Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker, 2 lb. loaf of bread

We're not cooks. We live in a big city with plenty of bread for sale. We don't need something special, like gluten-free bread. Neither of us has ever baked a yeast bread in our life. So why the heck have we bought a bread machine? Desperation. We used to be able to buy good bread, but somehow everything has become Wonder (bubble) bread, more suitable as a pillow than as something chewy, substantial, and yummy. Longtime small bakeries we loved have cut back their distribution (Buona Forchetta) or vanished (StoneGround). Nobody--including Farmer's Market boutiques--sells European-style dense, flavor-packed whole-grain loaves in this town anymore. My wife and I looked at each other and said, maybe we are going to have to buy a bread machine. So this electronics engineer started exploring the world of bread machines. It's always good to see a basic design being refined. Zojirushi was doing that. I saw it in the model-to-model changes and details. Bread from their horizontal double-paddle machine would fit into our toaster, unlike the 6-inch by 7-inch slices of the vertical single-paddle machines. The latest Zoji was designed so I could start simply with standard, predefined setups, but as I got more skilled, I could program it as I wished from start to finish. Reviews and blog postings had nice things to say about the Zoji despite its cost. Zoji's US office was within reasonable driving distance if we needed to have it fixed. (Everything made in China seems to have its share of manufacturing shortcomings; all of the bread machines, including Zoji's, have some 1-star and 2-star reviews to ponder.) Now that I have made my 10th loaf of bread with our Zojirushi "Virtuoso" without a single failure, I am posting this success-story/review. I started simply, with two Bob's Red Mill bread mixes from the biggest Whole Foods Market in the area. It was really interesting to watch a collection of mixed powders be transformed by the incessant paddling of Mr. Zoji over just a few minutes into a well-behaved ball of dough, which the machine and fast-growing yeast then transformed into bread in 3 more hours. This was a good start; the two bread mixes made satisfactory loaves but I would not go out of my way to buy them in a store. Back I went to several stores, buying items new to me like Vital Wheat Gluten and King Arthur Bread Flour. I used several recipes in Zoji's colorful instruction manual for several more loaves. I was happy to see that it had measurements in grams, as I had vowed to avoid the trap of measuring large amounts of compressible powders by volume. Tablespoons, maybe, but no cups for me--I am using a small digital scale. Amazon Prime-shipped me Beth Hensperger's bread machine book, whose introductory sections I read and reread. I learned to test and adjust the dough ball just after it formed. A white bread was OK but the "Platinum" yeast I used practically pushed the Zoji lid up. A smaller wheat bread was OK but bland and soft. A cinnamon-apple bread was breakfastly sweet but its freeze-dried apple pieces from Whole Foods tasted more like styrofoam than fruit. My first really good loaf was an Italian olive-oil wheat bread in which I had replaced the recipe's basil with rosemary (an idea I stole from La Brea Bakery). That was so delicious that I made up 4 Ziplocs of essentially the same recipe and learned by making minor variations when I baked each. An artisanal baking book, by a baker who does not once use the phrase "bread machine", came home with my wife. I started measuring the starting temperature of the water and adjusting it so that it was always 80 degrees in the Zoji pan before I proceeded. All this time the Zojirushi Virtuoso behaved like a real trouper, never like a prima donna. I used four different "courses" (processes) from its repertoire--the regular and quick basic courses and the regular and quick wheat courses--and nothing ever went wrong, fell flat, burned up, jammed, refused to operate, crashed, or came apart. Cleanup has been easy with the method recommended by several Amazon reviewers: Fill the pan with water after it has cooled off, squirt in some dish detergent, let it soak at least half an hour, wash out, rinse, and dry. This is also all it takes to unpaste the paddles from their shafts. Today's bread approached what we are looking for. It was the Three-Seeded Whole Wheat from the Hensperger book (p.116). I had to convert the flour and dry milk recipes into grams using an Ingredients Chart from the King Arthur website, and have patience and then add a little flour--but with restraint--to a runny, sticky mix that only formed a dough ball when its seeds were added. All was well. I have learned to lift the lid--the Zoji safely stops and marks time--and adjust the shape of the dough ball with a nylon spatula before each dough-rise subcycle. The excellent Zoji instruction manual gives detailed cycle timing so there are no surprises. So there you have it. A total novice is now baking bread that pleases two critical people--his wife and himself. The Zojirushi Virtuoso may not be the only usable breadmaker in the world, but it has done everything it promised.

