I love this bread machine. I spent hours online looking at the different choices and reading the reviews -- negative and positive. I put it in my cart so many times, then left it there and came back a few times before finally hitting the "buy" button. The negative reviews really had me apprehensive. But since I've never baked a loaf of bread before, I thought I'd start with this one, and if it was a dud, I'd try a more expensive one.
This was really "plug and play". It's ready to go right out of the box. I took the advice found in the positive reviews which was (1) read the manual from start to finish before trying out the machine and (2) make sure your measurements are exact and you follow the instructions and do everything in the right order. Weigh out the ingredients first and have them sitting on the counter ready to put in the machine before you turn on the machine.
I read the manual twice (not all at once). I decided to try an easy white bread first. I went out and bought "bread machine" flour and since I couldn't find "bread machine yeast" I just got some fast-rising yeast. The recipes say "vegetable oil or butter" and since I never use vegetable oil (or any seed oil -- only olive oil) I used unsalted butter instead.
It was so simple it almost felt like cheating.
As to all the things I was fearing from the negative reviews: The machine is really quiet, compared to a blender or vitamix or food processor. It would not wake someone up in the next room let alone disturb an apartment neighbor.
The machine did not walk off my counter or fall on the floor. It has four rubber feet that keep it in place -- it moved about 2-3 inches a few times and I just pushed it back. (Intially I put it on a ribbed cotton placemat but I removed it after a while since it didn't seem necessary and it actually moved less without it.
I could tell the bread was rising nicely looking in the top window. When it started the baking stage (last stage) I could smell it in another room and went to see if anything was burning, but no, it was just some some air vents in the machine that let out some steam.
When the bread was done I let it stay in the machine for about 15 minutes. I took out the bake pan, turned it upside down over a wire rack, and the bread fell right out. Nothing stuck to the baking bucket.
This unit doesn't come with a paddle removal tool, and the paddle did stay in the bread, so I took the screw part of a corkscrew and gently probed the bottom of the bread and it came out pretty quick with just a little hole in the bottom.
I had set it on the medium crust level and the bread was browned perfectly.
It rose really nicely.
The bread was crusty on the outside and the white bread inside was not stiff or hardened.
I sliced a piece off, tasted it and thought it had a really good, rich flavor. I put some peanut butter and jelly on it and put the rest in a plastic bag and left it on the counter overnight. This morning, I sliced a piece off, and it was still tender inside. (Meaning if you put you pushed your finger into it, it would create a small dent and then bounce back, or at least not tear). I cut it in half and toasted the halves. The toast came out great, evenly browned and I a scrambled egg on it.
At dinner, a friend came over and tasted it and even though he's not a white bread kind of person, he thought it tasted really good.
One of the reasons I went with this model was because it's dishwasher safe. But the pan was still so clean after baking the bread, all I did was take a dampen a clean dish towel and wipe the inside. Nothing stuck to the inside housing of the machine so I just ran the damp cloth over it and let the top up so it would dry fully.
I know this is a long review, but I had so much angst from the 180 degree difference between the positive and negative reviews, I thought it might be helpful to another beginner like me who is struggling to make sense of the reviews. It's not that I disbelieve the negative reviewers -- I've certainly gotten appliances I thought had been previously returned or were duds for other reasons. But I am so happy with this machine so far, I really wanted to share it.
I'm going to do rye bread next.
PS If in the next 6 months, the machine falls apart or fails to perform properly or the non-stick surface comes off into the bread, I'll come back and update.
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Color: Grey
Slow Cooker Capacity: Under 4 Quarts
Slow Cooker Capacity: 4 Quarts
Capacity: Up to 3.9 cups
Capacity: 4-4.9 cups
Product Grade: Commercial Grade
Power: Up to 1499 W
Power: 1500 to 1599 W
Heat Source: Gas
Heat Source: Electric
Material: Aluminum
Material: Cast Iron
Fryer Material: Aluminum
Fryer Material: Stainless Steel
Slow Cooker Type: Manual
Slow Cooker Type: Programmable
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From the manufacturer
Just add ingredients, select the cycle, and press start.
The Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 2 Lb. Bread Maker lets you create fresh homemade breads and doughs without even having to roll up your sleeves to mix and knead.
Hamilton Beach products are thoughtfully designed to make your life easier. We use consumer insights, in-depth research and rigorous testing to deliver the best solution to your everyday needs.
Whether it's preparing delicious meals and beverages effortlessly, or making your clothes look their best, you can count on the brand that has spent over 100 years creating products with you in mind.
Hamilton Beach 2 pound Digital Bread Maker with 12 Programmable Settings
Become a master at made-from-scratch bread with minimal effort.
You control the ingredients and nutritional content of your bread when you make it yourself so it's easier to make healthy loaves. With 12 preprogrammed cycles, you can make everything from healthy whole grain and gluten-free loaves to dough for sweet, gooey cinnamon-raisin buns. Make bread the way you like it with 2 loaf sizes and 3 crust settings to choose from for light, medium or dark crust. The machine is great for prepping dough for pizza, dinner rolls, cinnamon buns and more.
- Make bread in 3 easy steps
- 12 cycles including jam and cake
- Loaf size - choose 1.5 or 2.0 lb.
- Nonslip feet to securely sit on countertop
- Bread pan and kneading paddle are dishwasher safe
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Fresh, Homemade Bread in Just 3 StepsJust add your ingredients, select the cycle and press start. Make everything from basic white and gluten-free bread to French loaves and cinnamon-raisin buns. |
You Control the Ingredients & Nutritional ContentPrepare healthy loaves of bread without preservatives or trans fat. |
Versatile — 12 Preprogrammed Cycles to Choose FromMake dough for pizza and dinner rolls, bake cake, or make delicious mouth-watering loaves of fresh baked bread. Cycles include basic, French, gluten-free, quick bread (no yeast), sweet, 1.5 lb express, 2.0 lb express, dough, jam, cake, whole grain and bake. |
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Great for Dough PrepPrepare a variety of yeast doughs for dinner rolls, pizza crusts, cinnamon buns and more, then bake in a conventional oven. |
Make Bread the Way You Like ItChoose to make either 1.5 lb. or 2 lb. loaves, and select from 3 crust settings for light, medium or dark crust. |
Easily Program & Monitor Bread's ProgressThe large digital display makes it easy to select cycle, crust and loaf size as well as monitor the time left until your bread is ready. A delay start feature allows you to set the bread machine in advance. After baking, the machine automatically keeps bread warm for 1 hour after cooking. |
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My Review: Bread Maker
Logan Nathanson (Favorite Finds)
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This Item  Hamilton Beach Bread Maker Machine, Digital, Programmable, 12 Settings + Gluten Free, Dishwasher Safe Pan + Kneading Paddle, 2 lb Capacity, Black (29882) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $89.99 | $139.99 | -13% $139.99 List: $159.99 | -5% $71.27 List: $74.99 | -11% $114.97 List: $129.21 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 26 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 26 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 26 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 26 | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 26 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to clean | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Flavor | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Neretva Home | Amazon.com | Kitchenarm LLC |
| capacity | 2 pounds | 2 pounds | 2 pounds | 2 pounds | 2 pounds | 2 pounds |
| material | Plastic | — | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Plastic,Aluminum,Glass | Stainless Steel |
| number of programs | 12 | 12 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 29 |
| wattage | 600 watts | — | 550 watts | 565 watts | — | 550 watts |
| care instructions | Dishwasher Safe | Dishwasher Safe | Dishwasher Safe | Hand Wash Only | Hand Wash Only | Hand Wash Only |
| weight | 5.4 kilograms | — | 13.51 pounds | 8.37 pounds | — | 11.6 pounds |
Reviews with images
The bread is good
