Battle of the Bread Machines, Day 1

It's been a while, but the husband returns as a guest blogger. He's here to tell you, Gentle Reader, about...hell, you can read it for yourself. Enjoy!

--The Faudie
Welcome to the first in a series of posts in which Angela and I pit bread machine against bread machine in a no-holds-barred competition to determine which appliance makes loaves that rise to the occasion!

(Get it? “Loaves that rise?” I’m so funny.)

Each day for as many working bread machines as we have, we’ll be trying out one of our Goodwill-bought appliances to see which of the devices makes bread the best and burns down the house the least. Let's get started by introducing our first competitor.

Competitor #1: The Welbilt Bread Machine Model ABM-3600

A late entry into this contest, the ABM-3600 (pictured on the left in the above photo) was found by Angela only two days earlier. With a sticker price of $15, it was more expensive than either of its competitors, though it did come with the kneading paddle, the instruction manual and even the original warranty card. Which, of course, actually makes the appliance less expensive than its competitors, as we’re having to buy parts for them. So the ABM-3600 may win the price portion of the Battle of the Bread Machines, but can it make bread?

Armed with a recipe for raisin bread from the aforementioned instruction manual, Angela and I were going to find out.

Referee Nickelbucket conducts a pregame inspection of today's competitor

Raisin Bread

8 oz. water
2 C white flour
1 1/2 T butter
1 1/2 T sugar
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
2 1/4 t active dry yeast or 1 3/4 t quick dry yeast
1/2 C raisins

1. Add the ingredients to the machine's bread pan in the order listed, except for the raisins.
   
2. Add the raisins at the first indicator beep. Add raisins a few at a time.

Yield: 1 lb. loaf

Nutritional Info
Not provided. But it can't be that bad for you, can it?

The ABM-3600 turned out to be a breeze to use. After throwing in the initial ingredients and setting the controls, we had to tend to the bread maker only twice, once to scrape the sides of the pan to make sure everything was being mixed properly and once to add the raisins.

Two hours and 40 minutes after it started, the ABM-3600 had produced our very first loaf of bread! And what did the judges of this little competition think of it?

Well, it certainly looks edible

Official Results for Competitor #1
While thrilled that the bread maker lived up to its billing by, well, making bread, the judges must regretfully deduct points due to the loaf falling somewhat during baking. (The instruction manual indicates that we may have used too much water, but Angela suspects there may be other forces at work.) As a result, the loaf has a denser consistency—somewhat like a muffin—but still tastes pretty good. Angela thinks it came out a little sour and could use more cinnamon next time, and she’s probably right.

So the ABM-3600, in its first attempt, produces good but not great bread. Will its brother, the Welbilt Bread Machine model ABM-100-3, prove to be a stronger competitor? Or will we be forced to buy a kneading paddle for the Breadman model TL555LC so it can also participate in the Battle of the Bread Machines?

Check back tomorrow to find out!