Oh, I cant tell you how much I love my zojirushi bread maker! I use it 1-2 times a day to make the most amazing breads and cakes! There are two things that I love the most in my kitchen; my zojirushi bread maker, and my zojirushi rice cooker. Whomever made this- thank you, just thank you! My bread is soft and moist and perfect each time. never over or under cooked. I thought all bread machine bread was like a hard log, but this beautiful creation proved me wrong. I get the same response from those whom eat my bread- after the first bite, their eyes widen, and I receive compliments galore. My parents are on a strict diet, and on their cheat days, they beg me to bring over bread! When the 14 year old boys in scouts (hubby is a scout master) come over, they ask for bread with honey as the "dessert". I mentioned that I make 1-2 loaves daily- that is how quickly my small family devours them. The bread that comes out of this thing is better than store bought and I only pay like $.50- $1.00 a loaf? (honestly I haven't calculated it, but is cheaper than a $5+ lump of coal (bread) from the store). Every single time I take a bite of bread from this thing, I practically cry out in song because the bread is just that good. This was the best buy ever. Along with my amazing bread maker, I bought "Bread Loaf Bags, Pack of 100 by Perfect Utopia", those will happily fit a 2 pound loaf or home made pizza; and most importantly, "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook: A Master Baker's 300 Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread-From Every Kind of Machine". I am so in love with my bread machine. It has been the best birthday present ever. I recommend the Zojirushi bread maker to everyone whom has tasted my bread, and I recommend it to you to! You wont be disappointed! This bread machine has been a life changer. Update: Well, it has been nearly a year since my purchase of the Zojirushi bread machine, and I still think it is the best kitchen purchase I have ever made (well, it is tied with my Zojirushi rice cooker). I use my bread machine at least 5 times a week, as I make bread for my family and my parents and our weekly get family get togethers. My bread loaves come out perfectly each time (given that my ingredients- especially my yeast are still good). MY bread is still adored by all we entertain and my 1st grader even says her school friends at lunch love it (I guess they trade lunches sometimes!). I love, love, love, love this bread machine and rant and rave about it every time my bread is complemented. I have saved so much money baking bread instead of buying it, and now my entire family cant stand store bought bread, even my toddler tastes the difference. I love that it takes only a few minutes to load the machine with ingredients and then all I have to do is take the fresh bread out when it is done. Thank you Zojirushi for making such an amazing and high quality product!! Update 1/4/2019 I still love this bread machine!! It makes the best bread ever. I am still praised by my kids and others for the bread this machine puts out. Even after owning it several years, this machine works like a charm. I still use it at least 6 times a week. I mainly make my white bread and the occasional banana or zucchini bread loaf. I will note that after about a year, I do need to purchase new mixing blades. I clean my bread pan/ mixing blades by filling the pan with water and letting it soak an hour or so each time, than cleaning it with a soft cloth, followed by a water rinse. After a banana bread loaf I use soap and have to be more aggressive with the washcloth, but it is easy to clean none the less. I notice when I do make banana bread, it tends to remove the nonstick finish off the mixing blades quicker. I have since just had an "older" set of mixing blades that I use just for banana bread, while I use my newer set for my regular bread, so I don't have to replace them as quickly. When it is colder in my house (guessing 60 degrees or below), there is a higher chance my bread wont rise properly. I tend to end up tossing, making grill cheese sandwiches, or french toast with those loaves when that happens. The taste is still there, just not the light fluffy texture, and it is very dense. I cure this by heating the house, specifically where my machine is at, and baking the loaf during the warmest time of the day. I also have learned that, for at least my machine, placing both mixing blades to point in the same direction (i.e. both point north), the bread will rise evenly. I am not sure if there is some magical science to this, or if it causes the dough to rise evenly, but if they are not pointed in the same direction, I notice that one side will rise higher than the other. Took me a year to figure that out. I still recommend this machine to everyone who loves my bread! I get a good laugh that every time one of my brothers comes to visit, one of the first things they do is 'causally' walk into my kitchen and conveniently stand to talk in front of the bread and than after a few minutes, just nonchalantly cut a huge slice and smother it in our raw honey, and repeat until the loaf is more than half gone (well, at least they have the decency to leave one or two slices for my children, haha). This bread machine has been the best investment, with me only having a pay a few cents a loaf in ingredients. It has more than paid for itself.

