Customer Reviews for Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 2 lb. Breadmaker in White

...the dough ball! No matter how carefully you measure, it won't come out perfect. Forget about the delayed baking feature. You have to "babysit" the bread during the first knead. If it's too dry, add a *little* water at a time. If it's too wet, add more flower. Sometimes I will even stop and restart the machine in the first few minutes just to get the dough ball perfect. That's it!

As a first time owner of a bread making machine my wife and I couldn't be happier with this model from Hamilton Beach. Compared to other bread makers out there this model is the most inexpensive one and yet manages to make really delicious and healthy breads. We have stopped buying preservative loaded breads from the grocery store and have started baking our own loaves twice a week. The delay function is great allowing us to place ingredients at night and get a delicious, warm bread when we wake up. Needless to say, home made bread smells divine. One really pleasant surprise was the jam cycle. I have started making jam too which is a breeze. Just add a cup of sugar, a pint of blueberries, a slice of lime juice, a little pectin and 90 minutes later the jam is ready. The bread maker (like almost all other bread makers) is slightly large in size so be sure you have enough counter space in your kitchen. Happy baking.

This has proven to be very nice. I have made 40 loafs of bread at least and tons of pizza dough. my only issue is the different cycles printed on the top wiped off after cleaning it once, so now I have to look in the manual to see what setting it goes to.

Works well for both bread and cookie dough. No problems.

I use it mostly to knead dough but to make bread it was a trial and error. The first few times i followed the instructions in the book as it was didn't help. I then watched a few videos in YouTube and figured the water level was low. Since fixing that I have made it a few times and they are awesome. Don't lose hope if it doesn't come out good the first few times.

This bread machine is really easy to use right out of the box. I love how simple it is to clean up as well. Since purchasing it 2 months ago, I've made at least 8 loaves of bread and plan to make a lot more. The booklet gives you recipes that are so easy (steps for adding the ingredients into the machine), you can tackle a recipe in less than 10 minutes. There are some drawbacks to this machine though. 1) it's very big so I only place it on the kitchen counter when in use; 2) it's a bit loud so I don't start it up when my little ones are sleeping; 3) I wish there were more recipes in the accompanying booklet! The banana bread recipe actually says to add a box of banana bread mix... Ummm, what? I would guess the person who uses a bread machine to make banana bread at home isn't the same person who would use a store bought mix? Other than these few annoyances I think it's a really good value for the money.

So far, I have only used the bread machine 4 times. The second time I used it, it started to make a clicking sound. I checked to be sure that I had the pan in and locked properly in place, then checked the paddle and it was locked in properly. It still makes the sound, it is annoying, but it is working just fine for now. This machine makes a one and a half to two pound loaf. I thought it only made a one pound loaf, so it is kind of big for me. The machine is also bigger than I had expected, so I had to clear off more of my cooking utensils to make a place for it. Also, there are three setting for the color of the crust. I keep it on light, because the medium of too dark and hard for me. I have a bread recipe that has been in my family for four generations, and with very little adjustment, the bread tastes just as good from the machine. Old stoves had a pilot light and I would put my bread in the oven to keep it warm so it could rise, but the new stoves don't have the pilot light, so this machine is kind of handy.

Have to admit that I bought this bread machine because of the price. Never owned one before. Knew little about them. Was more than pleasantly surprised when I began to use this. Results are excellent, easy to use, easy to clean. I now have easy access to bread that is preservative free, and only has ingredients that I want, such as honey instead of refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. Have always had good experiences with Home Depot, and store did not let me down on this purchase. Ordered online and picked up at store two days later.

perfect aand at a greaqt price. Arrived in a timely fashion and works great !!!!!!!!!!!!

The price is great and easy to use. I'm happy with this product.

Not until I bought this machine did I know that making home-baked bread could be easy and mess-free! This bread machine does all the work, and we love the smell and taste of the bread. We also loved Home Depot's price, which was cheaper than even Amazon's.

This is a great product. I love this bread maker. I will never make bread by hand again.

I basically use it for making dough. Very happy with it!

The machine is easy to use and makes great bread. The same machine sells for more from other vendors. It is a great value.

Love this bread machine. Very easy to use and priced reasonable

I have always wanted a bread maker. I stopped buying bread in the store because it would go stale so fast I always had to choose based on the expiration date. Now I can make my own fresh bread when I want it. So far I've made French and raisin bread. There's nothing like fresh bread and butter. The unit is easy to use. However the paddle has gotten stuck a couple times in the unit. An overnight soak in soapy water does the trick.

this is easy to use , just follow recipes and instructions , then just walk away. i have had for 3 weeks and have used 6 times , so far so good and the price was right . it si also very easy to clean.

This if my first time owning a bread machine so I have nothing to compare it to. My first loaf didn't turn out so well, but I used a recipe I found on line instead of one from Hamilton Beach. If you're looking for nice, even, perfect loaves, try the bread isle of the supermarket. If you want bread that tastes good without ingredients you can't pronounce, this is an excellent unit I seem to get the best results with a 1.5 lb loaf but that's probably me getting used to doing it right. I've had some excellent bread from it, including a fantastic banana nut bread. I don't like the big hole in the bottom of the loaf from the paddle, but I guess all but a couple of high end units have this issue. Bottom line, it's $38. If you get a few years out of it, you'll know if you even want to make your own bread and can decide if you want a more expensive unit. It's pretty simple to use, put in the ingredients, push a couple buttons and walk away. Only objection I have is you have to put in the liquid ingredients first leaving your measuring cups wet for the dry. Simple solution, measure the dry into a bowl, then put the wet into the bread pan, adding the dry last.

