Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker

THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED BREADMAKERS BEFORE I TOOK THE LEAPI have been using this Zoji daily for a month and am very pleased. I have 4 decades of home bread baking experience and have tired of the kneading process, although I still love shaping loaves and rolls and pizza crusts. Before I made this purchase, I researched breadmakers and bread machines everywhere I could--in books, on websites about breadmaking and flours, at Amazon (where the reviews are always the most enlightening), at retailers online, and in brick & mortar stores. Analysis of the qualities of this Zoji led me to make this purchase and I was lucky enough to make my decision when the price was as right as it was going to get. Quite obviously, the Zoji isn't cheap, but it is a great value. And value matters more to me in the long run.QUALITIES THAT SOLD ME: HORIZONTAL BREAD PAN, 2 KNEADING PADDLES, GREAT TEMPERATURE CONTROLThe main qualities of this Zoji that finally convinced me were the longer, more horizontal bread pan, the two kneading paddles, and the detail about temperatures and times for each phase of the Zoji process (these are available in the Zoji manual on their website). I have to admit I was also influenced by the King Arthur Flour blog and several related posts I ran across (google "king arthur flour zojirushi test kitchen" for some fascinating observations). What you get with the Zoji is a machine designed by people who know what they're doing in terms of gluten development, temperature control, and rising times.VERSATILE MACHINE TAKES THE PROCESS TO COMPLETION WITH FLYING COLORSThe Zoji is perfect for me. The two kneading paddles thoroughly develop the gluten and work the dough into a smooth, even textured ball so that I may shape the rolls or loaves myself. Or I can let the machine do ALL the work. I don't know how Zoji has managed it but the loaf is beautifully shaped by the machine just before the final rise. I often open the lid at that point and sneak in with a knife to make some slashes across the top of the loaf to give the bread a more handmade look, but I don't have to do this. The Zoji, unlike any breadmaker I've tried before, is perfectly capable of taking the breadmaking process from start to finish all by itself while still turning out an exquisite product. It is a tremendous time-saver. You really can set it and forget it.BETTER FLAVOR DEVELOPMENT THAN HANDMADE!The thorough kneading and three rises that the Zoji gives the dough make the flavor of the finished bread richer and more complex. The controlled temperatures at each phase of the breadmaking process lead to a beautifully-textured loaf. The recipes that are included are wonderful. But I have to admit that I prefer to use my own combinations of kefir, eggs, less salt, whole wheat flour, and yeast. The Zoji still gives great results even though I don't measure my ingredients.EASY TO CLEANBefore each use, I pour a bit of canola or olive oil on the posts where the two paddles will be inserted. Then I place the paddles on the posts and pour in a bit more oil. I am careful to keep the amount of oil to a minimum so that the bread does not get oily. I then reduce the fat in the recipe by the amount I used to pre-oil the paddles and posts. By doing this step first before I add any other ingredients to the bread pan, I find that the loaf slips effortlessly from the pan, the paddles slip easily off their posts, and nothing requires washing. A quick wipe with a moist cloth is all that is required for clean-up. When I made bread by hand, there was a lot more washing to do at the end. Now instead of washing dishes, I get to sit down and enjoy a slice of hot, crusty, steamy bread. Delicious and easy!CLEAN, UNOBTRUSIVE APPEARANCE ON THE COUNTERThe Zoji is also a very good-looking countertop kitchen appliance. Since I use mine so often, I never put it away. The fact that the breadmaker is so handsome is just one more quality in its favor.ONE IMPERFECTION: THE TOP CRUST DOES NOT BROWN ENOUGH ON ANY SETTINGMy only complaint is that the top crust does not brown as nicely as I'd prefer. But this is a minor problem. The bread tastes GREAT. The top crust is acceptable although not perfect and could be corrected with a few moments under a broiler. The flavor and texture of the bread are just outstanding.FIVE STARS ANYWAY!I would like to have given 5 stars, but I think the Zoji designers really ought to be motivated to tweak their awesome bread machine so that it is absolutely perfect. Aw what the heck, the Zoji is so great, I'm giving it 5 stars anyway!!!

