The Hitachi HB-B101 bread machine is as much a staple in my kitchen as, well, bread!  It's very easy to use and easy to clean -- a definite plus in our home.  It has a single paddle and a tall bread pan.  It's a very basic machine.  The only thing I don't much care for about it is that it doesn't have a raisin beep, so the one time I tried making chocolate chip bread, I had to guesstimate when to put the chips in.  I guessed wrong and ended up with chocolate bread!  I like that the paddle doesn't come out in the bread, which is one less thing for me to fuss with. I started using the bread machine as a lark, and quickly realized that I liked the bread coming out of the bread machine more than I liked the bread at the store.  Yes, it's a bit more effort, but the results are worth it.  This bread machine is a real workhorse in our kitchen.  It doesn't heat up the kitchen the way the oven would!  I don't really use it for much more than making bread, but it gives me the flexibility to be able to experiment with different recipes and techniques, which I wouldn't if I had to hand-knead every single experiment!  I would also suggest the use of a kitchen scale for measuring out the flour, which would save time and labor in spooning out and leveling off several cups of flour. One last thing -- I've found very few reviews for this particular make and model online, but the few I did manage to find warned about making sure the bread pan was securely in place or you'll get a warning beep.  Just something to keep in mind.

frostflower

Irving, TX

The Hitachi HB-B101 and its sister the HB-B102, and its next generation "son" the HB-B201 are all excellent machines that come from a similar family of bread machines. They all have very similar design, with a slim white colored body that loads from the top. Come to think of it, I think that even the bread pans and paddles are interchangeable and identical in all of these units. I know about these machines because I own several of them. They are all extremely reliable and use them all in conjunction to churn out lots of bread. They all produce consistent results and are very easy to use. The HB-B101 is the original model of the series. It is easy to use, easy to clean, as all the parts are easily removable. If you follow the instructions and have a good recipe in place, this bread machine (or its siblings) will not disappoint.

knifeman2

Beverly Hills, CA