BB-HAC10 Home Bakery 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker, White

I have been living on my own since I was 23 (I'm 27 as of the time this review was written;). It was hard to get adjusted to having to have a full time job while still maintaining an apartment. One thing that was a little tricky was getting used to cooking for myself. Since I live alone, and live 30-45 mins away from work, I usually prepare simple things like salads and sandwiches because I didn't find a reason to make extravagant, time consuming meals for just myself and well... I am also extremely lazy lol, I am a successful young professional but lately the domestic housewife in me has been slowly coming out. However, my limited cooking skills and experience, as well as my busy life (and ok.. LAZYNESS TOO lol) were still nipping at me. Being able to bake my own bread was something that "Domestic Danielle" always wanted to do, but "Clueless Baker Danielle" showed me a flash into the future and all I saw was my kitchen covered in flour and a cage match between me and a lump of dough trying desperately to knead that thing and then having it jump on my face and start to consume me like the blob. OK.... not a pretty sight I know!! There was only one way to satisfy both of my desires, and that was a BREAD MACHINE!!! My sister has a bread machine and she loves it. When we would get together for family gatherings she would bring a loaf and it was always so delicious, and that too inspired me to start researching them. When I came across the mini Zojirushi, I knew it was love at first sight and absolutely PERFECT for me!! It makes a nice and small 1 pound loaf, which really can last you a couple days if you make small slices. It is also incredibly easy to use and the manual that comes with it is great because those recipes were made strictly for that bread machine. I also love the timer option on it! a couple times I have dumped the ingredients in either before I go to bed or before I go to work and set it so that I can have fresh bread when I wake up or when I come home from work (and waking up or coming home to that wonderful smell is ALWAYS a bonus hehe). And probably the best thing about this machine is that it does EVERYTHING for you!! It kneads and rises and bakes it all in the same cute contraption! As long as you measure everything as it is supposed to be measured then your bread will come out fine. I have made several loaves and they always come out great! The only word of warning is that you might become like me and become a bake-a-holic. Since its so easy to do and since its so cute to watch it in the machine (I love the little window on the top hehe), you might find yourself becoming bake-crazy! Lately I have been experimenting with the recipes in the book and have been baking loaves for work or baking loaves for friends and people I associate with. I am thinking about baking one for my personal trainer and her family, because I mean what says thank you for helping me attain a hot body like a gift of an adorable bread loaf lol!! Bottom line is that this is a great product that makes great bread! I am THE bread winner and this bread machine is a winner too!! Its just win-win all around!! I am also psyched to try out the dough function and try to make my own pizza and soft pretzels!! The possibilities are endless!! Uh oh world watch out!!! DOMESTIC DANIELLE IS TAKING OVER!!!

Worring about the fact that my store bought bread had so many preservitives in it, that it stayed semi- fresh for 2 months, My husban and I decided to go the home made bread route... After careful research we choose this Zojirushi 1 lb machine. I NEVER bake bread soo I was concerned that this was gonna be a BIG ol expensive dust grabber... MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, I got the machine on Thrusday, watched the video ( fortunaly I still have a vcr, they do need to up date that) but went straight into the kitchen and MADE MY FIRST LOAF OF PERFECT BREAD ... This is such a NO BRAINER, that my husban came home and has made bread all weekend! You basically slop all your indgredients in the bakeing bowl (IMPORTANT: in the order the book say's to put them) lock the loaf pan in the machine and TA DA !!!! As little as 2 hours later you have Hot Fragrant Delicious Bread! I've already devieated from the recipies and made some artisan breads that I made up the recipies.... you can fudge on dry indgredients, except flour, ie more sugar than it calls for, more spices etc... Right now I have cranberry-raisin,nut bread raising.... I added an extra 1/2 c of nuts and cut the raisin and cranberry to 1/4 cup so I had the correct amount of dried fruit in the dough. I can't say enought about the way this machine works, it is almost totaly silent, and the bread loaf pan is soooo heavy compared to other brands I have looked at. My one and only complain, and it's really weak, is I wish this had an auto dump on it so I didn't have to wait 19 mins to put in my extras. (Really Lazy huh??) But that also might increase the size of the machine, and this is an awesome size, It fits under my cabinets on my counter top and is easy to store away when (if that time ever comes) it isn't in use. Yet the loafs that come out are Big (1 lb loafs but so much bigger than I thought would come out of a machine this small!) So if you want to just jump in and bake wonderful breads this is the product for you! For size 5 stars For ease of operation 5 stars For ease of clean up 5 stars For quality of breads 5 stars For prep time to mix up the dough...5+++++ stars Every one I know is getting a specialty bread for Christmas this year!!! Oops forgot to mention, my hubs is a french bread FANATIC... he made 2 loafs this weekend and they were soooo much better than I have ever bought in ANY BREAD STORE!! I fiugred the cost of a white bread loaf, and it has less than .46 in it, so compared to store bought bread not only are we getting a better tasteing healthier bread but I'm saving over .58 cents (on a 2 lb store loaf) YAY Life is good

