Breadman TR2500BC Ultimate Plus 2-Pound Stainless-Steel Convection Breadmaker

After reading other reviews, I took my life in my hands and ordered the Breadman 2500. Fortunately, I have had no trouble with the machine at any of the stages. Having baked bread by hand regularly for over 40 years, I was surprised to find the Breadman texture quite acceptable. Here are a couple of tips I got from the company while trying to do the basic set up: 1. When you turn on the machine to "burn off manufacturing oils", take the bread pan out and leave the top of the machine open. This was not mentioned in the booklet. 2. When you set the cycle you want for a loaf, don't expect to see words like "white bread" - you get only the amount of time it takes to run the full cycle. Keep pressing "Select" until the arrow on the right stops where you want it. Then do the same with "Crust Control" and "Loaf Size". Then you're ready to push "Start". 3. After you have completed the entire baking, push the Reset button and hold down for 4 seconds. Do this as well if the...Read more

I bought this machine at Target, mainly because I was very nervous from all the negative reviews and I wanted to be able to return it easily. I safely tucked away my receipt, and started making bread. Very worried about burning out the motor or having the machine jump off the counter in an act of manic self-destruction, I researched why this happens so I could avoid the problem. I discovered two interesting things that may help with the burn out problem and hopping machine that some of the reviews mention.

1. The manual recommends when you first run the machine to do so empty to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process. You need to keep the lid OPEN, which they do not mention; this will ensure the unit does not get overly hot.

2. It is critical to always, always, add the liquid first, regardless of the instructions or whether or not it is a gluten free recipe. Adding the flour first then the liquid on top will contribute to the `hopping' and...Read more

I was given one of these machines for Christmas and am so pleased that I am buying one for my niece. We make only gluten free bread, which is significantly different than "regular" so I don't know about other reviews stating problems - perhaps there is a lot of unit to unit variability. We have had a couple loaves fail but, in general, get far better bread than we are able to make by mixing and baking in the oven. We figured out that with the cost of gluten-free bread from local stores is so expensive (fresh made is even more expensive than the horrid frozen loaves that grocery stores sell) that by making our own the payoff time for making our own is less than 6 months at a loaf a week!