This Bread Maker is very good, the only problem is that it didn't keep warm (80F) during the dough rise period; my kitchen is cold, so my bread rise little. Will be complete if this machine keep a little warm (to maintain 80F) during the dough rise.

First time using this maker I really enjoyed it, although it is a little bulky in size. The features are easy to understand and I loved the different crust settings. The bread came out soft on inside crispy on outside. Also really easy to clean, wipe it clean with damp cloth. The thing I did not like is that the paddle gets stuck in the bread and had to pry it out, leaving a hole in the bread which is hard when trying to cut the bread. After the second time using the machine, the lid on the right side of the machine would not close all the way down. Perhaps due to the heat in the chamber, the rubber/ plastic towards the back had raised up on the right side of the inner chamber. It is clearly a defect, the left side was fine. I doubt bread will come out the same next time, since the lid needs to be closed when the dough is rising. So I am returning this item and will try to get a refund and invest in a better brand. Glad this happened within the 90 day return policy.

A bread machine is a bread machine - a couple of paddles + basic electronics to control the cycles, the rest of what you are paying for is the brand marketing costs. This one may feel a little basic w/o all the superficial bells and whistles, chrome and gadgets, but it makes great dough which is what I needed it for.

I've had this Hamilton Beach Breadmaker #29881 for a couple weeks now and used it 4 times. The first time the loaf came out slightly misshaped and darker on one side. I found the problem was that I had put it where it was in line with the air-conditioning floor vent which created a draft up one side of the machine. Now I move the machine to a draft free location when in use and it bakes fine ( it's quite lightweight). Haven't tried the jam cycle yet. This machine is fussier than my old one in that the ingredients must be put in in the correct order with ALL liquids on the bottom, or they don't seem to mix too well. With those two problems (my own fault) corrected this makes a nice loaf of bread and can do it in just about an hour on the express cycles. And the price was terrific, I paid just $45.00! Yummy -- get baking, you and your family will love fresh hot bread!

My wife really likes her new Hamilton Beach 2lb. bread maker because she finds it to be more efficient with the 2lb. loaf versus the old 1.5lb. size. She also tells me its clearly marked and the controls are very easy to understand. Cleaning it up is a breeze. The price was fantastic when compared with other brands. We really appreciate the quality, ease of use, and the value Hamilton Beach has included in it's manufacture!

bought this to replace my breadman machine which finally broke after owning it for almost 8 years. I really like this bread machine! The pan is deeper and the twist to lock and unlock the pan feature is nice! I also love that you can make Jams in it. I plan on trying out that feature once my strawberries come in! The only con is the machine size is larger then my old one so its hard to store away when not in use

I only had the option to buy this bread maker online, with free shipping to my house. The shipping was very fast! Bread maker is great! I've had it for two weeks, and have already used it multiple times. Highly recommend!

it makes excellent Pizza Dow. reasonably quiet. good size, easy to clean. Great price. I think that I made the best choice..

Given the low price, I did not expect much from this machine, but it is perfect in every way. It is easy to operate. The bread pan is easy to remove and clean. It makes a perfect loaf of bread. I always make a 2 lb. loaf with a light crust. I've only had one failed loaf. The instruction manual stated that it was OK to lift the lid in the early stages of kneading. I opened the lid for about two seconds during the initial mixing stage, which was a mistake. The loaf turned out small and hard. I made the same bread again, without lifting the lid, and it turned out perfect. It takes less time to bake a loaf of bread in this machine than it takes to drive to the store to purchase one. It only takes 11 minutes to add the ingredients to the pan and then I just start the machine and let it do its thing. I have made several different flavors, all of them tasty and fresh. The machine arrived with a spare kneading paddle, which was a nice surprise. It took a while after I ordered the machine for it to arrive, but the price was right and shipping was free. My only challenge now is to find a bread slicer or slicing guide that will accommodate this loaf size.

I'm no bread expert so a $45 unit seemed like the right choice when my 20-year-old Zojirushi (also dirt-cheap) died. This machine is a step up from the old Z with a 2 lb. capacity, a viewing window, and a dozen different bake cycles .... It does a fine job; but it's hard to get enthusiastic about it because it's so noisy. First, it beeps (loudly, 10 times) at the start of the cycle (so, around 5am -- grr) and then again (10 more times! loud!) when done. I can't believe somebody actually programmed this in, with no option to adjust it or turn it off. I'm thinking of taking the unit apart to remove the beeper once and for all. Second, this machine is LOUD when kneading the bread: you do not want to be in the same room. The old Z would discreetly "rump, rump" away in the corner while we entertained guests; but this one fills the room with the sounds of ... I don't know, an industrial paint mixer or something.

The machine won't turn on, I will contact HB tomorrow since they close at 4. If I'm doing something wrong besides plugging in it and hitting CYCLE, I'll rewrite this review.

I love this bread maker! It is easy to use, easy to clean - wish I had two so I could bake more bread