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

My Zojirushi Mini (BB-HAC10) arrived a few days ago and I'm baking Loaf #4 as I write this. First, the delivery was prompt. I chose Amazon's free shipping but for some reason, it was sent overnight to me. That was a nice touch. This is my very first bread machine and I bought it because my husband and I (no kids) constantly have bread problems: the commercial loaves are too big for us and we end up throwing out 1/2 the loaf, OR we run out of bread mid-week when it is inconvenient to go to the store. Add to that our refusal to buy bread with preservatives and whatnot added to it. So it was inevitable that we'd buy a bread machine. Living in a condo with a small kitchen, this machine was an easy choice because of size (we hardly notice it on the counter now). The price was a bit of an issue but we justified that based on the superlative reviews this model has received. The first two loaves of bread I baked were truly delicious though a bit dense -- got the recipe off a website where the contributor owned an identical unit. But being new to bread-making, I didn't realize that there was a difference between "bread flour" and something called "whole wheat bread flour". I bought the latter... an absolutely delicious (and equally nutritious) version of regular whole wheat flour but of course requires more leavening than "bread flour". I had bought these ingredients ahead of time, having no clue what the Zo's own recipes contained, only knowing that most reviewers liked these recipes quite well. Loaf #3 was Zo's basic white bread and it turned out beautifully. In fact it rose so much that it was flat against the lid by the third rise. I had to open it and deflate it with a toothpick. Anyway, I'd like to save anyone who has ordered this Zo from the trouble of buying the wrong ingredients for the first few loaves you'd probably make if this is your first experience with a bread machine. Here's what you need for the regular cycle recipe for white bread from the Zo manual: water, bread flour, sugar, dry milk, salt, butter, active dry yeast (breadmaker yeast works too).I also bought Beth Hensberger's "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook" after using Amazon's search-inside feature and reading a bit of it. It's very comprehensive and very educational for beginners like myself (600+ pages for $14). Though most of her recipes are for 2-lb loaves, she says you can halve the quantities for 1-lb. Some people disagree. My Loaf #4 (raisin bread) is such a conversion and I'm hoping she's right! This Zo, by the way, is not made in Japan, but is made in China. The construction is of extremely high quality and certainly has that sort of "Hello Kitty" Japanese look to it. The bread pan is very thick and solid. It fits very easily into the slot in the machine and putting it in and taking it takes hardly any effort. I cannot believe just how easy the whole bread-making process is. I know that other reviewers have been saying that, but I couldn't imagine that bread-making could ever be called easy. But this machine really does make it easy. The hardest part, I would say, is making precise measurements and learning about some of the chemistry behind bread-making. I've also never, ever baked anything that required so little clean-up. The bread pan and mixing paddle barely look like they are used after each loaf is removed. Once, there was a bit hard dough stuck in the tiny space between the paddle and the rod that holds it, and I found that the quickest way to clean it was to soak the whole thing in water for 10 minutes. I'm hesitant to soak it in soapy water because I don't want anything eating into the non-stick coating. I've also been using the soft side of a sponge, not the scrubby side (even though the scrubby side is designed for non-stick coatings). The notch made in the bread by the paddle is quite insignificant. I've eaten airy breads with much larger holes in the slices before. The beeping sound after 30 minutes for adding extra ingredients and for completion of baking is soft and I've been using my microwave's loud timer alongside the Zo to make sure I don't miss it. The operation of the Zo is VERY quiet. My husband was in the kitchen cooking dinner while the bread was baking and I had to ask him to take a look and see if the machine was actually doing anything. (It was. It was kneading). Sometimes you can hear the whirr of the paddle in another room if there isn't any other ambient noise. The unit came with a plastic measuring cup (1-cup size) and a plastic tablespoon/teaspoon measure. It also came with a VHS tape which was useless for me. A DVD would have been so much better, or even an online demo on [...]. The buttons on the Zo itself are simple and self-explanatory. For example, I realized after putting in the ingredients of my last loaf that I'd have to use a new cycle and I was able to figure out in a matter of seconds which buttons to press. The Zo has a cake-making and jam-making feature and those will be my next ventures. The size of the 1-lb loaf, by the way, is substantial for two people - enough for two meals for two people.Lastly, I did feel compelled to buy an additional 2-year warranty after reading some of the reviewers talk about units that conked out. (I bought it via Amazon from Square Trade for $22). I will follow up on this review in a few months.10/13/2010 - Now that I've had this breadmaker for a few months, I have to say that I really love it. I use it 3-4 times a week. The process couldn't be simpler. The breads come out perfectly every time. When we have company I bake two loaves using the quick cycle. The cake function is great though the loaves are small. They're perfect for 2-3 people but not if you have company. Last week I used a 2-lb recipe for banana bread and had the Zojirushi mix it up but then I took it out and baked it in a regular size loaf pan in the oven. Turned out perfect. I've made jam twice. Both times the results were way too liquidy and uncooked and I had to transfer it to a saucepan to cook for an additional 20 mins on the stovetop. Still it saves you about an hour of stirring.09/02/2011 - More than a year later, it's still going strong. There are two small worn out patches inside the pan that make taking the bread out slightly harder but I suppose that's to be expected when you bake 3-4 times a week.

