Zojirushi BB-PAC20 bread maker
Here, we have to do with one of the best bread makers on the market right now. The Zojirushi BB-PAC20 bread maker is for people who are really serious about bread making.
With a Zojirushi bread maker you can’t really do wrong. It uses the top technology, and this Japanese brand has a long known history of developing top range kitchen appliances using the best technology available. The Zojirushi BB-PAC20 definitely uses the most advanced technology which ensures you a perfect loaf of bread every time, which both newbies and advanced bakers will feel enthusiastic about.
Key features of Zojirushi BB-PAC20
This bread machine makes a 12-pound rectangular loaf. The shape results in a traditionally shaped bread. The heating technology ensures that the bread is baked evenly from all sides. The lid even has a heat element to make sure that the bread is baked from the top as well. There is a window in the lid that allows you to follow the process and make sure it bakes as desired.
This Zojirushi bread maker has a lot of different programs that makes it one of the most versatile bread makers on the market. You can use this bread maker for much more than bread; you can make pizza dough, cake, cookie dough, sour dough starter, jam, yogurt, or even a fresh meat loaf in this machine.
It has a gluten free program that is excellent. You can make gluten free machine bread that has the perfect taste and texture.
It also has a custom “home-made” program that allows you to set the time, weight, color etc. and this is really great if you want to experiment with your own bread machine recipes.
Naturally, it has a timer that allows you to bake with a 13 hour delay. This is really great as it allows you to put in the ingredients in the evening and let the machine bake early morning. You’ll be able to wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread every morning. The good thing is that the machine hardly makes any noise, so you don’t have to worry about waking up the family while baking.
It has dual kneading paddles which ensures a perfectly kneaded dough that is spread evenly in the baking pan. The paddles are easy to attach properly and they stay in the pan as opposed to many other baking machine where the paddles often end up stuck in the loaf instead.
It has a LED-clock that allows you to follow time easily, and this bread maker is actually quite fast as it has a baking cycle of little more than 2 hours.
Pros and cons:
Pros:
- Perfectly shaped large loaf
- Very quiet
- Very versatile
- Fast
- Perfect for gluten free machine bread
- Timer
- 6-min power failure backup
Cons:
- Can’t think of any except the price. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but if you are concerned about value for money then you won’t be disappointed.
Best features at a glance:
- Large 12-pound traditionally shaped loaf
- 2 high-quality mixing paddles
- Heating element in the lid
- 10 pre-programmed settings
- Large window in the lid
- Stainless steel design
- Horizontal design
- Timer with 13-hour delay
- Gluten free program
- Homemade program
- Quick bake setting
- Keep warm function (keeps your bread warm for up to 60 minutes after baking)
- Choice of crust setting (light, dark or medium crust)
- Battery operated clock in case of power cut
- LED clock
- Horizontal
- Dimensions: 18 x 10.5 x 13 inches ; 22.1 pounds
- Comes with a measuring cup, a dvd, recipe leaflet and instruction book
Final thoughts:
When I started out baking with a bread machine, I initially started out with one of the cheaper models. That also worked out fine, but the breads always came out funny looking. The texture and taste was fine though, so I didn’t want to replace it just for aesthetic reasons.
However, as I became more experienced and enthusiastic about bread making, I decided to buy a Zojirushi bread machine since they seemed to be a good buy. And I can say that I have never regretted this choice.
One of the reasons that I love my Zojirushi BB-PAC20 is that it is so versatile. You have endless opportunities with this machine.
I bake a lot of gluten free bread as I have a gluten sensitivity myself, but my husband and our children like white, fluffy bread – and this covers all our needs to perfection. However, the gluten free program is so great that I can easily make gluten free bread in the bread maker without any of them noticing the difference.
Another thing that I love is that it is so quiet. You can hardly hear when it is working. This is a big difference from the first bread machine I owned that would wake up the whole house if I started it early morning, which I obviously only did once.
It is also easy to clean, which I love – and the kneading paddles stay in the pan – not in the bread!
All in all, I’d say that the Zojirushi BB-PAC20 is the best bread machine I’ve ever tried and I couldn’t live without it. It is a clear 5 star for me.