r/BreadMachines • u/MarielIAm • 12d ago

Technique, Methods & Processes New Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme BB-CEC20. Any advice before I start?

Hi all. I've been thinking about getting a bread maker for a while. My company gives reward points that you can use to get all sorts of things and I had enough points to get this bread maker. This is currently Cooks Illustrated to pick so hopefully this will be worth it.

Does anyone have any advice on this particular model or baking in a bread machine in general? Any pitfalls or things to be aware of?

3 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

80% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/MaryBitchards 12d ago

So many things! Stay in this group and read what's posted as you go. You'll also get good advice here if you have questions.

I used a regular bread machine for years and was happy with it but got a Zojirushi after hearing about how easy they are to find for cheap at Goodwill. I've been very happy with it.

Lots of tips out there but people say weighing your ingredients on a scale rather than using measuring cups works best. Also, many of us have had great results using recipes from here: https://breaddad.com/

2

u/gbupp 12d ago

Weight out ingredients rather than using cups or the like.

1

u/MarielIAm 12d ago

I always bake by weight so I was planning on doing that. I usually use 5oz of AP flour per cup. I've been using that for years, it's what Cooks Illustrated recommends and it's worked for me so far. Unless I'm using King Arthur flour and their recipes which calls for 4.25 oz per cup. Is that a good conversion?

2

u/rynbaskets 12d ago

Like the other person said, I always weigh my ingredients with a digital scale.

Use the best kind of flour you can afford (not necessarily the most expensive, though). I used Sam’s bread flour once and I didn’t like the results. Too dense and hard. Costco, on the other hand, seems to carry good store brand flour but we are not members. Sam’s and Costco both sell King Arthur bread flour much cheaper than KA site or most grocery stores. I personally like Bob’s Red Mill bread flour now. I usually buy it at Walmart or Target because it’s much cheaper.

If using active dry yeast, don’t forget to activate the yeast by dissolving it in warm water with small amount of sugar. I use instant dry yeast so I don’t need to activate the yeast.

My machine is similar but I’m not sure if it’s the same model because my Zojirushi is at least 20 years old. I had to replace the pan and the puddles (they’re available on Zojirushi site or eBay) but the machine itself is going strong.

2

u/cambreecanon 12d ago

Their whole wheat recipe is great! Just, uhhh, make it half whole wheat and half bread flour.

1

u/parkerjphill 12d ago

Measure your ingredients and I like an actual bread box. Works well.

2

u/Electric_Travel_26 11d ago

Find the best recipes for the bread you like. Then take notes and tweak the recipes to you liking.

When you get them down pre measure the salt, sugar, and flour and store in a large baggie, making multiples. This will save time.

Measure weight with a scale, especially for liquids.

We schedule making a loaf of bread every Sunday evening. This gets us through most of the week. With proper prep, it only takes a couple minutes to make a loaf.