I love this mini Zoji!Carefully follow instructions for pan and blade cleaning and maintenance to ensure long life. It is "nonstick" but I also applied a very thin coating of coconut oil to blade and inside pan before adding water, flour, salt, yeast, sweetener. Followed Zoji manual recipes. Bread slipped right out and blade was left in place no problem. Made Whole Wheat. Got about 8 to 10 very thin slices. It was fresh and delicious. We are taking this thing in the RV for sure! We will use home milled wheat grains and freeze fresh flour right before the trips. Will store yeast and fresh flour in RV freezer bag to slow oxidation. So happy! Bought on Amazon to get 4 yr extended warranty also. Manuf doesn't offer that on website.

Great little bread maker as you would expect from Zojirushi. I downsized to this smaller machine after our Panasonic machine broke during a move. As empty nesters, my wife and I couldn’t finish a larger loaf before it spoiled. Also, it takes up much less storage space than the full size Zojirushi, which is huge. But yet, I regret buying this machine. If you only want to make a simple small loaf of bread, buy this machine! But if you want to make any variations of bread you might find in cookbooks or internet videos, you will have to calculate the reduction in ingredient portions to properly bake in your machine. Certainly not the fault of Zojirushi in any way. Blame the internet.

I’ve had my Zojirushi mini-breadmaker for almost 5 years, which I use alternately with a much older Breadman Ultimate. I bought the mini because the Breadman doesn’t make small (1lb) loaves very well. I usually make bread at least once a week, and the mini’s small loaf works very well when there are just two of us.Overall I like the mini, with some reservations.First, the good:Sturdy and solid, the best built of all the machines I’ve owned. A bit heavy as a result, but the nice handle makes moving the machine easy.The small size and good handle makes storage easy and counter use minimal.Very quiet compared with others. The add ingredients and end signals are also very quiet, nice if you are sleeping, although very hard to hear from a room away.Makes good bread, but not without some experimenting. See below.As with all bread machines, careful measurement of ingredients is key, as is placing them in the right order in the bread pan. Because the mini makes small loaves, measurement is even more important for good results.I haven’t found the non-stick coating on any bread machine pans to be very sturdy. Metal or other sharp utensils, and anything abrasive will damage the coating, making bread removal increasingly difficult. I’ve learned the hard way to be very gentle, touching the pan and paddle with nothing except a clean wet sponge after a short soak with soapy water to loosen any debris. The mini’s pan and paddle coating are no better or worse than on my other machines, although the casting is considerably heavier and thicker than most.The bad:The mini consistently over-cooks the bread. I wish the cycles were programmable the way the Breadman’s are, so I could shorten the bake time. On the cycles where the crust color is an option, I always choose light, and then I remove the bread 10-15 minutes early, depending on the recipe. I set an extra timer to remind me.The pan is hard to remove the bread from when hot without coming into contact with the hot wire handle. And because the pan is thick and heavy, it stays hot for a long time, and tends to be awkward to hold on to while shaking the bread out of it. Leaving the bread in the pan to cool will tend to cook it more, and will make the crust moist.The instructions are a jumble. It’s not really clear what the three main cycles (soft, standard and firm) are best used for. The included recipes are basic, but the ones I’ve tried work well (except for the tendency to over-cook). The cycles tend to be longer than other machines, primarily because of a lengthy built-in initial rest time. I wish I could customize the programs and leave the rest time out. The basic French recipe and cycle makes a good tasting very, very crusty bread. Again, I find that taking it out 10-15 minutes early improves the result considerably. For my own recipes, I usually use the soft or regular cycles.Although better built and higher quality than many other machines, it is in some ways flawed and less versatile. The quality build warrants a somewhat higher price than the average cheap bread machine, but given it’s limitations, the Zo is still overpriced.It pays to experiment with any bread machine to get good results. Tinker with the recipes and the cycles. Adapt recipes from other bread machine books, or from standard bread recipes. I’ve made good cinnamon rain bread, brioche, and good whole wheat from my own customized recipesHere’s a recipe for buttermilk bread that I often use in the Zo:3/4 cup Buttermilk2 Tbs canola oil (or softened butter)2 Tbs honey1 tsp salt1 tsp sugar3/4 cups bread flour1 and 1/4 cup + 3Tbs all purpose flour¼ tsp baking soda1 1/2 tsp yeastPut the liquid ingredients in first, with the yeast in last. I use the soft cycle and remove the bread 12 minutes early.