This is the second breadmaker of this type I have purchased. The older one was purchased in 2011 and still works! The motor was groaning a bit during mixing so I bought this newer Hamilton Beach of the same type and brand. The bread is tasty and the hole from the paddle is small. It can be set to bake later, so you can wake up in the morning or when you arrive home, to a fresh loaf of bread. Clean up is simple. The pan rinses clean easily. Pictured is my first loaf from the newer bread maker. It is a 1.5 lb. rum-raisin loaf from a recipe I've had for some time. The raisins were soaked in rum overnight before adding them to the loaf when it beeped to add nuts, raisins or other add ins. There are just 2 of us in the household now so making the smaller loaf makes sense for us. You simply put in all the liquids first, then all other ingredients leaving flour an lastly the yeast. Make a little divot in the bread flour and then put in your yeast. I used bread machine yeast. Select your loaf size (1.5 or 2 lb), darkness wanted (light, medium, or dark) and press start unless you want to delay bake. When done there are a series of beeps and the loaf literally slides out of the pan when you tip it (using mitts). I use a metal crochet hook to pull out the small paddle (though you can buy a paddle removal tool that looks exactly like a crochet hook.) As you can see, the loaf is slightly horizontal and once somewhat cool can be sliced easily. Slices do fit in a standard toaster. The bread is somewhat larger dimensions than a standard sandwich bread load and you will need a bread bag from wider loaves you may buy in the store for storage. This loaf and most I've made in the past, slice easily and crust is a bit crunchy. You will want a good bread knife or other serrated knife. I find you can slice them quite thinly if you want to limit the amount you eat at each sitting. Quite a few recipes come with the machine and many I have made in the past with the previous machine. I haven't really had a failure. In addition you can make dough using the dough cycle and fashion rolls or brioches from the dough that will just need the last rise. I keep a sourdough starter and found a wonderful sourdough cinnamon roll recipe online. I do know how to make breads from scratch. In the summer when I am really busy this machine is handy to make delicious FRESH bread. Note that your home will smell wonderful. There are more expensive machines, but this model has worked well for me over many years and I can recommend to any who just want good fresh bread the easy way. Also there is the gluten free button (I do have a grandson who tries to avoid gluten). Give this reasonably priced machine a shot. It works well.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016
This machine is pretty consistent and I haven't had to do a thing after putting in all the ingredients.
Some things I learned so far:
- Don't mess with the machine, don't open the lid.
- Mix ingredients on counter in the pan then snap it in the machine, otherwise you can risk dropping some ingredients on the heating element and it will burn.
- Measure precisely, don't guess. Use cup and spoon measures.
- Don't put too much liquid, or pack the flour in the cup too much, or put in too much yeast. The bread machine cookbook suggested too much yeast for most recipes and one 2 lb loaf just rose up against the glass lid and the top was underbaked. Fleishmann's website suggests just 1/2 tsp of bread machine yeast per cup of flour but the bread machine cookbook suggests a bit more and the bread rises too much! It's best to bake a 1.5 lb loaf in this machine when you're first trying a recipe as it comes out with a nicer crust, and you give some margin in case the dough rises too much!
- Once you've got the hang of it, which you will pretty quickly, do experiment. I already tried cumin in one loaf with great success, and look forward to trying all kinds of nuts, seeds, flavorings.
- Keeping bread in a plastic bread box on the counter keeps it fresh, I found a transparent shoe box at the Depot that is doubling perfectly as a bread box.
I am so pleased with this machine and looking forward to trying more recipes and creating my own!
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
First time making bread, and I can't believe how nice it turned out with this machine!
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016
I have never baked bread in my life, but I've always wanted to bake my own bread, and now with this machine I can. It makes it very simple to produce great loaves. I've had it for a week so far and I've baked 3 loaves already and although I'm still in the trial and error phase, all my loaves were great tasting and I was very pleased. I'm including pictures of the 3 breads I baked - a whole wheat bread with cumin (fragrant and wholesome, a little dense as I used regular yeast instead of bread machine yeast), a white sour cream bread (soft and delicious, like French toast from the Bread Machine Cookbook) and a White buttermilk bread (soft and delicious). I cannot believe how fresh and good the bread tastes and it's great to go out for Holiday shopping and come back to the smell of freshly baked bread.Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2016
This machine is pretty consistent and I haven't had to do a thing after putting in all the ingredients.
Some things I learned so far:
- Don't mess with the machine, don't open the lid.
