Breadman BK1200SS Bread Machine: Full Review

The Breadman BK1200SS is a 2lb bread machine that allows home bakers to easily make delicious homemade breads with minimal effort. This sturdy stainless steel appliance features a dozen programmed settings to bake a variety of bread styles including white, whole wheat, french, sweet, and quick breads. With its user-friendly control panel and viewing window, the Breadman BK1200SS takes the guesswork out of artisanal bread baking. The collapsible fruit and nut dispenser provides flexibility for custom ingredients. For bakers who want freshly baked bread on demand, the Breadman BK1200SS is an appliance worth considering.

Design and Appearance

The Breadman BK1200SS bread maker has a sleek stainless steel exterior that will look great on any kitchen counter. It measures approximately 14 x 8 x 12 inches, so it has a smaller footprint than many other bread machines. There is a large LCD display on the front that shows the selected program, crust setting, size, and timer. It has an easy-to-use control panel with buttons to select the cycle, crust type, loaf size, start/stop, and more. The interior bread pan is made of non-stick coated aluminum which makes removing bread easy. The viewing window on the top lets you monitor the baking process. Overall, the design is modern, compact, and user-friendly.

Features

The Breadman BK1200SS bread maker has a number of great features that make it easy and convenient to make delicious homemade bread.

• Large 2 pound capacity - The BK1200SS can make loaves up to 2 pounds in size, perfect for large families or if you want leftovers. It has a large viewing window so you can watch the bread as it mixes, rises, and bakes.

• 12 bread settings - There are settings for basic breads like white, whole wheat, French, and sweet. You can also make more specialty loaves like gluten-free, artisan dough, jam, and cake. The fast bake cycle is just 3 hours.

• 3 crust color options - Choose light, medium or dark crust settings based on your preference.

• 15-hour delay timer - You can add ingredients to the bread pan, select your settings, and program the machine to start up to 15 hours later. That way you can wake up to freshly baked bread.

• 60-minute keep warm - Once the loaf is baked, it will stay warm for an hour so you can enjoy it right out of the machine.

• Fruit and nut dispenser - This allows you to add mix-ins like raisins, cranberries, or walnuts at the optimal time during the kneading process.

• Removable pan and kneading paddles - The non-stick pan releases bread easily and is dishwasher safe. The paddles are removable for easy cleanup.

Overall, the BK1200SS has versatile programming and helpful features that allow you to bake a variety of breads with minimal effort.

Ease of Use

The Breadman BK1200SS bread machine is designed for easy, intuitive use. The large LCD control panel clearly displays each step of the breadmaking process and allows you to easily program settings like crust color, loaf size, and cycle selection.

Programming the BK1200SS is straightforward with the menu-driven interface. You simply add ingredients to the non-stick bread pan in the order listed, select your settings, and press start. The machine does the rest, mixing, kneading, rising and baking with no effort required. A 13-hour delay start timer allows you scheduling flexibility.

Clean up is minimal with this breadmaker. The non-stick inner bread pan releases dough easily and is dishwasher-safe. The stainless steel body simply needs a quick wipe down. There is also a handy reminder beep when the cool down period is complete, so you remember to remove the freshly baked bread.

Overall, the BK1200SS is designed to make the breadmaking process extremely simple. The intuitive programming options, delayed start timer, and easy clean up allow you to enjoy homemade loaves with minimal effort.

Performance

The Breadman BK1200SS performs very well at making high quality loaves of bread. The bread comes out with a nice even rise and good crusty exterior. The inner crumb is soft and airy. It can handle basic white bread, as well as more complex recipes with whole grains and mixes ins like nuts and fruits. The loaves are consistent batch after batch.

The BK1200SS is quite reliable and can handle frequent use. The stainless steel body is durable and built to last through years of bread making. It doesn't overheat or struggle with larger batch sizes.

This bread machine runs quietly, especially compared to some other models. There is some noise during the kneading cycles as the paddle mixes the dough, but it's not overly loud. The motor hums along relatively quietly while baking. This makes it fine to run while you're home without it being too distracting.

Recipes and Options

The Breadman BK1200SS comes with a recipe book that includes recipes for basic breads like white, whole wheat, French, and Italian. It also has recipes for more specialty breads like banana, zucchini, cinnamon raisin, and jalapeño cheese.

The bread machine can make standard 1-pound, 1.5-pound, and 2-pound loaves. With the different loaf sizes and recipes, you can bake a good variety of breads. The fast bake setting allows you to make a 2-pound loaf in under an hour.

