Bread Maker Review – Breadman Pro TR 875

I’ve been asked about the bread machine that I use, so here’s my bread maker review. I have had the Breadman TR875 bread machine for about six years, and use it a couple of times per month to make My Favorite Sandwich Bread. It looks exactly like the one pictured, and is still in great shape.

I chose this bread maker because it has a Gluten Free setting. The settings of most bread machines include two separate kneading cycles with a rest period in between, and a punch down after the rising cycle. A punch down, which is like another very brief mixing cycle, is helpful for wheat breads because it removes big air pockets after the rising, and does something like “relax” the gluten in the dough to make a finer crumb (or so I’ve read).  Gluten free bread only needs one kneading cycle, and a punch down after the rising cycle would deflate your gluten free dough, so you don’t want there to be a punch down. The gluten free setting on the Breadman TR875 has only one rise time and no punch down, which works perfectly. On other machines, the “rapid” or “super rapid” setting may do the same thing, so if you want to use another machine, read the manual to see which setting is best. The gluten free cycle has a total cooking time of 1 hour and 17 minutes on this machine.

There is one paddle which mixes the dough in this machine. Some fancier brands have two paddles, which helps mix everything better. With the one paddle, I find that you need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides and make sure that all of the flour is incorporated. If you don’t, the corners of the loaf will be powdery flour, which is not good. Although it would be nice to just walk away from the machine once you turn it on, I find that scraping down the sides just once a few minutes after the mixing begins is sufficient, and not a big deal. The paddle is removable, which is great because you can take it out after mixing and before the dough rises. That way, there is only a small hole at the bottom of the finished loaf and not a big hole that ruins the shape of many of the middle slices. If there were two paddles, there would be two that you need to take out, so I’m happy with the one paddle.

The shape of the loaf that this bread machine makes is nice. Some machines make loaves that are more square, but this bread pan makes loaves that you can cut into perfect slices for sandwiches. Another thing I like is that you can choose the color setting on the loaf. I bake my sandwich bread on light setting, but if you want a darker loaf, you can do it. This bread machine also lets you choose between a 1.5 or two pound loaf. Some recipes make one or the other, so it’s nice to have a machine that can handle both. The manual provides some recipes, including one gluten free bread recipe. I made modified versions that recipe several times and it was pretty decent, but calls for dry milk powder. Once we went dairy free, I couldn’t find a milk-free substitute for the dry milk which did not contain other things we are sensitive to, so I stopped using the recipe. But the recipe may be worth a try if you are not dairy free.

The only con I can think of, other than the fact that you need to scrape down the sides during the mixing cycle, is that the beeping sounds on this breadmaker are really loud. However, it only beeps when you press buttons, or when the loaf is done. My kids complain when I’m setting the machine at the beginning of the process, but it’s not a big deal. I’m really happy with my Breadman Pro TR875 and hope you find a bread maker that you’re happy with too!