About a year ago we bought a Breadman Pro breadmaker, which was OK. But it has started to have the spindle for the paddle fall out, which can be a bit awkward if it happens at the wrong time. Parts are hard to find, so I decided to get another breadmaker. When I was looking last year, I was very taken by this Zojirushi, but we got the Breadman Pro locally for about $50, so we went with that.The Zojirushi arrived very quickly and in good order. I washed the pan and paddles, set it up, and decided to try the Basic White loaf. Result: a really good loaf of bread. The best I've ever tasted? No, but very, very good!Comparisons. The Zojirushi is much, much quieter in operation. Very quiet, in fact, which is much appreciated. I am careful with my measurements for bread, but I got this loaf as a far better 2 lb. loaf than the Breadman Pro could do. The shape was better, it had a nice crust (I think it was the butter), and was more even within in terms of texture and form. The two smaller paddles came out of the loaf very cleanly and left far less disturbance than in the Breadman Pro (which has one larger paddle). And the indentations were crusted, rather than torn bread.The larger pan of the Zojirushi allows a 2 lb. loaf that is longer (about 1.5 inches) and so not as high as the Breadman Pro. It doesn't spill over the sides of the pan. The shape fits nicely into the bread cutting form we have, so we can slice it nicely. At present, sandwiches for all 5 of us for lunch consumes a whole loaf, less a couple of slices, so this longer loaf will allow us more slices per loaf. I had cut back to 1.5 lb loaves with the Breadman Pro, as the shape of the top of the 2 lb. loaves wasn't good for cutting and using for sandwiches, but these 2 lb. loaves will do us very nicely.Still to be tested is whole wheat bread and various specialty recipes. But this good start is very promising. Will report back later.June, 2011, Update. This machine is still amazing. It produces excellent raisin loaf, and the recipe for the custom Crusty French Bread can be run through the ordinary cycle with excellent results: it's my more common loaf. We've produced a loaf a day for most of the time we've had it, and it has worked very, very well. Loaves are a good shape for sandwiches. It produces very good bread with some wholemeal flour, but fully wholemeal loaves are still a bit heavy, but the family still eat them: I need to experiment more! Various other loaves from the recipe book have been great.Points to watch. As noted in other reviews, you do need to get the paddles out when washing the pan, but the non-stick surface makes this easy. The non-stick material on the 6 rivet heads on the base of the pan seems a little less effective, and a little material may adhere to the spindles, but these are simple checks you washed it properly. I don't think I've had a time where a paddle has stayed in a loaf, as they seem to bake a crust around themselves. Wiping with your finger in a wet cloth after washing seems to clean it well enough.The fact that there is a supporting website and spare parts is very comforting after the vacuum of support for our old Breadman Pro when it failed. I'd rather pay more and get longer life and support, as well as better bread. I don't think that the Zojirushi has produced a loaf one could call 'below average.' I am not sure why the people who couldn't get it to work had problems, but a little fine tuning can make a difference, e.g., I use a tiny fraction less yeast than the recipe for a better loaf.In summary, an excellent piece of equipment that is a fixture in our kitchen. It works well and without drama. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for here: a quality product which does what it's supposed to.November, 2015, Update. Still working well, without any dramas. We had to cut back on bread, as two of the four people now living here can't have gluten, one of them seriously. So the breadmaker sat on a shelf for quite a while. But the arrival of gluten-free bread mixes (especially Bob's Red Mill) have revived the Zojirushi, and it didn't miss a beat. We now have three gluten-free styles (whole grain, white and raisin), which produce great bread. I tend to add extra yeast to help them rise a bit quicker in the available time, and the resulting loaves are greatly appreciated.I am very glad I bought this machine. It has been flawless and is so easy to use, and produces great bread. Would that all kitchen appliances were so well made and work so well. Six or more stars, if that were possible!May, 2019, Update. It's still going strong. I just made a gluten-free loaf yesterday and a regular loaf today, and both turned out very well. Several years ago I bought a pair of new paddles, as the original ones were starting to lose their coating and bread was sticking to them. That was quick and easy and we have since settled back into a regular routine with bread without any drama or concerns.This has turned out to be an excellent investment. Far better bread than any previous bread maker we've used, and trouble-free operation. It's simply an impressive product that I am very happy I bought.