Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker, White
by Sunbeam
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List Price: Our Price: $51.54 You Save: $34.51 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $47.42 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker, White
Customer Review: Works great and all I think I need
Summary: 5 Stars
The Sunbeam 5891 has been great for my purposes. After considering buying a bread machine for a year or more I finally decided to move down to a low priced machine if I could find one with good reviews and this Sunbeam fit that description perfectly. I wonder now what the more expensive machines are offering that would justify paying the higher price since this machine seems to do so much so easily.
Pros: Attractive, fits in our small kitchen, easy controls, nice viewing window, non-stick surface on paddle and pan almost rinses clean, user manual and starter recipes are nice and easy, not too loud (admittedly - I have nothing to compare it to).
Cons: None realized yet but maybe the lack of a few added features like a timer to tell you when to add nuts or an automatic yeast feeder but, actually, I have never thought to use these even if they existed.
I have had almost 100% success with about 1 loaf per day for 3 or 4 weeks. My only failures I attribute to my recipes and ingredients and not the machine. Success was easier when I ditched the 7 month old and open flour and yeast for fresh bought and recent date coded ingredients.
My kids who are picky eaters have not asked for store-bought bread even one time since we began making bread with the machine. The smaller loaf setting (1.5 pound) comes out with slices that are shaped and sized similar to store-bought loaves. The 2-pound loaf is a little tall so we now stick with the 1.5 pound especially since I am enjoying making many recipes so prefer smaller loaves to reduce waste.
Update Dec 27, 2009:
I have been using this now for all of our bread and it still works great. I had one minor problem where the c-clip on the bottom of the mixing unit broke disabling the mixer. That was fixed for a 15 cent c-clip from the local hardware store. It is in fairly heavy use (estimated average of 3 to 5 batches per week). It will be interesting to see if it lasts years and years are gets burned out. No sign of burning out but I have made back my purchase price many times over in savings on bread (plus, of course the bread is much better than store bought). I still cannot think of any reason why I would want a more expensive model than this - I am yet to notice somethign I need and don't have with this machine.
Customer Review: Machine awesome, get a good recipe book
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't let the negative reviews here fool you. This bread machine itself is great, and I can't believe how inexpensive! I picked it up for under $40 at Walmart only to see it is now $34 here on Amazon. It makes 1.5 or 2 lb loaves, has a jam setting, a "raisin beep" (signal to add fresh fruit and other ingredients during the second kneading), bake only (like cakes) and dough only (to mix in machine then bake in oven). Also has up to 13 hour delay so you can wake or come home to fresh bread.
It's the recipes that come in the booklet that are bad. They all have way too much yeast, which is a classic cause of fallen loaves. I can't imagine how they came up with recipes with so much yeast! To see what I mean, Sunbeam has all their bread machine instruction manuals available online at http://www.sunbeam.com/manualsearch.aspx?PCId=3
ANYhoo, I strongly suggest that if you've never made bread by hand before, pick up a good all-inclusive intro to bread machine baking book that includes recipes (I think Better Homes and Gardens and Betty Crocker both have well-rated ones on Amazon). Usually the front of these books include bread baking basics, regardless of whether you are using a machine. The booklets that come with bread machines have only a few very basic recipes anyway, like a crockpot instruction book. This machine is a sturdy, capable tool to use with a descent book. It's too bad the included free one is a dud!
Things to remember: you MUST measure carefully, even more so than with other baking. Don't use dry measure cups to measure your liquid ingredients. Fresh yeast AND flour are a must. Know that adding/substituting in yeast bread recipes is not as "OK" as with other baking.
Also, know that any bread machine is not as much of a "fix it and forget it" walk-away tool as a crock pot (at least, not if you want a perfect loaf every time). You need to check the dough during the second knead cycle to make sure it isn't too wet or dry (which will depend on the weather!). You may have to scrape the sides of the pan, or add additional ingredients (like fruit) later in the cycle. The bread machine is aimed at taking the physical labor out of breadmaking, and also conveniently bake in the same pan. Technically, the same can be accomplished with a heavy-duty mixer and a good oven.
Customer Review: Makes more than bread - and great job for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't let the name "breadmaker" lead you to believe it simply bakes loaves of bread: I use it at least as often to make dough for pizza, soft pretzels, English muffins, dinner and hoagie rolls, etc. - even to mix up banana-walnut bread dough.
I purchased this machine 34 months ago and, based on my flour usage, use it 3-4 times per month. I've had no problem from the machine at all. In early 2007 this machine was $35 with free shipping. It was an incredible bargain then. Now (1/2/10)it's about $20 more but still worth it.
The manual is atrocious, but the learning curve is not high and a little time spent surfing the web should give you a good education - the procedures are basically standard from machine to machine. There are thousands of bread and pizza, pretzel, bagel, etc. dough recipes on the internet as well as tips for making breads.
