Shake, Rattle, and...Dough
Written: May 27 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Automatic dispenser for nuts and herbs, bi-directional kneading
Cons: Horribly noisy, motor isn't strong enough to handle whole grain dough, plastic warps on lid
The Bottom Line: I can't recommend a machine that needs manual assistance in kneading, sounds like a Mack truck, and has a melt-prone plastic lid.
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| ClaireKS's Full Review: Breadman Ultimate |
I’ve owned a few bread machines over the years, but this one takes the prize for being the noisiest. I’m not sure which racket is worse; the bucket and paddle, or the motor. Or maybe it’s the whole concert together.
I purchased the Breadman Ultimate because I was rather impressed with all the setting choices and the sleek look. But I later became very disappointed. I’ll give you the specs here first, and then go into why I don’t recommend this machine.
Exterior:
The unit is made of white plastic, rectangular in shape, with side vents and a lid with a small viewing window (which clouds over with condensation but never really clears). The settings panel is on the top right of the machine, along with a digital display screen. The bottom of the unit has little rubber feet to keep the machine from moving around on your counter (take my advice here...strap it down...or else you’ll be looking for your bread maker in Singapore). The lid also has a fruit/nut/herb dispenser built into it.
Interior:
Inside the machine is a rectangular baking chamber and a heating element. The interior walls and the interior plating to the top lid are covered in stainless steel. The bread pan (bucket) is rectangular, coated with Teflon, and sits horizontally rather than vertically (as is the case with some machines). The paddle is also coated with Teflon. You can make three sizes of bread with this machine; 1-pound, 1.5-pound, or 2-pound loaves.
The Control Panel and Settings
The panel has a small red light at the top right which tells you when the unit is in warm mode, operating mode, or finished baking. The display screen counts down the time remaining, and shows you which settings you have chosen.
The available settings are the following:
•Regular White Bread (Note: all settings include your choice of light, medium, or dark crust)
•Regular White Bread, Rapid Setting (Bread will be finished in two hours rather than three)
•Whole Wheat Bread
•Whole Wheat, Rapid Setting
•French White Bread
•Fruit and Nuts Breads
•Batter Breads and Cakes
•Jam
•Dough (Generic)
•Pizza Dough
•Bake Only (Handy when you have made your own dough and only want to bake it)
•5 Empty Memory Settings (For you to program your own recipes)
The Timer and Program Functions:
If you would like to start your bread machine at a certain time of the day or night, there is a Delay Bake function which allows you to set the machine to start at any time up to 24 hours in advance.
The Program button allows you to change the standard baking options that are already included in any of the settings, and then save that program to memory as your own recipe.
The “Extras” Option:
When you need to add something to your bread such as nuts, seeds, or herbs, use the extras option, and place the items into the dispenser on the top of the lid. The machine will add them to the dough when it’s the right time.
Other Panel Buttons:
“Select”: Use this button to choose the cycle that you want.
“Crust Control”: Choose light, medium, or dark crusts.
“Loaf Size”: To choose 1, 1.5, or 2-pound loaves.
“Pause”: Use this button to stop the machine temporarily to add something such as cheese or anything else that cannot be placed into the dispenser (only dry items can be put into the dispenser), or to score the top of the loaf, or sprinkle the top with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
The kneading cycles for all settings include a bi-directional knead. That means that the paddle will knead the dough for a few minutes going clockwise, then stop a second and change the kneading direction to counterclockwise. This will go on back and forth until each kneading cycle is completed.
Cycle Completion Times:
All regular bread cycles take between 3:00 hours and 3:40 hours to complete, depending on what size loaf you are making, which crust setting you have chosen, and whether or not you are making whole grain breads. The whole wheat cycle will take longer, because there is a period of initial rest before the machine begins kneading. This allows the liquid to soften the flour a bit before kneading. The rapid cycles take between 2:00 hours and 2:35 hours to complete. Fruit and nut cycles range from 2:10 hours to 3:35 hours. Batter breads take between 1:20 hours and 1:40 hours. Jam cooks in one hour, and the dough setting will take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on which type you are making. The "bake only" option will take 1:30 hours.
As with all bread machines, the paddle in this bread pan tends to get stuck in the bottom of the finished bread. I have found that spraying the paddle with a little nonstick cooking spray helps.
Provided you’ve used the right amount of ingredients and used the correct settings, the machine produces very nicely baked breads, and does a very good job with jam. I do enjoy using it often for pizza dough, as well. Very handy. But other bread machines do just as well, and I have three major complaints with this one.
Okay...now to my “gripes”:
1.) As I mentioned before, the machine is so noisy while kneading the bread that it sounds as if there’s major construction going on in my kitchen. Even though the bread pan is secured by two metal clips inside the baking chamber, it still rattles and bangs up against the inside of the machine. The rattling makes the machine move around on the counter, and if I don’t watch it constantly, it will shimmy all the way across the counter and fall off. The motor also grinds away terribly loudly.
2.) The motor isn’t strong enough to handle the heavier whole grain doughs. This is a major problem! Whenever I use whole wheat, rye, or spelt flours, the paddle comes to a complete halt while kneading, and I have to manually “baby-sit” the kneading cycle, pushing the dough around so that the paddle can get started again. This should not happen, and doesn’t, with my other bread machines. Something tells me that the manufacturer needs to put a more powerful motor into these units.
3.) The plastic on the outside of the top lid is “warping” from the heat. I’m getting more and more wavy warps on the top lid as time goes by. That tells me that the plastic they are using isn’t resistant enough to heat.
So even though there are some nice settings and options to this machine, I can’t recommend a bread maker that sounds like a Mack truck, needs to be strapped down to the counter, needs to be manually “assisted” with the kneading cycles, and is covered in melt-prone plastic.
Oh, and about the Warranty:
This particular machine comes with a one-year warranty. It’s made by Salton, and the website is: http://www.breadman.com.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
ClaireKS
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Member: Claire (Nickname: LadyWolf)
Location: Northern Virginia
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 80 members
About Me:
Avid nature conservationist and friend to all living things.
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