Best deal 🤩 Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker, Brushed Stainless Steel, BBM800XL 😍

2 reviews for Best deal 🤩 Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker, Brushed Stainless Steel, BBM800XL 😍

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Just Jim – September 5, 2015

   The Breville BBM800XL (hereafter called “the 800”) is an elegant bread maker. It has good looks for sure. Mine arrived with no cosmetic defects and was well packed to survive the journey. The brushed steel housing is a bit thin and flexes with just a little pressure. I would think for the price it could be a bit more substantial but that’s just my opinion. I have other Breville appliances and this machine is a nice match.I have been baking bread the old fashioned way for at least 40 years. Although the old way is still best, a bread maker is often a better alternative for me than turning on the oven and heating the entire kitchen on a summer’s day.I would like to compare the 800 to the Zojirushi BB-PAC20 (hereafter called “the Zo”). These are not the only bread machines in town, but I do have experience with both. I think people looking for a high end machine would like a comparison.This Zo is a bit heavier. It feels more solid than the 800. The Zo sits lower and is a bit wider. The 800 can wander around while it kneads. This can be a disaster if you are not prepared for it. I found that if I use a damp rag and wipe the feet clean as well as the counter top beneath it that it will stay firmly in place. Things should be clean in the kitchen anyway, right?My 800 worked fine right out of the box. My first two Zo’s were duds. Briefly, there was a bad noise problem with two units. The third one works properly. Thanks to Amazon for helping with this.I suppose the main question to answer is how well do these two machines bake bread? I think the Zo is the best performer. Bread from the Zo is evenly browned and well formed. The Zo has a heavier bread pan than the 800. The 800’s loaf is a bit dark on the bottom when set for “medium” crust. It turns out as medium at the top and dark, but not burned, on the bottom. The Zo’s two-pound loaf is of “normal” dimensions and fits my bread slicer. The 800 is a wider loaf about 5-1/2″ inches wide. The Zo is a bit short of 5 inches wide. The Zo can make a tall 2-pound loaf, though, whose slices do not really fit a normal toaster. They stick out an inch in my Breville toaster. So those are a job for a toaster oven to toast.After using the 800 a few times, I found there to be absolutely no problem with keeping the folding paddle clean. When the pan cools I fill it with warm water and a drop of detergent. A half hour later the paddle is easy to remove from the pan. (I do the same soaking routine with the Zo.) I use a brush to scrub out the paddle, rinse, and that’s that. I wish the Zo had a substantial paddle like this. With care, this paddle should definitely last and not wear out around the shaft like the the Zo’s paddles.I believe that if the paddle is ever put away without a thorough cleaning the dough inside the slot will harden and cause a problem. So once again, just keep it clean as you should be doing anyway.The 800 is not a quiet machine. The pan is only held down by gravity where the Zo locks into place. While kneading the 800 emits slamming sounds. Since it only has one relatively large paddle, the dough ball tends to get slammed around. It is louder than a properly working Zo. This was disappointing since so many reviews said the machine was quiet. The Zo tends to keep the dough more in place while it kneads because it has two paddles. On the other hand, one defective Zo I had was the noisiest bread maker I’d ever heard and I returned it.It is tricky to remove the hot pan from the 800. It has only a flimsy thin wire handle that flops from one side to the other when you try to grasp it with a pot holder. This handle is about as thick as coat hanger wire. It doesn’t latch in a straight up position. It is really hard to get a pot holder or mitt onto it when it is lying down flat in a hot machine. I use tongs to assist in getting the handle up a bit so I can grab it. Even then, I always manage to burn myself. True, the lid could be left open for a long while and let the thing cool first. However, I like to remove the bread from the machine when it’s done and not let it soak in the heat. The Zo has two substantial handles which make it supremely easy to remove the pan. Just rock it toward you so it unlatches and then pull it out of the machine. No drama at all.The 800 control panel puts the Zo to shame. It is head and shoulders above the Zo. It is easy to see the settings. It works differently from the minimalist panel on the Zo, but not in a bad way. I find it easy to operate. I think it is the best feature of the 800.The 800 has an excellent interior light. Too bad that most of the time the viewing window is obscured by condensation so that you would have to lift the lid to wipe it clear to see. That kind of limits the usefulness of the light since you’ve got the lid open.The Zo pauses automatically whenever the lid is lifted and restarts automatically when the lid is closed. The 800 does not care if the lid is open. I just keeps on chugging or baking away. If you want to pause the 800 you push a button. Tie score on that one, I’d say.The dispenser works but I don’t use it. You will hear it noisily pop open near the end of the first knead cycle whether you are using it or not. The Zo has no dispenser.The 800 emits beeps that are inaudible to me. The frequency is too high for my old ears. The Zo has lower pitched beeps that I can hear if I am in the same room with it.The 800 has handy posts at the back to allow wrapping the power cord neatly out of the way. The Zo does not have any kind of cord management.Both machines have delay start. The feature is nicest on the Zo where you have to do no head math at all to know when the delayed start bread will be ready. The 800 lets you set the amount of delay and it is up to you to figure out at what time your bread will be ready.The 800 gets much too hot on the outside while baking. If you should touch it you will quickly pull your hand away in pain. Strangely, the lower 3 or 4 inches of the skirt stay cool so you can safely grasp the machine and take it to another place after baking. The top is still very hot so care is still needed. The Zo seems better insulated, keeping the heat inside. The Zo only feels hot if you touch the view window. (Trust me, it’s hot!)The Zo comes with a colorful recipe book with large type. I like it by far over the smallish monochrome book that comes with the 800. I especially like that it describes exactly what each program (Zo calls them “courses”) does and spells out the length of each cycle and its steps by using a little graph for every group of recipes. Very handy. The 800 pretty much omits this type of information. It does explain the limits of the custom programs but you don’t really get to know the workings of each program. The 800 has a much wider customization range than the Zo. This feature may be very important to some. I am OK with the limited variations available on the Zo.The 800 is a nice machine but I do favor the Zo. I like the even baking of the Zo and I like the more normal size of the loaf. I like that the Zo has two paddles. I can only opine that I think it mixes better. It takes the 800 quite a while to bring the dough together while kneading. The Zo is more thorough, quiet, and faster. Overall, I see no real problem with either machine in this regard. I do think the 800 has to work a lot harder than the Zo to mix things up effectively with only one paddle and perhaps that is why it is noisier.As I’ve said I have other Breville appliances. I have found their customer service to be helpful and genuinely concerned when I’ve laid a problem at their feet. Zo, on the other hand, has a somewhat arrogant and off-putting tone in their response to questions. Zo also seems to have terrible quality control. It took me 3 tries to get a machine that works.You will not be disappointed if you buy the 800. The paddles are really not a problem if you care for them. I don’t know why they are an obsessive target of condemnation in the reviews. It bakes good bread and it is very versatile. As I’ve said I happen to prefer the Zo by just a little bit. It mixes and bakes a more attractive loaf. I must caution, though, that in my experience the likelihood of getting a defective Zo are high. Be prepared for disappointment if you order one. However, Amazon will make it right if you want to return it.How about for gift giving? Both are good choices but consider that the Zo comes with a nice booklet and an instructional DVD. If you are giving to a novice baker, this could be helpful. On the other hand, a Zo probably needs to be checked out before you give it as a gift or you may cause disappointment. It’s sad that I can’t say otherwise, but I had to return two already. For the least fuss, I’d say the 800 is the best bet. It looks nice and is maybe less likely to be a lemon. As always, these are just my opinions. I don’t consider myself biased either way, these opinions are borne from what I have experienced.I would rate the Zo at 3 stars. I give it only three stars because although it bakes great bread it caused me a lot of grief with poor quality. Had I not had quality problems with the Zo I would have given it a 5 star rating.Happy bread making!