My new "Mini Zo" just arrived today, January 5, 2007, which was amazing since I had just ordered it in the afternoon of January 2! I have enjoyed my two-pound loaf Zojirushi since I purchased it from Amazon in 2002 and will still use it for larger loaves, but this will be the perfect size for just the two of us and for special breads that we may want for one or two meals. The loaf I made today was for "soft" white bread. This interested me since there is a setting for "regular" and "firm" bread as well, but I thought I would see what the "soft" would be like--this takes three hours rather than the longer time for the other syles (we wanted it for dinner). The loaf could not have been more perfect! The texture was wonderful and the taste excellent! The bread came out of the bread pan perfectly. There is also a "Quick" setting which requires two hours or less, depending on the light or dark crust selected. This machine fits very nicely on the counter taking up only a little more space than a blender. The carrying handle on the machine makes it very convenient for moving it to a storage area if you do not have much counter space. I look forward to many wonderful loaves of bread from this machine. I have a wonderful book of bread recipes that I got several years ago entitled The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook by Tom Lacalmita, 1993. It has about 200 pages of recipes with measurements for both one pound or two pound loaves. This will add to the choices that come with the machine. This book may still be available at Abe Books or other used book sellers. Bread Machine Baking by Lora Brody and Millie Apter, 1993 also has many recipes for small (one pound/2cups flour) loaves. Happy bread making with the Mini Zojirushi! Update (April 26, 2013).... My breadmaker is still working beautifully after more than 6 years of two uses per week! I replaced the paddle about six months ago, as it was losing it's non-stick ability. I still make the "soft" recipe from the Zo booklet; however, I substitute 1/2 cup of the 2 cups of bread flour with semolina flour, which I purchase at a health food store (Bob's Red Mill Semolina Flour). The difference it makes to the texture is quite amazing. I also use this substitution (1/2 cup) in my (2 cups of all purpose flour) pizza dough, which is wonderful. I use the recipe from "The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints"--2nd revision--by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway, which is a wonderful resource for all things related to bread machine baking. I tried this idea based on a pizza dough recipe I saw at King Arthur Flour that used beer and some semolina flour, which is also excellent. One more change I have made over time is that I now use bottled water rather than city water, just to eliminate any reaction to the chemicals in the tap water.

The reason I gave it only 4 stars is the lid is flimsy. I know its a removable lid but its a little too removable. I worry about the hinge breaking one day. I also didn't like the fact it was mailed to me in the box it comes in for all to see what was waiting by my garage door. Thefts are so common now I found that to be a poor amazon decision! This is not a cheap bread machine so an extra box would also have helped incase it was dropped en route. I give the baking cycles 5 stars tho. Perfect bread every time and a couple of times I forgot to add an ingredient! Yummy bread and just the right size for the 2 of us. I even made a box sourdough bread in it. The box had instructions for a bread machine. I would say quit trying to make a sourdough starter and buy one of the box sour dough bread mixes. Delicious as with all the bread that I have made so far.

