Anyone use a Hamilton Beach bread machine 29981 or 29982?

[Ms. Toad]

Last edited Wed Jul 24, 2024, 12:25 AM - Edit history (1)

I've been baking bread for 50 years - never had any trouble at all getting a nice, loaf-shaped loaf of bread. I've used two prior bread machines (Breadman TR520, and an earlier one whose name I've forgotten).

But the mice made a feast out of the cord on my Breadman, and replacing it requires soldering a new cord to a circuit board. So I bought a new one.

So far, it's a disaster - and I can't figure out why.

Out of 7 loaves, 6 have collapsed in on themselves, and the 7th (the only 1lb loaf I baked) has a flat top. (I can count on one hand the number of sinkhole loaves I've baked prior to this machine.)

Initially, the recipes have all been gooey messes - so I've spent a lot of time decreasing liquid and increasing flour - which shouldn't be a machine issue. One even had a perfect density/texture at the end of the first knead cycle, but was a gooey mess as soon as the second cycle began. On the 7th loaf I finally got what would have been a perfect loaf - if I had taken it out of the machine for the final rise and baked it in the oven. But it had the worst collapse yet.

So I'm wondering about the timing of the cycle and potential over-proofing issues.

Anyone have a similar experience with this machine (or any other)?

[Kali]

1. that is a lot of fails

have you talked to customer service? like computers, sometimes it isn't us, it really is the damn machine!

[Ms. Toad]

2. They don't have a phone/chat option,

but I sent them an email. Even though I started by telling them I had extensive experience baking bread by hand and with two prior machines, their first response was to cut and paste the trouble-shooting guide.

I suggested they re-read my email, and asked them to respond with something geared toward an experienced baker - not someone who had never baked bread before. They asked for machine details, which I've now sent them. We'll see if they respond with anything useful.

I'm just reaching out to social networks to see if anyone else has used this machine before - and has had similar experiences (or not). It had decent reviews, but feels much flimsier than my old machine. Not that "feel" should make a difference.

[Kali]

3. "their first response was to cut and paste the trouble-shooting guide"

oh of course. I'm sure it will be a total PITA.

[Ms. Toad]

7. I have found some reviews now, from other experienced bread makers -

whose experiences are similar to mine - as well as the exact opposite.

When I read the reviews initially, I read several of the top reviews - and several of the bad reviews. Unfortunately, the bulk of the bad reviews (3% of the overall thousands of reviews) are people who got sent a non-functional machine - or one which broke quickly . Now I'm searching for baking failures that sound like machine failures. More of them are baking bricks than cave-ins. But both are probably related to bad/inconsistent temperature or timing control.

I may have just thrown my money away . . . since it sounds as if they are very bad at refunding money, based on the reviews I'm finding.

On the positive side, I may be able to salvage my old machine. The damage to the cord is about an inch from the plug, so I may be able to just replace the plug (without messing with a wire soldered to a circuit board).

[Kali]

9. oh yeah new plug is super easy

just cut it off, strip the wires and install a replacement. there are several kind of these but super easy to do.

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lighting-and-electrical/switches-outlets-and-plugs/electric-plugs/3407384?store=10305

[Ms. Toad]

11. Yup.

I was thinking the damage was closer to the center of the cord, and splicing a wire that powers a device that bakes or freezes isn't a smart idea. (And the cords on appliance have been shortened considerably so if it was in the middle it wouldn't have reached the outlet.) There's some damage to the plastic surround, as well - but again, not as bad as I remembered when I thought I could just by any breadmaker that had reasonable recommendations.

[Scruffy1]

4. My hands have never failed me.

I have been making bread for over sixty years. The hands feel the dough. It's part of the joy. My last house had a pull out kneading board that had been used so much you could see the wear between the grain. Now I just use a plastic cutting board on my counter. Unless you have a serious disability in the hands I place bread machines with the Joe Namath hot dog cooker. My son is a chef and he used as big kneading machine at work. He tells me that water temperature is crucial to control the growth of the yeast. He's the only one that can get good dough where he works because he uses ice water. Wasn't a problem in Minnesota but our tap water comes out of the tap at over 30 degrees centigrade in the summer in El Paso.

[Ms. Toad]

5. I love the convenience of spending fewer than 15 minutes and having fresh bread 3 hours later.

Before I retired, I was working 80-100 hours a week. So I've got several decades of getting very good at picking and choosing which things I enjoyed doing enough (or liked the outcome enough more) to spend my precious time. Bread - using a machine - yes. Bread by hand - no. Homegrown tomatoes, peppers, and herbs from a garden - yes!!! Homegrown broccoli or celery - yuck definitely not - way too many bugs and a stronger, less pleasant, taste. Chopping veggies for minestrone soup - definitely worth the time for a uniform cut (rather than a food processor). Cooking beans from dried beans - definite yes. You get the idea. If the mixing and kneading part of bread baking brought me joy, I'd invest my time there. But other things bring me more joy, so I choose to spend my time on my garden, for example.

But I've got the same decades-long recognition of when the dough is right (both from hand-baking back before I switched to bread machines, and from bread machines since then). That's why this experience is so odd.

Also before I retired, I'd take the (old) bread machine to school with me and throw a loaf in before I started a study session with my students, and by the time we were done we had hot fresh bread to enjoy. Since they were studying for the bar exam nearly 24/7, and living off the vending machines, that was a pretty good trade-off to get some wholesome food in them at not much personal investment of time.

And, aside from anything else, right now I don't have an oven. Or a counter. Or a stove.



Most of my kitchen is in boxes in the basement or on a shelf in the family room. . . . and I'm trying to bake a bunch of loaves to sell at the local farmer's market.

It's amazing how few stand-alone appliances I need to prepare decent home-cooked food. Right now I've got the bread machine, an instant pot (soups, "roasts," veggies, yogurt, fresh mozarella cheese, egg bites, cooking beans), a food processor (hummus), and an electric skillet, an outdoor grill for meats and grilled veggies

[notemason]

6. Picked up a used Hamilton Beach

bread machine from the thrift store for $12 three years ago. It always makes a perfect loaf and I use it quite often.

[Ms. Toad]

8. I'll trade you . . .

(I want my old machine functional . . . it made perfect loaves every time, too!)

Is it the same model?

This one comes in white and black and has a dozen program cycles, with a top that curves down the front and a silver-ish control panel.

[notemason]

10. Model 29881

it's all white with silver control panel. It's part of my family now so, sorry, can't let it go

[Ms. Toad]

12. Same exact one.

So you got one of the 84% that function properly and people love. I got one of the handful of duds.

Oh, well. If e-bay is any indication, the shipping from you to me would be more than my stupid machine cost.

[notemason]

13. Bought my kids ones that cost $140

told them I hoped they worked as well as mine!

[Ms. Toad]

14. Fortunately, this one was only $60.

Still more than I wanted to throw away.

I've got two more tricks to try. Different yeast, and different timing on removing the bread paddle. My old one did a theoretical punch down for 30 seconds to shape the loaf. In reality it did a partial spin. So I always just removed the paddle at the end of the second rise. This one actually does a full 30 second punch down before the third rise - which might be enough to be making the difference between being properly proofed and being overproofed. I'll do that for tomorrow's first loaf, before I go spend another $8 on a different brand of yeast.