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Michele – November 14, 2022

   This bread maker is awesome and I’m in love! I’ve had only two other bread machines in our 35 year marriage – a Breadman that someone gave to us when they bought a new one, and a Cuisinart. The Breadman lasted forever even though it was already pretty old. The Cuisinart was a good machine – it probably lasted 10 years. It finally quit and I splurged and bought this beauty! My two favorite breads are the whole wheat and the French loaf. I haven’t had it long, and I look forward to trying many more! I love the controls and all the features. I love how the lid comes off. It makes it much more easy to store. I have an old farm kitchen and it’s a challenge to find space for my bigger appliances. But it fits right into one space with the lid off and I keep a towel draped over the top. It’s also real easy to clean.I see one common complaint about the paddle. I soak the paddle in warm soapy water after baking. It softens what bread gets caught in the paddle works. Then I use a toothpick in all the crevices and two tiny holes. Rinse off a few times and it really seems to work to keep the paddle nice and loose.The rubbery feet on the bottom seem to work great while it’s running. I have original ‘40’s Formica countertops, so I don’t know if that makes a difference. I do sit it back on the counter a bit just in case it might work it’s way forward, but it really doesn’t move too much. It’s quieter than my previous machines.I can’t think of one negative thing so far! Well, one thing maybe, but it’s not a big deal. When I made my first loaf of French bread, I noticed the recipe amounts were not right. When I got to the flour, it was in Tablespoons! I looked at other recipes and figured 3 cups might be right, and it turned out okay. I called in to customer service and she sent me a link to the online user manual. It had all the correct measurements. So that’s one weird thing someone might find in the user manual that is included!I feel it’s worth the money and I pray it lasts a good long time!!