Some other settings on the Breadman let you customize your bread. There are settings for different crust colors (light, medium, dark) and crust textures (soft, medium, hard). You can delay the start of baking by up to 15 hours. There is also a keep warm function that keeps the bread warm for 60 minutes after baking is done.

So with the included recipes and settings, the BK1200SS gives you flexibility to make all kinds of great breads. From basic sandwich bread to sweet quick breads to artisan loaves, this bread machine can handle it. The options allow you to customize the loaf size, crust, and start time to fit your needs.

Accessories

The Breadman BK1200SS comes with some handy accessories to help you get started baking right away.

• It includes two loaf pans - a 1 pound and 2 pound pan. Both are made from sturdy, non-stick coated metal to easily release your baked breads.

• There is a measuring cup and spoon set, allowing you to accurately measure all the ingredients for your bread recipes.

• A kneading paddle and bread blade are included. The paddle mixes and kneads the dough. The blade cuts and shapes the dough during the baking process. Both can be removed easily when the cycle is complete.

• A viewing window in the top lets you watch the dough as it kneads and rises. The window has a light that illuminates the bread pan for better viewing.

• There are also several cookbooks included with tested recipes optimized for the Breadman. The recipes range from basic loaves to more artisanal breads, with enough variety for any bread lover.

The accessories included with the BK1200SS give you everything you need to start experiencing the fun, aromas and tastes of homemade bread right out of the box. With sturdy pans, handy utensils, and recipes, you'll be amazed at the delicious fresh loaves you can bake yourself using this bread machine.

Warranty and Support

The Breadman BK1200SS bread maker comes with a 1 year limited warranty which covers defects in materials and workmanship. This warranty only applies if the machine is used under normal household conditions and in accordance with the provided user manual. If you experience problems with your machine, contact Breadman customer support to determine if your issue is covered.

For additional support, Breadman's customer service team can be reached by phone at 1-800-233-9054 or by email through their contact page on the company's website. Based on customer reviews, their customer service representatives are generally helpful and responsive in troubleshooting issues and facilitating returns or replacements if covered by warranty. However some customers report frustration with long hold times when phoning for support.

When contacting their support team, have your order information and machine model number ready. Expect to answer questions about how your machine was being used when the issue occurred. If the problem is determined to be a manufacturer defect rather than damage from misuse, they should provide instructions for inspection, return, and replacement of the defective unit.

Overall, the 1 year warranty provides consumers protection from early device failure or malfunction. And Breadman's customer service team aims to provide prompt solutions. However, be aware that the warranty coverage is limited, and you may encounter some wait times to receive support. Maintaining proof of purchase and your machine's serial number can help facilitate the process.

Pros and Cons

The Breadman BK1200SS bread maker has several benefits as well as some drawbacks to consider:

Pros

• Large 2 pound loaf capacity
• Sturdy stainless steel construction
• Intuitive control panel with 13 settings
• Delay start timer for flexibility
• Keep Warm function to maintain freshness
• Includes fruit and nut dispenser, measuring cup and spoon
• Thorough user manual with troubleshooting tips
• 1 year limited warranty

Cons

• Expensive price point
• Tall, bulky size takes up counter space
• No gluten-free or specialty bread settings
• Fruit and nut dispenser can jam
• Pan tends to stick if not oiled properly
• Mixed reviews on reliability past 1 year

The Breadman BK1200SS produces high quality loaves and offers handy features like the delay timer. However, the price is quite high and some users report issues with durability over time. Doing research and weighing pros vs cons can help determine if this bread maker is the right choice for your needs.

Conclusion

The Breadman BK1200SS bread maker is an excellent choice for home bakers looking for a high-quality bread machine with lots of options and easy clean-up. Its sleek stainless steel design and LCD control panel make it an attractive and user-friendly appliance.

The BK1200SS can make a variety of bread styles, including white, whole wheat, French, sweet, and quick breads. It has 12 pre-programmed settings plus 3 crust color options and 3 loaf size options to customize your bread. The collapsible kneading paddle ensures even baking and eliminates the hole left by traditional paddles.

While the BK1200SS is on the pricier side, it delivers consistently delicious results once you find the right recipes and settings. Its large viewing window allows monitoring without stopping the cycle. The non-stick pan cleans up fast after use.

Overall, the Breadman BK1200SS combines versatility, thoughtful design, and durability that make it one of the best bread machines currently available. For exceptional homemade bread with minimal effort, the BK1200SS is hard to beat. It earns our hearty recommendation for any home baker devoted to turning out high-quality loaves.