Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Home Bakery 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker

every loaf I tried from the recipe comes out nice risen and as pictured I have mixed feelings about this babe.It's my first bread machine, and one of the few 1L machines I can get from Amazon. It's also from a very trusted brand. I also happen to get it when the price was one of the lowest. French bread, soft milk bread, regular soft crust, every loaf I tried from the recipe comes out nice risen and as pictured.Still, the lack of customizable functions, the mandatory wait of 20min for it to supposedly warm up the water, etc etc, it simply doesn't have the flexibilities you wish to have once you are more experienced with home baking.It's still my one and only bread machine, and kneads very well. After five month of using it, I now usually take the dough out after the first rise and shape and bake myself.-----------------------------------------Put slightly less bread flour1/3 tsp more yeastreplace water with milkstop the baking 8-10min before---------------------------------------are my tips if you are also into softer crusts and use the machine for the whole process. 4 Excellent! STILL MORE UPDATES, August 2014... If you are like me, you will do a huge amount of research on the web before you make a purchase like this. Usually I get it down to a few brands, then one item, then I find the best price.Years ago I purchased one of the earliest commercial bread makers available to consumers. It was a thrill to have such a thing, as I love fresh bread, but I am also a well-known yeast killer. Needless to say, the technology was new... it worked for about a year, and only when making one recipe - Basic White Bread. I decided not to get it fixed (the price tag for repairs was over 100 bucks), and just wrote the whole idea off.Last fall - after about ten years had passed! - I decided to try again, only this time I had the internet on my side. I am so glad I looked as hard as I did! This little machine is fantastic.I've had my Zoji for about a month now and I've only had one failure - it was my fault, the water I put in was just too hot, and I killed the yeast (no new thing there). Otherwise, I've made about 13 successful loaves for myself, family & friends! My Challa loaf and my basic white have now been perfected. Wheat and quick breads turn out great, too.I've even figured out how to use the soft bread cycle and a sweet loaf dough, and remove it at just the right time, then roll the dough up with cinnamon or slice it and put layers of filling, whatever you can think of, then get it back in the pan quickly for the rest of the last rise and the baking. As long as you are prepared and do your math with the clock so you can work fast, this works great.The other plus is that the loaf size, at just a pound, is perfect for singles like me. I do not have to freeze so much extra bread, and it gets eaten before it gets stale or bad. Do yourself a solid and get some bread flour, it does make a difference to the rising and the texture of the loaf.The zoji has some great features that may not be apparent when reading the manual (go to [...] and download the manual in PDF form - I do this with every single appliance I am serious about purchasing and it really helps make the best decision for you). The water I put in is truly cool to lukewarm. I learned by watching my Zoji that during the "rest" phase (the first phase), the water is at the bottom of the pan and the machine warms it up during this phase to the perfect temperature. I know that sounds trivial, but remember this is how I always kill yeast! So... biggest problem for me: SOLVED.Next is to put the ingredients in as they tell you to - mostly to keep the yeast dry and on the top of the flour until it begins to knead. Another thing I learned about this by watching, to be absolutely sure, is to put in the water first, then just HALF the flour, put the rest of the ingredients on top of that flour (except your add-ins like raisins, there is a beep later for that), lastly put the remaining flour on top, then make a small dip right in the middle and put all the yeast right there. If you do this, when the Zoji starts the first knead, the yeast sinks straight to the bottom into the water - which is just perfect.Clean up is very easy - just be sure to get all the bread out of the paddle and it's assembly, and dry everything properly until the next loaf.I love this little machine. Zojirushi is the more expensive brand, and even though I am on a tight budget, I am happy I got this one. I can see why it costs a little more - it's great!