best bread machine for whole grain loaves?

[graffeetee]

your opinions welcome! i have a store credit to use from a returned gift and thought i might put it towards a bread machine. i have looked a a lot online and am a bit bewildered by all the choices. i tend to make whole wheat, rye, etc, which i understand are harder on the machine. so i'm looking for one that will stand up to those kinds of dough. TIA!

[duonyte]

I've not noticed that the type of flour has any effect on the machine. I regularly add whole wheat or rye to breads even if the recipe does not call for it, as I believe it can enhance the flavor. And make breads heavy on whole grain flours also.

It is helpful to have a machine that has a whole wheat cycle. Whole grain flours need more time to fully hydrate. This is particularly important if you are going to bake in the machine. If you are going to just use the dough cycle, well, then it does not matter quite so much.

If you use too much flour for the machine, or make a dough that does not have enough liquid, the motor can overheat. But that's true no matter what type of flour you use.

I had a Toastmaster which was great until "someone" dropped it. I now have a Cuisinart. Donna has a Breadman, if I remember correctly. Zojirushi is the Caddilac, but it is expensive.

[Donna M.]

What store is your credit at? That could significantly limit your choices.

[graffeetee]

thanks for the replies! actually the credit is at amazon, so there is a pretty wide selection available.

[Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle]

I have a 4 year old Sunbeam bread maker and use it on the dough cycle only ~ 9 out of 10 times that I make bread, they are made with whole wheat or rye. I always bake in my oven.

[Donna M.]

I don't know what your reasons are for wanting a bread machine but I will tell you that most serious bread bakers use them only on the dough cycle and then bake their loaves in the oven. Bread machines don't do a very good job on crusts. They tend to be thick and chewy. I have used my machine for years on the dough cycle and loved it.

That being said, this year for Christmas I got a Bosch Compact Mixer. Wow, talk about a nice machine! I am loving it so far. It does a fabulous job on kneading and does not overheat or bog down like a Kitchenaid does with heavy dough. I also like the fact that I can make a larger batch of dough than I can in my bread machine. It is much smaller and easier to store than my bread machine, so lightweight and much more versatile.

Amazon has the Bosch. Go take a look at it and read the reviews. There is only one 'bad' review and I don't know what that person's problem is, because no one else has the issues he/she complained about. This mixer has me in awe, and I wish I would have had it years ago!

[johnnyling]

I'm kind of a newbie to bread making and I'm looking for a little advice of what brand is the best. I probably bake bread once a month so I don't need anything too fancy but something pretty good. I found this site http://www.squidoo.com/best-rated-bread-maker-machine-reviews and I've heard good things about zojirushi but I've kind of been leaning towards the west bend model and I was hoping for some feedback on that brand?

[duonyte]

I don't know anything about the site you posted, on how trustworthy it is. A better place to find feedback on machines is amazon.com or walmart.com or some other large retailer. People who actually buy and use the machines review the machines on those sites, and I find those reviews generally to be more helpful.

Interesting that it makes from a 1 to a 2 1/2 lb loaf. That's quite a range.

[Chocolatl]

duonyte wrote:
I don't know anything about the site you posted, on how trustworthy it is. A better place to find feedback on machines is amazon.com or walmart.com or some other large retailer. People who actually buy and use the machines review the machines on those sites, and I find those reviews generally to be more helpful.

Interesting that it makes from a 1 to a 2 1/2 lb loaf. That's quite a range.

Squidoo is a site where people can create free individual webpages. This particular user has many product-rating pages.

I don't find the reviews from large retailers to be all that helpful by themselves.. This site draws from many sources (including large retailers), and rates them on reliability as well as providing their own review of the product: http://www.consumersearch.com/bread-machines
There are apparently some concerns about the durability of the West Bend machine.

I personally have had good results with the Sunbeam.