Amazon Basics Programmable Bread Maker, 2 Pound Non-Stick Automatic Bread Making Machine, 14 Settings for Breads, Doughs, Gluten-Free Options and More, LCD Display, White

I've used this bread machine weekly since May 2023, and am very pleased with it. I wanted a way to make bread that didn't have a ton of extra ingredients in it, but also in a way that I could do consistently, even with a busy schedule.This machine really fits the bill. The bread is very good - light and fluffy, but able to be sliced for sandwiches and toast. The machine is very simple to operate, and once you press "start," you walk away from it until it's done.Pros:- So simple to use. Plug in, add ingredients, press button, boom. Bread.- Recipes in the instruction book work great and taste great.- Comes with a measuring cup for liquid ingredients and a measuring spoon for dry measurements of tsp / tbsp.Cons:- The machine is "loud" when it's kneading. You can definitely hear it across the house. The kneading phase is usually 2 or 3 per bread cycle, and it lasts for anywhere from 5-10 minuets at a go. The "loudness" of the machine is subjective, and it personally doesn't bother me. But if you're looking for something that you'll forget is running, then this isn't it.- Like most bread makers, the kneading / mixing paddle at the bottom gets "stuck" in the loaf as it's baking. So getting the bread out means turning the pan upside down and shaking the loaf loose, which leaves a hole in the last 2 pieces of bread. Really not a huge problem, but worth mentioning.Nice to know:- Since you're not adding any preservatives, keep the finished product in the fridge. We've found a 2lb loaf lasts us about a week before getting moldy.- The loaves are a different size than a typical loaf of bread bought at a store. Store bought bread is usually a longer, smaller loaf, whereas there are bigger and shorter in length.- A finished loaf will usually fit in a gallon-sized ziploc bag, to keep it fresh. I'm still searching for the best solution for this.Helpful tips:- I always sift the flour when I add it to the machine - it's helped keep the finished loaf light and fluffy.- Using bread machine yeast (I got a jar of it at Walmart, but you can find it anywhere) versus the small packets makes it easier to measure out the correct amount for the recipe, because one packet of yeast will make 2.5 loaves. You can't just add a whole packet per recipe.- I use a scale to measure the flour needed for each batch, so I don't add too much flour by compacting it in a measuring cup. My favorite recipe uses 490 grams of flour, and that's way easier to keep consistent then how much I'd get using a measuring cup.Food for thought:With bread going for anywhere from $3.79-$6.19 in the store right now, getting this bread maker is an upfront expense that really pays off. Getting all the ingredients to start at Walmart will run ~$15, and each loaf costs about $1.48 make. The ingredient you'll use the most of is the bread flour. All the others - oil, salt, sugar, yeast - you'll be able to make several batches before needing to replace them.

I have made 6 loaves of bread since receiving this machine a few weeks ago. Looking at all the different models I selected this Amazon Basic since it was the least expensive and seemed to have all the features I'd ever need ---- all I wanted to do is be able to bake a simple loaf of bread and didn't think I'd ever use the umpteen extra options available on more expensive machine --- in fact I anticipate using only one of the 14 or so options on this machine --- option 1, baking a simple loaf of bread. I'm not a meticulous person, so I love the idea of roughly measuring the ingredients and just dumping them in the recommended order into the pot appeals to me. Dump into the baking pot, press start & 3 hours later put a 2lb loaf on my drying rack -- after cooling put in a zip-lock and pop into the fridge.Well, using option 1 is not limiting my experimentation -- in addition to the first loaf which religiously followed the basic recipe in the instruction pamphlet, I have since made two varieties of a garlic cheese bread and a cinnamon raisin bread by just adding a few ingredients to the basic recipe.Now my son, who looks after my finances which are his eventual inheritance, asked me to do a breakeven analysis comparing the machine's bread to a loaf of store-bought bread. I figure I spent about $100 for the machine including a slicing guide gadget & all the initial ingredients. The flour is the main cost & I figure comes to just under a dollar a loaf - so for simplicity lets say the piddling amount of, salt, sugar & yeast added to the flour does come to $1 per loaf. Comparable store-bought bread locally comes to about $5 a loaf and is only 16 ounces. My machine made bread is twice as heavy. Without considering the additional value of the heavier bread, I figured it will take about 25 loaves of my machine bread to break even and cover the startup and ingredient costs --- every additional loaf is clear savings which increases with each loaf baked.Quality-wise, I'm finding I like my bread better -- particularly with the addition of a cup of grated Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar added to the mix, and that will probably be my main sandwich bread and toasting bread. I also like raisin bread with cream cheese a few mornings a week, so just adding a cup of raisins and a spoon of cinnamon accomplishes that. I have always kept my bread in the fridge to delay mold, and can keep a loaf fresh for a few weeks. If I get carried away and make an extra loaf, the freezer keeps it till I am ready to eat it.Of course it's a plus not having a bunch of artificial preservatives common in store-bought bread. At age 94, I've found a new & fun hobby to make my days more pleasurable & useful. Now when I visit people I can bring a loaf of home-made bread as a gift. The fresh baked smell in the apartment is always welcome when coming home from outside.

I was town between giving 3 or 4 stars. This machine works pretty good - the bread comes out pretty dense and crumbly (at least it does with the recepies in the manual), but I have found that with pretty much any bread machine I've ever used to I can't blame this specific one. Certain recepies are better than other (for example I have found the basic and quick to be the best, "express" never comes out good and doesn't rise). Overall its fun and easy but if you need sandwich bread like you get in the store.. probably not going to happen with this.

My 12-year-old Zojurichi mini-bread machine conked out. I always liked its small size, but not its high price. I decided to try this Amazon Basic bread machine. It's the same size as the Zojurichi mini.I love this one! It's so reasonably priced, and it does a great job. The pan and paddle are non-stick, and are so much easier to clean than my old Z.My kitchen was recently remodeled, and I'm very fussy about what's out on the countertops. This is the only appliance I keep out, because it looks very nice. The "control" panel is on the top instead of on the front, so all of those numbers don't show.

Best bread maker for your buck. I owned this one for 4 years, made countess loaves of bread, used it to make doughs for pizza hundreds of times. Just ordered a new one, my original one was still going strong, but either my dog knocked it off the counter or I put it too close to the edge and it walked off and the lid broke off and couldn’t be repaired. Either way, for $60, ordering a new one isn’t that big of a deal. Super happy with this machine, hence the reason I ordered my second one in white. I also recommended this one to my sister and she’s had hers for several years and loves it as well.