I recommend also buying an electronic scale and weighing out water, milk, and flour - not measuring by volume. Some of my first loaves had too much water and fell. But since then, I've used an electronic scale to measure water and flour and all of my loaves have been fine. Here's a good set of standards:
Per CUP:
135g = Bread Flour: 4.75 oz
128g = Whole Wheat Flour: 4.50 oz
114g = Rye Flour: 4.00 oz
121g = All-Purpose Flour: 4.25 oz
114g = Cake Flour: 4.00 oz
227g = water = 8 oz.
236g = milk = 8.3 oz.
Note: 1 pound = 453.6 g, 1 ounce = 28.35 g., 1 tbsp = 1/2 oz.
Bread machines usually make dense loaves, which many bread lovers prefer, but if you want "airy" bread, like those in stores, buy a box of Vital Wheat Gluten in the flour section of your market. 2 tsp of active dry yeast and 3 tsp (1 tbsp) of vital wheat gluten used in most White Bread recipes will make a 1 1/2 lb loaf grow to the size of a 2 lb loaf - and cut 25% off both the ingredients needed and the calories per slice while producing store type "airy" bread.
It may take some experimenting to get the moisture/airiness/taste that's right for you in your breads, but that would be true of any machine. And the breads you can make - banana breads, cheese breads, onion breads, etc. are hard to find in stores.
Customer Review: Excellent bread, excellent price
Summary: 5 Stars
My first bread machine - my first time making bread. No problems from the first loaf. So far I've only make the standard 1 1/2 pound plain bread and it's great. I want as little work as possible so here's my recipe and method, slightly different from the manual. Note: premix of yeast and liquid will not work if you use the delay setting.
3 cups white bread flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup oil (I use Canola), 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup water and 1 packet of active dry yeast. I measured my fully hot tap water and it's close enough (~120 F) so I don't bother measuring the temp anymore. I mix the sugar and yeast powder in a drinking glass, add the cup of hot water and stir it up, being careful to break up any clumps, and set it aside. While the yeast/sugar is activating and foaming up I spoon (NOT scoop) the flour into a measuring cup and dump 3 into a mixing bowl and add the salt. Then I measure out the oil. By that time the water/sugar/yeast has gotten frothy. Stir it up and pour the liquid into the pan, add the oil, add the flour/salt, and punch the start button. I no longer even look at the dough when the second knead starts. 3 hours later I have bread with a more open texture and a bit denser than store bought, nooks and crannies for butter, jam, peanut butter, etc. Makes the greatest toast too.
I originally sifted the flour and found I had to add flour during the kneading. Instead I fluff up the flour a bit with the spoon and spoon it into the measuring cup without packing it down. Level the cup with a knife so it's exactly one cup. I use setting #1 and 1 1/2 lb. loaf, and I get about a 1/8" nice crust. When done I pull the pan out and let it cool on the counter for 10-15 minutes in the pan, then remove the bread and let it cool on the counter for another 10 minutes. Then I put it in a ziplock bag to let the remaining moisture soften the crust so it's not to hard or crisp. I keep the loaf on the counter in the ziplock. I have no idea how long it might take to go stale because it's eaten within 3-4 days and then it's gone and time to start baking again. I wish I had tried these machines ten years ago. This is an excellent value.
Customer Review: This is my second bread machine, and it works fine.
Summary: 5 Stars
I read the reviews, some of which cautioned against the loaf collapsing. I gave this cheap machine a chance, and I haven't been disappointed yet. I have used it for two weeks now, and have baked white, wheat, fruit/chocolate bread as well as made pizza dough. I am not sure why loaves collapse on other people--perhaps they live in a different climate (humidity, temperature difference?), their water comes form a different source, or they are using different kinds of flour? Since flour prices are on the rise, some companies are starting to use a different mix, with cheaper grains to defray cost. I don't even follow my bread recipies exactly to the "T," and my loaves come out great. My previous bread machine was a real animal when it came to kneading those tough wheat loaves. My only complaint about this one is that it kind of wimps out when the kneading gets tough. It starts to stall a little bit, and just throws the dough around in the pan instead of give it a good beating. But then again, I busted my last bread machine because I threw in a hard frozen strawberry, and my paddle busted off. Advantage of this whimpy kneading is that it will not over exert itself and break. It kind of knows when it should lay off and go easy. Also, there is no squeaking so far with this one when the kneading gets tough. Noise level overall is normal. I like that the bread pan twists in and out. Paddle comes out nicely, and I have less of a gaping hole in my loaf with this one than I did with my last bread machine. The piece of wire they give you to pick out the paddle from the bread is actually useful. The programs and buttons are pretty straight forward. Buttons are kind of dinky, but it doesn't really matter if you are in it for the bread. Having fancy buttons for an enhanced bread making experience is something that might not be an absolute must for most! I don't get why this doesn't work for some people--bread machines seem pretty straight forward and not that complicated. Isn't it just a coil of heat to warm the loaf and a paddle to knock the dough around?