Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine

This is going to be long, but I hope it will help someone else who is having trouble with their Zoji.I have been baking bread for years, and it's been a challenge to find a new bread machine. I literally wore out a GE breadmaker after almost 10 years of use, and was disappointed to learn they no longer make them. First try, I purchased a Breadman Ultimate, and took it back after using it twice - it was *very* poorly made, the pan would not stay locked in the clips and it banged around horribly during mixing. The bread turned out ok, but even hubby said it would not last and the racket it made was unreal. You needed ear plugs just to stay in the same room with it.I really wanted a machine that baked a more traditional size loaf, and initially balked on the price of the Zoji. However, after the disaster with the Breadman, I decided there had to be a better option.The Zojirushi is very solidly built - the pan is probably twice as thick as the Breadman Ultimate, and even thicker than my old GE model. The unit itself is large, so be prepared to sacrifice some counter space, but it's heavy enough that I can't see it taking a dive off the edge of the counter either. Another huge plus is that it is EXTREMELY quiet! I never thought a bread machine could ever work almost silently, but this one does. I had no trouble talking on the phone while it was running (you could never do that with the Breadman Ultimate!).However (yes, you knew that was coming), I've had to do some tweaking to get it to make decent bread. I have read almost every single review on this breadmaker, and for those who give it glowing accolades right out of the box, all I can say is that you must have had a machine that was programmed better than mine.I watched the video that came with it, and also read the instructions. I used the Zoji recipe for their basic white bread first, and it turned out "ok" - but not great. Definitely not what I was expecting.So I decided to use my tried and true Golden Egg Bread recipe that I've made literally hundreds of times over the years. The results were appalling! The bread did not rise as it should, was almost burned on the bottom, and the top looked like it had never seen heat - it was a sickly pale color (and this was on the medium crust setting for basic white bread). I could not believe this highly rated machine turned out a loaf this bad!I thought I'd try it one more time just to see if it was a fluke, and got the exact same results. One thing different this time though was that I paid attention to how much the machine kneaded the dough, and how long the rise cycles were. I finally decided THAT is the problem with the machine - the timing is way off as it is originally programmed.Thankfully, I kept my old GE user manual and it had the times for each cycle listed in the book. I used the HomeMade setting and programmed my own times/cycles into it, plus turned one of the rise times OFF completely (why there are three on the Zoji, I have no clue). As the original Basic White Bread cycle is set up, it does not knead the dough long enough, does not rise as it should, and bakes WAY too long.Yesterday I used my own program for the first time and made a wonderful loaf of bread! It even browned on top. :o)If you are having the same trouble with your machine, get out your instructions and manually program the following into the Memory (under HomeMade):Turn PREHEAT OFF - this is a waste of time and electricity if your ingredients are at proper temperature.Set the KNEAD cycle to 30 minutes (my old machine had 33, but 30 minutes is the max Zoji will allow).Set the first RISE to 25 minutes.Set the second RISE to 64 minutes.Leave the third rise turned OFF.Set the BAKING time to 40 minutes for light crust, 55 minutes for medium crust, and 65 minutes for dark crust.I left the KEEP WARM turned off, but that's just my preference.You may have to tweak these settings just a bit for your own recipes, but this worked beautifully for me - 100% better than what the Basic program runs.I did remove the paddles at the beginning of the 2nd rise and gently shaped the loaf back into place. It wasn't lop-sided and was very smooth. I think the lack of proper kneading is a major culprit on the cracked tops of some loaves mentioned. I also take a plastic spatula and scrape the corners as it's mixing just to be sure it all gets incorporated. Sometimes water/flour adjustments have to be made too - you normally can't just throw it all in and walk off without checking the consistency. It shouldn't be dry and crumbly, but it also shouldn't be so sticky that it sticks to your fingers when you touch it. You develop a sense over time of what good dough feels like.For dough only recipes, I plan on programming a 30 minute knead and 60 minute rise.Overall, I'm pleased with the machine with the above changes, so I'm giving it 4 stars. I think it's sturdy, well-built, and above par for most bread machines I've seen on the market. However, I do think it needs the ability to customize the temperature, and a pause button would be helpful. It has the potential to be a great machine with some changes. I hope it holds up for many, many years!Update January 2013: Zoji is still going strong! We use it at least twice weekly, some weeks more often than that. I highly recommend this machine for anyone who is serious about their breadmaking. :o) One thing I have learned - I don't submerge the pan in water when washing it. I fill the pan with water and let it sit for a few minutes, then wash. The pan has held up wonderfully and so have the paddles. My mom even bought one after seeing how well ours has performed. If it went belly-up tomorrow, I'd buy another one exactly like it. Very pleased!

