On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:52:07 -0500, Andy <q> wrote:

>I will not be defeated! So TJ doesn't carry my bread anymore. I'm looking
>into a bread machine.
>
>Much research has narrowed my decision to a Panasonic SD-YD250 ABM.
>
>After reading back through the r.f.c archives and web reviews a couple
>things came to mind.
>
>The loaf size is much larger and more a square than an ordinary
>rectangular loaf of white bread, so I'll be using it just to make the
>dough and bake it in a reasonable loaf pan. I don't want to increase the
>size of a sandwich as a result. I like my 4"x4" sandwich surface area.
>That and one reviewer mentioned that the slices don't fit in a regular
>toaster. I'll no doubt bake the first couple loaves in it. Do other bread
>machines bake ordinary loaves?

Quite a while ago most manufacturers changed to 2 lb loaf and since
they didn't make the machines taller, they made them fatter which a)
increased the footprint of the machine and b) made the slices stupidly
large. Also, it seems a lot of people couldn't get past the vertical
configuration and square slices and would rather have a horizontal
loaf. Apparently they have kitchens with a lot of counter space,
which I don't have. So my goose is pretty much cooked when I have to
buy a new one.

My old 1.5 lb loaf Toastmaster from 1994 is still going. I had the
foresight at some point years ago to buy a spare breadpan which was
good because when the paddle on the old one got stiff I could still
use the machine. The non-stick is wearing off of this second one
(they don't make those breadpans anymore) but I'll get a few more
years use out of it by letting the bread sit in the pan for 5 min.
The crust isn't crunchy anymore but at least the loaf comes out in one
piece.

I dread the day I have to buy a new machine. If you like the machine
you buy, you might consider getting a spare bread pan. Especially if
you make a lot of whole wheat bread as that tends to scratch off the
non-stick coating after years of kneading.

>I don't understand the use of an advance-ON timer. Can you really leave
>those ingredients just sitting there for 13 hours without spoiling?

Yes, but use dried milk (and no eggs). The yeast goes on top of the
dry ingredients. Panasonic used to have a "yeast dispenser" (why oh
why?); I don't know whether they do anymore.
>
>The recipes in the on-line manual.pdf call for butter but my old bread
>ingredients list canola oil. Is this a practical substitute in an ABM?

No problem.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!