The Breville BBM800XL is a bread maker that satisfies a baker’s every need because of its sleek design, easy-to-read control panel and convenient size. The features on this automatic bread maker are also so wide ranging you might have trouble trying all of them.
This bread machine is fully programmable, offering three crust colors, four loaf sizes and 13 automatic settings. The sizes of the loaf can vary from 1 pound up to 2 1/2 pounds for a large family. The instructions and recipe book included with the Breville BBM800XL is expansive, with 46 different step-by-step recipes.
The design of this bread making machine is smooth. The outer shell is made of stainless steel with black accents. The rubber legs are a nice touch and reduce scratches on your countertop. The display on top has a blue LED light that makes the controls easily readable, though it’s hard to get a good angle with a near 14-inch height. The top also has a nut and fruit holder that holds the extra ingredients until needed. The ingredient holder could be bigger, but it’s still a better option than machines that alert you with a loud beep when they add the extras.
If you’ve owned a bread maker, you are used to the hole left over by the kneading paddle when it’s time to pull the loaf out of the unit. The Breville BBM800XL has a unique collapsible paddle. Once it completes the kneading process, it collapses into the unit prior to baking to avoid the holes that come from other machines. The bread maker also offers a delay timer of up to 13 hours.
At a length of only 9.6 inches, it’s one of the smallest bread makers available, meaning you can keep it on the counter between uses and not have to worry about storing it away. That’s a rare size for a machine that can make a loaf of up to 2 ½ pounds. There’s also an oven light button and viewing window on top so you can make sure the bread is cooking properly.
One distinctive touch is the ability to customize your choices depending on the recipe. Most bread makers force you to choose one of the preprogrammed selections, but the Breville BBM800XL allows you to manually input selections for preheat, knead, rise, punch-down, bake and warming phases. You should keep in mind that these settings cannot be stored, so you’ll have to program them in each time.
The Breville BBM800XL is a complete, reliable bread maker. The design is user-friendly, attractive and functional. The cost is higher than most bread machines, but the control you have over settings and the convenience might be worth the price.