Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine

I am GF and this is my second Zojirushi bread machine. I have tried other machines (Breadman, Panasonic) but this one is definitely makes the best GF bread. It has to be programmed to skip the multiple rise cycles, but once you do that it makes a wonderful 2 lb loaf of bread. It is also well made and I like the standard horizontal loaf size.

For those who require gluten-free products, the bread offerings in stores is one disappointment after another, and very expensive. After extensively reviewing breadmakers, and especially for those who require gluten-free baking, I chose to purchase the Zojirushi machine. My first loaves have been made using pre-packaged gluten-free bread mixes, and they have turned out GREAT!! No more store-bought stuff for me! I figure that within a year or so, I will easily have made up the cost of this machine with the money I will save on those expensive store-bought products. The loaves slip out of the pan easily, the blades slip out of the loaves without a struggle. It is not very noisy when working.

The one negative I noted was that the top of some loaves does not brown as much as the sides, but the overall loaf is so very fabulous that I can live with that. For those who have never had to endure commercial gluten-free breads, it is hard to understand how thrilled I am by finally having a way of making bread which turns out much more "real" and "normal".

One recommendation I would make is definitely watch the video tape instructions. The booklet was a little hard to grasp first time through.

This is my first bread machine and I researched a lot of them before deciding on this one. I really like it but the recipes it comes with are awful. It recommends that you only use their recipes but I recommend you don't use any of them. None of them have tasted very good. I've tried several of them but none of them are very flavorful. The size and texture was good but no taste. I started using the recipes from www.allrecipes.com and everything has been wonderful from there. Also, it's kindof strange that it comes with a VHS tape for instructions to the bread machine instead of a DVD. Who has a VCR to watch it now days? I just read the instructions that came with it so I don't know if the VHS tape is neccessary to watch or not but I think I have done fine without it.

I've only had the Zoji for 3 days and 3 loaves, but so far it's a delight. My old breadmaker died after averaging 2.5 loaves a week for 7 years. Wanted a good one to replace it. I love the Zojirushi's horizontal pan--SO nice compared to the vertical loaves. The double blades do a great job mixing and kneading. The crusts have been fantastic--the Zoji's "dark" setting gives a wonderful toothy crust that I love, especially with whole-wheat bread. I haven't had it long enough to know it well, but so far I'm VERY impressed with the Zojirushi.

So far this machine is working just fine, but my one peeve is that the demo video is in VHS format. I don't even own a VCR anymore- perhaps Zojirushi should upgrade to a DVD? I would think it might even pack into the box easier than a VHS.