++++++UPDATE: It's been a little over a year later, and I am still just as thrilled with my zoji. It has a permanent place on my (limited) countertop. For the record, I have used it consistently about 6 times a month, and there has been no change in the machine's performance. I consider that really durable for such an item.The only thing I have learned to do different from when I first reviewed is for better performance in the winter months: my house is usually cold, because gas is $$, so I give it a little boost (VERY LITTLE - remember how I kill yeast) by putting hot tap water into the pan before use. Let that sit for about 3 mins while you gather ingredients, then pour it out, and put in your regular cold tap water in the amount for the recipe.A good tip for more stubborn recipes is to add a miniscule amount of ginger on top of the yeast. Ginger will act as a booster to the yeast, it makes it work longer and harder. But remember you only need a little - less than a dash for this sized pan - or else the taste of the bread will change.Another tip is to get a decent brand's box of organic Vital Wheat Gluten, especially if you can't find bread flour. 1 Tbls per recipe for this sized pan is about right. Sorry, anti-gluten folks, but this is a wonderful product.If you want to try something whole grain with a fantastic taste, get some organic Spelt flour. Take your typical white bread recipe and halve the white flour with Spelt. Add 1 Tbls gluten. You may need to add water or flour as it kneads - just keep an eye on it. Remember this is a heavier flour, like all whole grains, so it needs a bit more observing.One more tip: get yourself a skinny jar scraper made of silicon, and a small tupperware of flour. Keep these by the machine as it kneads. The jar scraper (must be silicon!) is a great tool to scrape off the sides of the pan for the more stubborn recipes, and the flour comes in handy when you find the mix is just too goopy. But be CAREFUL, as always, when adding stuff while it kneads... avoid the paddle if scraping, and avoid getting product over the side if adding some. It WILL burn down there.All in all, even with the recipes you have to work a little harder with, this is the best appliance I have ever purchased. And I have purchased a LOT of them!!!I even give my French Bread loaf as a birthday gift, and that really lights up their eyes to see (and SMELL) a warm loaf of fresh baked bread with nothing more than a ribbon around it.++++++UPDATE, January 1, 2011: I was inspired by another reviewer (of another appliance) here today to update again. Not much to say, other than my Zoji is still working perfect and I am still thrilled with this little machine. But it's important to keep you informed of both the good and the bad, so here I am again, 25 days shy of 2 years, to tell you that if you want to bake bread without a lot of fuss, the Zoji is TOTALLY worth your money. PS, thanks Melissa! :)Now all I have to do is find a mid-size reliable pressure cooker.... any ideas, folks?++++++UPDATE: August 30, 2011: This thing is amazing. It just keeps working great. I ventured into other areas, too - Olive Oil bread, banana bread, nut breads, cakes. I'm going to try just using the dough cycle so I can take it out and use it by hand (like pizza dough, kolaches [sp?] or crescent rolls). Not sure if it will work, but at least I won't have killed the yeast before I ruin the dough (and will still only have myself to blame, not my lil zoji. Heh.)++++++UPDATE: December 7, 2011: Still works fantastic!!!! Almost three years, and NO issues with it at all. WOW.BTW - I finally bought a pressure cooker. :)+++++++UPDATE: August 2, 2013: Added my Challa recipe to this 'mini-blog of a review' and wanted you all to know that my baby zoji still works great! What is it now - 4.5 years? Holy cats. That's a good appliance.+++++++UPDATE: August 31, 2014: Five and a half years and still going strong! Holy Kitchen Counter Appliances Batman!!!! Now, at 49, I've had to slow down on my bread consumption for health reasons, but - every single time i use the baby zoji, it still works perfect. ONE SPECTACULAR LITTLE MACHINE. 5 Perfect for small spaces / small families. This is another wonderful Zojirushi product! This company truly knows how to design and manufacture great food and beverage stuff. I own the rice maker (use to cook oatmeal as well as rice), multiple hot / cold 20oz bottles for liquid, the Bento lunch set, and container to keep food items and and cold. We originally purchased the larger bread machine. It was too much for us, - too big as far as required counter top space; too large, (2lb) loaves of bread; too noisy when working.This 1 lb loaf maker is perfect for our empty nest. Also required less counter space and is quieter. Makes consistently fine bread. Everyone loves it and it is so easy to make. My experience has been Zojirushi items cost more. They are worth it. Better design and better functionality. 