This bread make was recieved as a gift and it has been a wonderful addition to our kitchen. The bread is easy to make and the taste reminds me of homemade bread my mother used to make.The varityof recipes available is outstanding, and the prepred mixes have a wide varity of selections. We enjoy wonderful aromas while the bread is baking and delightful taste when we eat the finished produt. And the loaves are about the right size for any occasion. In fact, I like this machine so much that I can find little fault with it to share. I would recommend this bread maker to anyone who enjoys bread and longs for a little home made product once in a while. I do not now what we did without it and do not care to find out again.

bcsmith

Wilton, IA

Yes, this is an older model... but I still use and love this machine! The West Bend Automatic Bread and Dough Maker is a sturdy, easy-to-use bread maker. The parts are simple - the bread pan and the paddles are easy to clean up afterwards, too. I love that all the ingredients go into the bread pan itself and nothing else is needed. :) This bread and dough maker has settings for 1 1/2 lb. and 2 lb. loaves, and you can choose the type of bread (basic/specialty, whole wheat, dough). The crust settings are light, medium, and dark. And starting and choosing the different settings is really easy - the machine just walks you through the choices. There's also a timer on this machine, but I've not ever used it. The only downside to this machine is the size... it is a bigger "small" appliance and not one you can hide easily. But if you make bread often, a bread maker is the way to go. Whenever I do buy another bread maker, I plan on buying a West Bend if at all possible because I've been so pleased with this one!

ja55

Indianapolis, IN

This actually belonged to my wife before we moved in together, and she used it to make bread all the time whenever I came over for dinner at her apartment. I was amazed at how easy it was to use, and the bread comes out great every single time. Really all you do is dump the ingredients in, turn the machine on and walk away. In a little while, you can enjoy the scent of fresh baking bread, and better still, the TASTE of fresh baked bread. My favorite is the french bread recipe from the book that came with the machine. It makes a nice fluffy loaf with a crispy crust and it takes no effort at all. We've always used the machine to make the bread from start to finish, but I have seen people use it just to make the dough and baked it on their own. The kneading action in the machine itself saves an awful lot of work, and if you want to shape and bake your own bread, it's well worth having the machine make the dough for you.

FredtheGnome

Shavertown, PA

I had had my west bend and dough maker for quite a few years now. We have used it alot!! It makes wonderful dough for my whole wheat rolls. You can select dough, french bread, whole wheat bread, etc. You can pre-program bread to be made when you come home whenever. It mixes so easily and we have made french bread, white crust bread. The buttons are easy to use to select what kind of bread that you are making. It does all of the work for you. It is not necessary to knead your own bread anymore when using this product. This is a must have. It is an older model and I would probably like to get a more up to date model, but there is no need for now as it works great and makes all of our wonderful recipies.

lauralhanson58

Cameron, WI

The West Bend bread and Dough Maker Model 41085 makes excellent bread. The unit is definitely very easy to use. For a novice bread maker, I have no trouble whatsoever making bread in this unit. I literally had no experience in the kitchen when I started using this bread and dough maker. And the bread has turned out wonderful everytime. I truly enjoy being able to serve such fresh warm bread to my family. The bread cooks evenly everytime. I have not had a loaf burn yet. I love that the machine does the kneading for me. I have a large family with four small children and spending the time it would take to knead the dough myself, I would not be able to do it. The price of the machine is well matched to the quality of the unit. It also has a perfect footprint to sit on one of my kitchen shelves. Good Job West Bend!

beachgirlht

Polkton, NC

I had a fully functioning bread machine and still went out and bought this one because I loved the features. It is a huge machine. I have two appliance garages and it takes up most of one of them. I don't leave it out on the counter because it takes up so much room. But I use the machine several times a week in the winter (I don't tend to use it in the warmer months) and it is still performing beautifully. I think my only negative comment would be that even though you can select how light or dark you want the bread it never really seems to matter - I usually get a nice light brown which isn't a bad thing. It also rises in a very interesting Himalayan Mountain effect no matter what kind of bread I make, but the inside is always perfectly baked and has the texture I am looking for. It could not be more simple to have homemade bread with a bread machine. I have often considered buying a second machine because my family plows though a loaf so quickly. I like that I can set it to start at a certain time so that the bread is ready when we are ready to eat it! It cleans up easily. For those people who like to wake up to the smell of bread, my family asked that I not do that any more. You can smell the bread long before you want to wake up!

Karen726

Potomac, MD

The West Bend Bread and Dough Maker is an awesome appliance to have. It is easy to operate and has the features you need to make a good loaf of bread. It has the automatic timer for basic specialty, whole wheat or dough. You can select which bread and the color. You just put your mix in and close the top till the timer goes off and then you have a great tasting loaf of bread that smells out of this world. It comes with the direction, troubleshooting guide and a section on recipes for bread or rolls. You can make your bread from scratch or if your in a hurry you can use the mixes that are available at most grocery stores. If you love the aroma of fresh baked bread coming from your kitchen then I think you would enjoy this appliance. Easy instruction, easy clean-up. Bread lover's your going to love this appliance.

xoxo29

Brush Creek, TN