****** December 10, 2015 (Almost) 11 Year Update ******It's holiday time, so if you are considering a bread machine as a gift, here's my update: my bread machine unabatingly produces consistently excellent results. My bread maker continues to be forgiving, in that a little too much of this or that won't effect the results. Be sure to use fresh flour and yeast (and other ingredients) for best results. It makes a little more noise when kneading, and I have replaced the paddles as the non-stick does wears over time. I now own two of these bread machines, as I inherited the gift for my grandfather when he passed away. For my Rosh Hashana Challah, I use both machines to make the "Egg Bread" dough recipe from their booklet (45 minutes on the quick cycle). I combine the dough from both machines, make a 6 braided large round Challah, brush a glaze over the top, and oven bake. There are lots of searchable videos to show you various ways of working with the dough to do this. I am not making as much bread as I did 11 years ago, but when I do, I know the bread will be just as good as the first time I used it. There are only a handful of appliances I have owned for this long that work as well as they did on day one. Highly recommend.*******April, 2005************I have been using my Zo for 3 months now. I bake 2-3 loaves a week and have done some experimenting with recipes from other bread machine cookbooks. I've used the quick cycle successfully using Zo recipes which don't recommend the quick cycle by adding one or two extra tsp. of rapid yeast + 4 tsp. vital wheat gluten, and this works like a charm.If you buy Challah (egg bread) from the food store as I used to every week, you won't ever want to again after trying Zo's "Butter-Rich Roll & Bread Dough" (under Dough Variations section of recipe book). I cut the amount of butter in half. Fresh Challah in 75 minutes (quick dough cycle of 45 minutes, braid the dough, then bake 25 minutes in oven at 375) or in 2 hrs. 15 minutes (basic dough 1:50 + 25 minutes at 375). Loaves will be higher when using the basic cycle. Truly the best tasting bread and great for french toast.Another staple in our house is the Banana Oatmeal Bread from The Breadmachine Cookbook by Donna Rathmell German (her 1st book). I found that by doubling her 'medium' loaf recipe and adding 1 or 2 extra tsp. rapid yeast + 4 tsp. of vital wheat gluten, I can make this bread in just under 2 hours on the quick cycle.As far as Zo's customer service, I called them twice (once to order an extra bread pan and paddles and once for advice on using outside recipes). They were friendly and helpful. For instance, they suggested chopping oatmeal in a food processor before adding to the machine to get higher loaves.Love it, love it, love it. ***********January, 2005*************This is my second bread machine, my first being a DAK (aka R2D2). I narrowed my choices to the Zo and the Panasonic SDY250. Reasons for choosing the Zo: - beautiful rectangular loaves - 2 kneading blades - backup for power failure - overall shorter time to completion vs Panasonic - easy to follow recipes provided with manual - 3 programmable settings - cake/quick bread setting - 3 crust settings (light, medium, dark) - whole wheat setting - troubleshooting guide with correction instructionsHere are the recipes I've tried from the Zo manual. Each one came out absolutely perfect (taste, height, density, and aesthetics): Sweet Bread - BASIC w/medium crust (3:30 hrs to completion) Pumpernickel Bread- BASIC WHEAT w/medium crust (3:40 hrs) 100% Whole Wheat - QUICK WHEAT w/light crust (2:08 hrs)They were all wonderful, but I was particulary pleased with the 100% whole wheat - and in just over 2 hours.I highly recommend viewing product manuals which are available on manufacturers' websites. I found this extremely helpful in my comparison analysis. Check out [...] as well as others you are considering.It doesn't surprise me that sometimes an imperfect machine is produced. I found Amazon.com's return policy (30 days after delivery) to allow ample time to put my machine through the ringer. Other sellers may cost a bit less, but if their 30 day return policy begins after shipment - and I found several - you may not be afforded enough time to ensure your machine hasn't got problems.If you are looking for more recipes to try, I really like The Bread Machine Cookbook I and II by Donna Rathmell German. You'll probably have to experiment a little with the ingredients. I tried the Banana Oatmeal recipe in my Zo with less than perfect results (loaf rose then sank a bit), though the bread was delicious. I will try tweaking the recipe based on troubleshooting recommendations at the back of the Zo manual.I can't imagine any other bread machine outperforming the Zo.

Great bread maker. I've now tried out lots of different recipes and they all work perfectly. Double-paddle so mixes/kneads better than single, takes 30 secs to wipe clean, controls are easy, instruction book is brief and clear. If you can afford it this is definitely the one to buy.