Oster 5838 ExpressBake Breadmaker, White

I have owned and used this breadmaker for 5 years now and there is no reason to get another one. The best part is it comes out with a loaf of bread that looks like a loaf of bread, not some tube of baked stuff.

This one is reliable.

As for making a good loaf of bread, one of the best hints I have found to follow is to measure your flour not by volume but by weight - a cup is 5 oz. This is what bakers do because all kinds of things can affect the volume of the flour you're measuring; moisture, settling, etc.

I have only one complaint about this machine: the bread is so good that I am averaging about one loaf every day during the week and about 3-4 loaves every weekend because we go through it so quickly, and there are only two of us! (Of course, we have guests who also eat it!) I have a suggestion, though: make up the dry ingredients (except for the yeast) ahead of time by measuring out the flour, salt and sugar and put into a zipper bag, labelling it as to which kind of bread it is. (We make about 3-4 varieties every week.) That way, you only have to grab the bag after putting in the liquid ingredients; and then, of course, there's the yeast. (Don't forget to keep room temperature water, butter, oil and eggs out on your counter as well.)

I also invested into a bread slicer and slice the bread when it's still a bit warm and put into a bag immediately so then you can just grab and go when you need it, which also cuts down on crumbs throughout the week.

I must admit this is the first bread machine I have ever owned. I have had no problems with it at all. The manuel is well written and will have you making bread in no time. There are three crust settings for how dark you would like your bread, and one touch buttons for the type of bread you are making (french, basic etc.) I have made alot of bread with this machine, homemade and store bought mixes. The bread is always baked to perfection. Clean up is a snap with the non stick pan. One thing I really enjoy making is pizza. This machine performs very well making the dough, and the real plus is, the dough next to free to make. I think anyone who wishes to purchase a bread machine will be very happy with this one.