About a year ago, I decided to makeover my meals to eat as healthy as I possibly could, with a goal to eliminate added preservatives, colors, sugar, fat, salt, and chemicals. It has been a phenomenal change and my body thanks me for it, as I am healthier than I've ever been. I have so much energy and feel great all day, every day. Personally, I was tired of buying store bread at astronomical prices. When the price of bread exceeded $4.00 a loaf, I had to wait for it to go on sale at 2 for $4, buy 2 loaves, freeze it for future use, then ration it along the way to make it last until the next sale. As I was thinking of how to avoid buying fresh bread at a bakery every few days, which could also get expensive, I remembered my friend Helen who lives in CA. She had a bread machine and used to bake fresh bread all the time. It was so good that her husband, kids, and I couldn't wait for it to be done and would devour it the moment it hit the cutting board. So, I set out on my search for the perfect bread machine....sturdy construction, small footprint, extremely reliable, and produces excellent bread. Yes, I wanted an overall high-quality machine that would not have issues right out of the box (which is a huge complaint among other brands), wouldn't sound like a train was passing through my house, wouldn't dance off the counter, and would actually produce a beautiful scrumptious loaf every time, not the fallen/sunken loaves and hard bricks I've read about in horror regarding other brands. Truthfully, I was willing to pay more for superior quality just to avoid the hassle of all the disappointing problems and having to return it. I read hundreds of reviews from many different websites, as I always do before buying anything important. "Ladies and gentleman, we have a winner.......the Zo it is!" So, in November 2010, I bought myself an early Christmas present! Woo-hoo! I've had my Zo for six months. It is my new best friend. From the very first use, every loaf has turned out perfect and soooooo good! I have made white, whole wheat, and honey wheat. I have used the recipes in the Zo manual, and Beth Hensperger's book: The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook. There's also a great website for recipes. Just google "Bread Machine Digest". It will take you to the website. This summer I will be venturing into new breads like cranberry walnut, cinnamon raisin, zucchini walnut, apple cinnamon, cheese breads, and a host of others. I'm confident they will all turn out fabulous! The Zo is phenomenal! In my opinion, it really is the best bread machine ever! My family, friends, and neighbors love my bread. The compliments and praise just keep coming. They always ask me to make them a loaf when they visit. I've given fresh loaves as gifts, and will continue to do so throughout the year. I put them in plastic bags and tie a bow on them. Voila! A healthy gift you can eat! Seriously! You could save a ton on gifts, as each loaf costs about 55 cents! I must stress the importance of using quality ingredients. The flour and yeast must be fresh. I use King Arthur Flour (premium), and sometimes Bob's Red Mill. Pillsbury bread flour is good too as a back-up and cheaper alternative. I use SAF instant yeast instead of active dry yeast. Trust me, it makes a huge difference! (I've tried both) For wheat bread, vital wheat gluten is essential for a lovely shaped, higher rise, and softer texture loaf. You don't need VWG for white bread. Since some recipes call for sugar and salt, I use sugar in the raw and sea salt to keep it healthy. If you've been contemplating buying the Zo, don't hesitate! Run, don't walk to your computer! Order yours today before everyone else discovers what all the fuss is about! Grab yours before it's out of stock! Amazon's shipping is fast and it was packed very well. Not one spot of damage on the box! The Zo mini is perfect for me right now. But, when I am expecting a crowd, I make a few batches on the dough cycle in advance and bake the extra loaves in the oven. When I get married and have children, I will be upgrading to the full size Zo. But, I'm still keeping my Zo mini! I love it too much! It now holds a sentimental place in my heart. Wishing you all a healthy lifestyle! Happy bread making! Cheers!

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!

This is the 3rd bread maker I have owned over the past 20 years. And is by far my favorite! It makes wonderful light delicious bread, both white or wheat. I haven’t tried any of the other recipes, yet. It is easy to use, and being a single 82 year old woman, needed one that would make small loaves, also simple to use. There is nothing better than the smell of bread baking, or the taste of warm bread just out of the, Mach! The only thing I feel could use improvement would be an easier way to slide the bread out of the pan. Maybe it’s just me but my bread tends to stick to the kneader paddle. Other than that the bread maker is just perfect!

I need a maker with a small footprint due to space constraints. Initially, I purchased the Cuisinart compact model. Pros to that model is it can make a 1, 1.5 and 2 lb loaf while still a small footprint. Nice! It made decent bread. The price was much nicer. However, the dough cycle browned the dough. Given that was a mode I would frequently use instead of replacing that model, I selected the Zoji. The footprint is similar on the Zojirushi, however, the Zoji is limited to only a 1 lb loaf. The size of the pan seems dinky. However, it is just for my husband and I so enough bread for 2 days and less being tossed due to staling. Since it is so small, even small missteps in measuring ingredients can impair the final result, so weigh those ingredients. This unit has a handle so between it being light weight and the handle it is super easy to store in a cupboard and pull out when in use. Huge advantage. Recipe book has more than enough options to get your started and their website offers recipes optimized for the unit as well. The different modes are plentiful enough. I do wish it had an automatic option for adding in ingredients such as nuts or chips, but not a deal breaker. Good quality pan and housing. Super easy to clean. I suspect after a year or two of regular use the coating will wear off the pan, but that would be true with any model. The price. UGH. I purchased this exact model for my sister 2-3 years ago for a gift. It was $100 or so on sale. Flash forward to this purchase and I paid $172 for a "nearly new" model. At the end of the day though, look at it like a math problem. 1 loaf of my husband's favorite bread (Daves) runs $7 or so, and we toss nearly a third regularly because he can't get through it fast enough. I can make the same amount for $2 and in 2 different loaves so there is no waste. I am estimating between my bread choice and his we will average $5 a week savings so in less than 10 months this device will pay for itself. If you are an artisan bread buyer you will save a lot that way too. If you need a special diet such as my sister (salt free), gluten free) then you will really use the heck out of the machine. Overall, you can spend 5 minutes or less in the morning loading ingredients. Then you come home to fresh baked bread. If you end up not loving the vertical loaf shape it is easy enough to reshape and bake in the oven. It makes it super fast and easy to make bread, rolls, buns, pasta, cookie dough, etc. I have never made jam in the maker, but that is also an option. Happy with the purchase and hope to get years of use out of it.