- Mix ingredients on counter in the pan then snap it in the machine, otherwise you can risk dropping some ingredients on the heating element and it will burn.
- Measure precisely, don't guess. Use cup and spoon measures.
- Don't put too much liquid, or pack the flour in the cup too much, or put in too much yeast. The bread machine cookbook suggested too much yeast for most recipes and one 2 lb loaf just rose up against the glass lid and the top was underbaked. Fleishmann's website suggests just 1/2 tsp of bread machine yeast per cup of flour but the bread machine cookbook suggests a bit more and the bread rises too much! It's best to bake a 1.5 lb loaf in this machine when you're first trying a recipe as it comes out with a nicer crust, and you give some margin in case the dough rises too much!
- Once you've got the hang of it, which you will pretty quickly, do experiment. I already tried cumin in one loaf with great success, and look forward to trying all kinds of nuts, seeds, flavorings.
- Keeping bread in a plastic bread box on the counter keeps it fresh, I found a transparent shoe box at the Depot that is doubling perfectly as a bread box.
I am so pleased with this machine and looking forward to trying more recipes and creating my own!
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Familia Cruz
Panificadora ideal para inexpertos. Bajo consumo eléctrico
Reviewed in Mexico on September 17, 2022Color: BlackVerified Purchase
Familia Cruz
Reviewed in Mexico on September 17, 2022
Ha hecho el pan básico y pastel.
La clave consiste en seguir al pie de la letra las instrucciones de uso. Para ello sólo se necesitan cucharas medidoras. Es muy fácil de usar.
Todas las hogazas salen con un agujerito abajo porque es donde está la palita que mezcla la harina y allí se queda durante todo el proceso. Se retira una vez se desmolda.
La harina que utiliza es la común, de todo uso (Selecta, en México) y levadura de sobrecito (Tradi Pan) y para pasteles harina de caja de Duncan Hines.
Las recetas que se incluyen en el recetario tienen muy buen sabor.
He dejado pasar varios meses para ver cuánto consumía de electricidad, pues la principal preocupación al utilizar este tipo de aparatos.
Es sorprendente que, a pesar de que utiliza un promedio de 3 horas en cada proceso de elaboración, mínimo una vez por semana, la factura de la electricidad NO ha subido nada notable. Es muy ahorradora esta panificadora.
Conclusión: fácil de usar, excelentes resultados y bajísimo consumo de electricidad
Images in this review
Gabrielle Kretzschmar
Very good Product
Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2020Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
And don’t call me Shirley
Easy to operate, easy to clean, makes nice bread
Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2018Color: BlackVerified Purchase
And don’t call me Shirley
Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2018
I bought bread machine yeast and multigrain bread flour before my bread-maker even arrived, so I thought I was all ready to go, but many of the recipes that come with the machine called for ingredients like xanathan gum, gluten and shortening, as well as some flours I have never used. Because I didn't have these things on hand, I googled a recipe for a basic multigrain bread made using only ingredients I did have. I found a simple recipe, threw all the ingredients into the machine....and let me tell you...it turned out great! I honestly thought I might need to make several attempts before getting the knack, so to speak, but just by (precisely) following the recipe instructions, my bread came out evenly baked, with a beautiful, golden brown crust and a surprisingly soft and fluffy interior. I say 'surprisingly' because I expected my multigrain flour would produce a much heavier and denser bread. Other than a small 'belly button' in the bottom of the bread (from the paddle) the loaf was picture perfect and absolutely delicious.....
Just FYI, the instructions advise centering the unit on your countertop (away from the edge), because of a possibility of the unit travelling during operation. Although my unit vibrated some, I personally did not notice that it moved much, if at all. It has rubber feet that gripped my granite counters quite well, but this is an issue to be aware of, especially if you want to use the timer to 'set it and forget it'. I also wanted to add: I was surprised by how quiet this was throughout most of it's operation. It isn't totally silent, don't get me wrong, and of course it was noisiest during the kneading cycles, but even then, the noise level was far from deafening. I was expecting it would be louder for some reason......
All in all, I am thrilled with this machine and I cannot wait to try out new recipes now!
Images in this review