I've really enjoyed this bread maker! I've had it for over two years and made a loaf of bread each week. It has held up well. I would buy this again. Pros *The shape of the bread. *Easy to use. *Quiet enough. *Bread comes out of pan easily. Just requires a little shaking. Cons: *Doesn't do mix-ins well. If I want to mix in nuts/seeds, I take the dough out of the maker when it beeps and knead in the nuts on the counter and then put the dough back in. This is easy to do and works well. *I didn't like the included wheat bread recipe, so I found a different one and tweaked it to my liking. It makes a less dense loaf. It is included below. Wheat Bread Recipe 340 mL slightly warm water 3 Tblsp honey (I don't measure the honey, so am guessing here.) 2 Tblsp olive oil 3 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup white flour 2 Tblsp vital wheat gluten 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast Add the ingredients to the baking pan in the order listed. It helps if you keep your flour fluffy...I don't dump the flour in the pan in one big clump, but more like heavy sprinkle it throughout the pan. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the yeast inside the well. Press the course button to select course 2, and press the start button. If you use all whole wheat flour, you will need to increase the vital wheat gluten. Yum! Making some bread right now.

Our trusty, 18-year-old Zo was still going strong when the non-stick coating began to peel. When no replacement parts could be found, we faced the inevitable and began to look for a worthy successor. After much research, other brands seemed to have serious issues we hadn't had with our old workhorse, despite its age (it was a hard act to follow!). Plunking down mega-bucks for the Virtuoso took much soul-searching, especially after so many negative reviews of its predecessor, but we checked Amazon's price daily and took the plunge when it went on sale, since it could be returned if it was a dud. Surprisingly, this machine actually has exceeded our expectations; even 100% whole wheat bread, which in the ancestor Zo could be iffy, is perfect. In both 2 lb. and 1.5 lb. loaves, the crust is just right - not tough or hard; the top is golden and even; every loaf/cake, complex or simple, has been almost freakishly flawless (true, you are paying for those double paddles and top heater, but do they ever make a difference!). In true Zo form, it's simple to use, very quiet and stable, and finished goodies slip right out with minimal holes and cleanup. Paddles remain in the pan, not the bread, and separate easily after briefly soaking the cooled pan in warm water. A "Shape" stage can be used to remove the dough to specially form it or remove the paddles before baking (the splines will remain, but the resulting holes will be much smaller without the paddles), and raising the lid will stop the machine temporarily without interfering with the program. Like older models, the initial "Rest" period warms ingredients as needed before mixing so no need to bring them to room temp first, but a cool new feature is the ability to bypass this stage if you don't need it, which shortens the overall time considerably. The "Add" signal also beeps for a longer period so you have less chance of missing it, which is easy to do if you're not nearby since it isn't very loud. Although the DVD manual provided is unintentionally comical and prim, and mind-numbingly redundant, it does have some useful info not included in the written manual. One consideration before buying would be your available space: since it bakes a horizontal loaf, this is a hefty machine with a footprint 18"w, 11"d, and with the lid raised, 20"h, plus space needed behind and at sides for vents. An extension cord will probably be needed unless parked directly in front of an outlet. Although we've only begun to tap its many talents, after over a month of frequent use (2 - 3 times/wk. for whole-grain breads w/nuts/fruit/seeds, banana bread, cakes, and pizza dough so far, and hopefully noodles soon), we're delighted with our new Zo and recommend it without reservation; we also appreciate Amazon's free shipping and right-on-time arrival before Christmas. Just an added note if you're new to bread makers (and to set straight some previous detractors' comments) - for best results with any machine, take the time to measure ingredients by weight rather than volume and add them in the order recommended in your machine's manual, since order can vary by manufacturer and doesn't necessarily match that listed in cookbook recipes. And if you need more reasons to think Zo, check out the King Arthur Flour website blog where they used one to cook almost every dish last Thanksgiving (except the turkey)!