5 Higher Cost Totally Justified! I am very happy I purchased the Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Bread Maker. I am making my second Honey Sunflower Seed Bread in it as I write this review. Be sure to follow the included directions and recipes precisely in terms of measuring ingredients, and as to the order in which they go in the bread maker. For my first bread, I made the mistake of looking up a recipe on the net for a certain bread I wanted to make, which SAID it was designed for the Zojirushi bread maker. So in following this recipe, I did not pay attention to the order of adding the ingredients, and I may have had the yeast making contact with wet ingredients from the start (a no-no). It turned out tasting quite good but the appearance of the bread was way not right. I have not revisited making this particular bread yet, but have instead followed the recipes included with the bread maker. I've made French bread which turned out great, and then adapted the Honey Bread recipe by adding sunflower seeds. That turned out wonderful, so I'm making it again to bring to a small dinner party tonight. This bread maker is ideal for a small household, because you can use the bread up within a couple days. The breads just slid right out of the loaf pan when the loaves were done. Cleanup was fast and easy. The bread maker is very quiet too. It's well made and the display is clear and easy to understand. I purchased this product from a secondary seller and it was a new "open box" or "display" model. That saved some money, which was why I had waited for a while before purchasing. For my ROI, if I make a loaf every week for a year, I will have covered the cost of my weekly Honey Sunflower Bread I would have been purchasing from Kroger. That's a long ROI and I doubt I will make a bread every week, so here is also how I justify the much higher price of the Zojirushi (even with the "open box" sellers discount) particularly since the Zojirushi was much more costly than the other brands that were on sale after Christmas: Size (does not take up much counter space, and makes a loaf size where we won't be wasting bread), Quiet Operation (I don't know how loud or not the other brands are, but this one is QUIET), Ease of Operation and Clean up, (easy controls, breads slip right out the pan, doesn't get burning hot on the outside, simple clean up), and I hope, Longevity (I have to trust the other reviewers on this). On a personal note, my Mom was a wonderful baker, and I feel feel close to her each time I produce something she would enjoy and appreciate. It's meaningful to be able to make something homemade for friends and family. Mom would approve! 5 Nice compact machine, with a little squeak. I've had this for a few months and have made many loaves. Mostly, I like it a lot, and I use it a lot. Just a few notes:1) The small bread machine size is great for a small kitchen. I leave it on the counter all the time, and it doesn't take up too much space. The down side of this is that it makes a small loaf. Since I cook for myself, I didn't think that would be a problem. But, I like the taste of fresh bread so much that I often go through a small loaf in a day, two at max. If you have the space, a bigger machine might be a better choice. If not, this works great. Still, it only takes 5 minutes (max) to load and start the machine (and 3 1/2 hours to cook.)2) After ordering this, I found out about the newer, more expensive version. It has lots of programmed options for making different kinds of bread (no salt, gluten free, etc.) But, I find that with just a little experimentation, I can make any variation I want with this machine, and I'm glad I bought this rather than the other.3) It takes some experimentation with recipes to get a great loaf and one to your taste. The recipes in the manual are just starting points. Experiment!4) My machine has developed a slightly annoying squeak when kneading. It's not in the pan or paddle which turns smoothly and without sound. It must be coming from the internal mechanics. It doesn't sound like it's going to break, just a bit annoying. Hopefully yours won't.5) Extra gluten and quick rise yeast are your friend. Get used to them. And, experiment with herbs: dill, parsley, caraway are my staples. 4 5 years, fresh bread weekly I cannot believe that I have had this little breadmaker for 5 years. I use it to make a fresh loaf of bread every week. Relying on the basic recipes that came with the book, I have improvised all kinds of bread that suit my fancy: red bean and matcha; sesame and walnut; all kinds of dried fruits (e.g., dark cherries, dates, plums, mango, raspberries, blueberries, ginger, orange peels) and nuts (e.g., walnuts, pecans, pistachios). My husband loves them all. I also use the jam functions to help preserve the fresh fruits that are about to turn bad. They are great hits for home-made yogurts, jam for bread, and ice cream. I was just browsing to see if there are newer models because the nonstick basket is wearing a bit. Then, I was reminded that I have had it for 5 years. With regular use of 2-3 times a week for 5 years, the quality of this breadmaker is outstanding!! 5 This is an awesome little machine This is an awesome little machine. You may find that you have to adjust the yeast in your recipe, as I did. The first loaf came out rather dense. After doubling the yeast, it came out perfect.Note: you cannot select light brown when you use the timer for delayed cooking, however, the crust came out perfectly anyway.This machine does not "rock" off the counter, as other units do. It is a heavy, quality product. I would highly recommend. The one pound size is great for households with one or two people.Love waking up to the smell of bread cooking. It's positively sinful.This makes a wonderful holiday gift. 5