadman that I used constantly for nearly 13 years, and now my new Zojirushi.
It produces beautifully shaped, nicely textured, delicious loaves of bread. I've made use of the sourdough setting, a feature I was excited about, and have made a lovely light sourdough bread, being too impatient to let the starter sit for any length of time.
I will say that all my bread machine books use less flour and other ingredients than the Zojirushi recipes that come with the machine, and that Zojirushi recommends using their recipes as much as possible. Of course I ignored that, and baked a beloved bulgur whole wheat loaf from another book, and while the taste was superb, the finished loaf was somewhat misshapen, higher at one end than the other. I may have to "work' the dough some by hand, leveling it out in the pan just as the final rising starts, or else use the Zojirushi to make the dough so I can bake the loaf in a conventional oven, which is how I used my trusty Breadman, until the mixing blade finally got stuck and refused to budge, after 12+ years of constant service. (I bake once or twice a week.)
The Zojirushi recipes, by the way, are quite good, and there's no reason not to explore those fully.
If I had one criticism, it would be with the cake recipes. I tried a chocolate cake, and found that the long mixing cycle results in a cake with a tough, dense texture. No surprise, really, as most cake recipes tell you mix until the ingredients are just combined. But if you are really out of time, and can't fuss with a mixer and buttering the pan and preheating the oven and checking it constantly, the results are are certainly edible. Just not as good as the bread.
All in all, I am delighted. Having owned a Zojirushi rice cooker for 10 years, I'm sure I'll be using the bread machine for many, many years to come.
PS: I considered the Zojirushi model with the black cover, which was $40 or so more. After I read a review here, I learned that the extra price was really for the black cover, so I saved myself the $40 and got a wonderful machine.
Customer Review: Makes great bread, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
I've been using this bread maker for about 18 months now. The best thing about it is that it makes great bread. This is the only bread maker I've ever owned, so I can't compare it to others. However, I'd like to point out some of the weaker points of this product:
- The non-stick coating on the bread pan has become pitted near the paddles, and I'm about to replace the entire pan (they are readily available and cost around $50). In fairness to the machine, I went through a period of making walnut bread, and I now wonder whether it was the walnuts that damaged the pan. And in case you're wondering, yes I did remove the shells!
- If the machine is left to make bread unattended, most of the bread ends up at one end of the pan. I don't make bread overnight, so I'm always here to spread the dough more evenly before the final rise, so this is not a big problem for me. Nevertheless, this does seem to be a weakness.
- There is no way to disable the beep that warns you that it's time to add optional ingredients (raisins, walnuts, etc). I really only want to hear the beep if I actually plan to add ingredients, so there should be a way to turn it off.
- The kneading process is noisy (but I don't know if other bread makers are noisy too).
People who do not eat dairy products might like to know that most of the recipes in the accompanying booklet have milk powder in them. However, you can of course experiment with your own bread recipes.
I chose this machine because I was (and still am) so impressed with my Zojirushi rice cooker. If I were buying a bread machine today, I would still consider this one, but I would be less drawn to this brand than I was 18 months ago.
AUGUST 2008 update: I've had the replacement pan for about a year now and it seems to be more durable than the original. I've been using the breadmaker for 2.5 years now, and this replacement pan for just over one year. If I could, I'd probably upgrade this to a four-star review. And if the breadmaker ever failed, I'd certainly consider getting the same model again (though I would also explore other options).