I reviewed this item extensively before purchasing it, especially the negative reviews. I had a previous bread maker that only had one blade (Regal Kitchen Pro) that made decent bread, but it created a loaf that frequently went over the top of the pan and created a dysmorphic end that was often not fully cooked. I had been looking at machines that made a traditional loaf, and I was afraid to buy a cheap one, but after reading some of the reviews, I almost refrained from buying this model. I am glad that I didn't. I have made bread using machines, by hand, using rapid yeast and also sour dough starter (the real wild type yeast and lactobacillus, not the overnight variety using store bought yeast) so I am not a novice, and I usually make bread by hand and sometimes just mix dough in my old machine. I have been consistently surprised by the quality of bread that comes out of this machine. It came packaged well, I didn't have the problem with a broken lid sensor that some have written about. The recipe book is decent. I particularly like the fact that the book includes weights for all items. This, in my opinion, is key to baking, and a shortcoming to many home recipes. I have learned over the years to convert measures, but it is always nice to see weights along with measures. I will say that the DVD supplied with the machine does demonstrate how to properly measure ingredients, and if followed, will give consistent results when compared to weighing ingredients, usually differing by only a few grams, which is pretty good. One of the comments that I read in other reviews is that only the recipes that are in the book work. This is not true. It is important to understand dough hydration and account for it when converting recipes, but if this is done my experience using other recipe books has been excellent. The bottom line is that this bread machine has only produced excellent bread from the first loaf. I realize that it is possible that the company has a quality control problem and some bread machines are duds, but this machine seems to be very well made and performs like a champ. It is feature rich. I haven't done much but make bread; I don't use the timer feature for overnight cooking because I don't like leaving flour in water for that long, but I have tried the other settings and they work. The breads come out fully risen, well browned with a very good crust. It is still bread machine bread; you won't find the taste that you will if you use real sourdough and preferments, but I am hoping that I can use the sour dough settings and improvise with real sour dough. I would certainly recommend this machine to anyone. It is quiet, it performs exceptionally well, and the bread tastes great for a bread machine; much better than you can buy in a store. You can use other recipes from other bread machine books. I would recommend weighing ingredients, as the manufacturer suggests, but this has nothing to do with this product, just good bread making. So if you can afford it, and you want to make bread on a regular basis, this is a good risk and well worth the money.

This is our second Zoji bread machine. The original (also a horizontal loaf breadmaker) was loaned to some friends, who currently can't find it - so we figured, eh, get a new one, there are BOUND to be better features! Well, yes, indeedy - there ARE! First off, I really like the handles on either end of the baking pail. It makes it SO much easier to remove. Just tilt forward to release the base, then lift out. Simple. AND the ability to set the crust to light, medium, or dark - brilliant! I love this. I didn't so much like the light crust that the old machine produced. This one seems perfect! It has a small battery that runs the clock, so even after you've unplugged it, the clock continues to run, which means it's quite easy to use the Timer feature to have the bread ready when you want it - for example, today, I had some errands to run, so loaded up the breadbaker and set it to complete at 3:30 - easy peasy. Now, the REAL beauty of this, for our purposes, is that it can easily handle 100% whole wheat flour loaves and STILL turn out something just right for sandwich slicing! We've taken to buying hard red winter wheat, sprouting it for a couple days, dehydrating, then grinding into flour - I was actually quite surprised and pleased when the initial loaf yesterday rose up just fine and baked into a tasty loaf - following exactly the recipe included in the manual. Doing similar today with the addition of a bit of onion powder and dill weed. Next up will be the sourdough recipe in the manual! Can't wait. Then pizza dough! There are 3 customizable programs you can preset, if you find that you need to use them - so far this seems to be working fine on the preprogrammed basic/wheat setting, but when I start trying out some of my own recipes, maybe a longer rise time, or more kneading - it won't be a problem with the customization available. This machine is said to also make jam, cakes, meatloaf, etc. I really doubt I'll use those features, but who knows. I may try some of those things at some point. Overall, and with an admittedly short test time so far, I'm very pleased with our purchase. I really was leaning towards another machine, but my husband said, "Why? You liked the old Zoji, and there are so many good reviews!" He was right. UPDATE 12/17/12 - so here we are, several more loaves in, including one where I added fresh rosemary and a pinch of garlic powder - still very pleased with this machine. We also made pizza dough using the dough cycle, which worked perfectly. And I've also used the timed feature a couple times now, with perfect results - in fact maybe a little better rise than the regular wheat cycle that starts immediately! The bread has a perfect, fine texture and the machine breezes through the mixing and kneading process on the 100% whole wheat flour we're grinding. Gotta love something that works as advertised.

The Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker is a great breadmaker. We purchased this and began making bread immediately. There is a recipe book that helps to get you started, but you can also search for other recipes. We have not purchased bread from the store since we made this purchase. Its nice knowing that there are no additional preservatives in your freshly baked bread. the breadmaker is very easy to use and the cleanup is very easy. It does accommodate a 2 lb loaf, but can also be used for 1.5 lb loafs. The larger capacity is great for making pizza dough etc. The machine seems to be built solid, but that's what Zojirushi does, build solid appliances. It costs a little more, but highly recommended.

Regarding the 'Paddle Waddle' wear issue of the Zojirushi. The letter from Zojirushi (manufacturer or some rep) responding to the complainants posted on http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1339046 about eating.aluminum and the engineered failure points of their bread machine. This bread machine has generated NUMEROUS complaints about the Eating Aluminum question and the Paddle Waddle wear failures common to this device. Such a well engineered product EXCEPT for the paddles and the torque delivery system. There is, in my opinion, an engineered failure point in this part of the mechanism. The flats on the shafts, that take the brunt of the beating during the kneading process, are minimally adequate. The play (looseness) between the shaft and the paddle tube body promotes the "stripping" or wearing down of the 'bridge' material that is meant to drive the blades through the bread dough. I am looking at a 'brand new out of the box' device and see that this will fail in the near future. The play creates a brief acceleration of the harder shaft impacting the softer aluminum type material of the paddle body (sorry) each time the paddles change direction, resulting in an impact into the paddle's minimal bridge (locking notch) material. There are a number of simple solutions to this problem but Sojirushi states that it will not fix this problem. There is a letter from the Zojirushi manufacturer (or some rep) responding to the complainants posted on http://www.saferproducts.gov/ViewIncident/1339046. What I got out of their statement is the following (in a nutshell): 1. It is not a problem to *eat aluminum every day. 2. Their machine is destined to fail regularly due to the wear and tear of the paddle design. 3. It is your fault if it does because you used too heavy a mixture in the bread dough. 4. We will not fix this. Opinions of family and friends to Sojirushi: . . . 1. Ingesting aluminum: Your statement that adults eat 7-9 mg of aluminum DAILY is misleading and a bad excuse for your irresponsibility, in my opinion. Most producers of the antiperspirants, antacids, cosmetics, have eliminated and/or found safer substitutions to aluminum in their products. People who are taking control of their health and the food their families eat DO NOT WANT TO BE EATING ALUMINUM. It has been linked to dementia and Alzheimer's as well as other issues. You site statistics for 'adults' but not children, known to be more sensitive to toxins during their development. Fix the paddle waddle Soji and you will essentially fix the aluminum eating issue! . . . 2. This is not rocket science. Making a paddle that will last is something that many of the lower priced bread machine market has mastered a long time ago. My current machine is 5 years in use three times a week and still works perfectly (we are tired of the tall breads). There are numerous ways to avoid the sticking issues other than your paddle waddle solution. Just do it! . . . 3. Are you saying that your machine has limitations to making healthier whole grain or nutrient dense breads because it will quicken the failure points of your mechanism? So your machines are only good for making light white bread or we will pay the constant price of repairs? I can buy white bread in my local local markets for less than what it costs me to make my own. Where is your logic? . . . 4. Bleeding your brand is not smart. Fix the problem. Don't be a Kodak in a changing world. I will return my machine till these issues are addressed. I do like your machine but what good is a luxury car that is unsafe and breaks down all the time? I will not feed my family, friends or myself a daily dose of aluminum to accumulate in my tissues and trust that these oxides and toxins will not be a problem. I also have a issue with your company's decision to extract an additional 'usage tax' with your engineered device failures. There are many other bread machines at a fraction of the cost (I can buy 4 or 5 others to your 1) or go to your direct competitor, Breville, if I want to spend this kind of money. *Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and also state that the average adult American eats 7-9 mg of aluminum per day.