My first bread (29 Dec 08)

After spending the evening acquiring all the raw materials required to bake a basic beard, 'm ready to start. I have chosen the easiest to bake bread i.e. the basic regular bread. Though its one of the easiest to bake bread in the recipe, I was bogged down with vexing task like how to measure 1 tablespoon of butter. This link might offer some help to people facing the same problem. If you are struggling with measuring cups and spoon, this link offers some tips.

When the bread is done, I have to deal with another challenge. How to cut the bread properly without defacing my hard work. As you can see from the second photo, it was not done skillfully. Thanks to the close up photos, I manage to masked my terrible cutting skill.

Only part of the loaf is featured here as the other half has already ended in the stomach. The warm bread tastes good. Next time, try eating it with butter and kaya. Hmmmm... heavenly.

Someone told me "after you use a breadmaker, you can throw away your alarm clock, 'cos every morning you'll be awaken by the aroma of a freshly baked bread."

If you are interested in other types of bread produced using this machine, check out the following links:

Cranberry Walnut Bread
Black Sesame potato bread

You can also find the bread recipe for Zojirushi breadmaker at:
Zojirushi Breadmaker BB-HAC10
Zojirushi Breadmaker BB-HAC 10 User guide & Recipe book

My Brand New Zojirushi Breadmaker

Saw Robinson selling Zojirushi Breadmaker model BB-HAQ10 for S$299 on 27 Dec 08 newspaper. A similar or probably identical model BB-HAC10 is being sold on Amazon. Wow that's the cheapest price I have ever since in a long while. The recommended retail price is S$428.

In early 08, during promotion at CK Tangs and Takashimaya it was selling for $378 . Despite the discounted price, it costs more than twice its competitor's breadmaker. Morphy Richard, Princess and Severin Breadmaker were selling for less than S$180 each. Kenwood also charges around S$225 for its breadmaker.

Despite the hefty price tag, Zojirushi breadmaker is well known for its compact size and fantastically tasty and soft bread.

Luckily when I visited Robinson outlet at Centrepoint Orchard, there was 1 unit left waiting to for its potential owner. I grab it without hesitation. I'm glad to share that so far, it has been one of my best investment.

The box comes with a recipe and a instructional DVD. I don't know if other breadmaker are bundled with an instructional DVD but this thoughtful act from Zojirushi certainly makes my first encounter with a breadmaking machine a very pleasant one.

The video is available in 2 languages: English and Cantonese (with chinese subtitle). Its about 22 min long and explains all the features of the breadmaker.

This product has earned rave review from many customers. E.g. on Amazon.com out of 65 customers 55 gave it a 5 star rating. Incidentally Amazon is selling it for US$155 (about S$232). Too bad its not economical for us to purchase it from them directly. Shipping cost and paying for another power adapter would offset any savings. And worst still you'll miss out on the 1 year warranty.