Battle of the Bread Machines, Day 6

How long has it been since the husband did one of these posts?

--The Faudie
It's been too long since the last throwndown in the Battle of the Bread Machines, our epic competition of Goodwill-bought bread machines. So let's get right back into the action, then!

Competitor #6: The Welbilt Bread Machine Model ABM-6000

Moreso than any of the other bread machines we've found at Goodwill, the Welbilt model ABM-6000 has the dents and scrapes to prove it's been around the block a time or two. It also came missing its kneading paddle, so once again Angela had to track down a replacement on eBay. (These silly paddles end up costing us more than the machines themselves!)

When we started the Battle of the Bread Machines--way back in July, for those who care--we got decent results from two other Welbilt models, the ABM-3600 and the ABM-100-3. I'm not sure if the ABM-6000 is older than these machines or not, but it certainly looks that way, given the amount of wear it displays. But who cares about appearances when there's bread to be made? As we began, we were certainly hopeful that the ABM-6000 would perform as well as its brothers.

The test recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens' Bread Machine Bounty.

Spiced Maple and Cranberry Bread

3/4 C milk
3 T maple-flavored syrup
1 T margarine or butter
1 1/3 C whole wheat flour
2/3 C bread flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t apple pie spice
1 t yeast
1/2 C snipped dried cranberries

1. Add ingredients to machine according to manufacturer's directions.
   
2. Use Light setting, if available.
   

Yield: 1 lb. loaf

Nutritional Info
Calories: 90
Protein: 3 g
Carbohydrate: 18 g
Fat: 1 g (Saturated: 0 g)
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 88 mg
Potassium: 71 mg

I followed this recipe pretty closely, though I did add vital gluten. (See how much we've learned about bread-making over the course of this competition?) The only other significant futzing was the creation of our own apple pie spice, which Angela prepared.

Once started, the ABM-6000 sounded like...well, it sounded something like this:

GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN!!!

Angela and I suspect that the pan doesn't lock firmly in place, though we can't tell whether this is due to poor design or simply too much use in the past. In any event, this is easily the noisiest bread machine to participate in our little contest.

Official Results for Competitor #6
Despite the noise and despite its scuffed appearance, I'm happy to report that the ABM-6000 produced a decent loaf of bread.

Our spiced maple and cranberry bread wasn't perfect--the maple flavor was nonexistent, and I only believe you can taste the apple pie spice because Angela assures me she can--but that's the recipe's failing, not the bread machine's. And even then, it's hard to be unhappy with the way the loaf turned out. It might not be a good spiced maple and cranberry bread, but it's a great wheat and cranberry bread.

Was all the noise worth this?

If the ABM-6000 were only a little quieter, it would probably be one of the top bread machines we've tested. But the fact that it is ridiculously loud (did I mention the GRRRNN RRRNN RRRRRNN sound?) means we still don't have a champion appliance yet. At some point I'm going to have to call an end to the Battle of the Bread Machines and name one of our appliances the winner, but in the meantime, we'll be continuing to check out the second-hand machines at Goodwill.