Black and Decker B6000C Deluxe Bread Maker, 3-Pound

Love it...One of the few bread machines that will make a traditional size horizontal loaf.I like using the 1 1/2 pound size option with medium or dark crust setting removing the mixing blades immediately after last knead cycle.The last kneed cycle is when time display says 1:38 time left (1 1/2 lb setting).The only difference with crust doneness is baking temperature, not cycle times.I am very health conscience but love making excellent non-enriched white bread.I use Arrowhead Mills Organic all purpose flour (not enriched) available at my local Walmart.Getting extra iron from enriched products is not so good.I prefer to weigh the flour for precise repeatable results.Here is the ingredients for my "1 1/2 lb" organic white. Makes a good, fairly high density loaf.Actual finish weight about 19.5 oz.Water, Hot: 8.5 fl ozFlour: 13 ozSugar, organic sucanat: 1 TbspSalt, Celtic: 1 1/2 tspButter, spreadable: 3 TbspGluten: 2 TbspGypsum AKA food grade calcium sulfate (great dough conditioner!): 3 gramsSodium ascorbate (vitamin C) : 1/8 tspYeast, bread machine instant: 1 1/4 tspThe 2 and 3 pound loaf settings make for an extra tall loaf, too tall for your toaster.The size of loafs, expressed as 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 pounds, are provided as a relative size reference, not actual finish weight.Downsides... the LCD display is difficult to see, especially the bottom row that shows the crust doneness selected.The select doneness button shows light, medium, and dark for crust, however the display "looks" like it shows dark, medium, then light from left to right. I called and confirmed by trial that crust doneness on display is, left to right, light, medium, and dark.I am happy with the purchase and would recommend this unit.

With the large capacity and excellent kneading I wish I could give this unit a better rating. Other than the problems I experienced it seems to have a couple of major design flaws. After just two loaves the kneading bearing broke its seal and spread grease through the dough. On the second machine I received the electronics/controls were erratic. The heating element wouldn't go on the first time. Worked for one loaf. Next time none of the buttons worked correctly. After being plugged in any button pushed or just tapping the top of the machine would cause a beep and increase the delay timer button. You could not make the menu or on/off button work. Two days later it worked the after a couple of minutes it displayed the same behavior again.ProsWhen working it kneads very well. Better than any other bread machine I've used.The large capacity is great for making doughs.ConsBoth the loose fit of the top and the way it vents prevents dough from rising correctly. There is not enough moisture in the compartment causing your dough to develop a skin while it rises. You just can't make a proper dough or bake a proper loaf in this machine. I'm at a loss why none of the other reviews mentioned this as it was the same on both machines I received.When baking the first loaf on this machine vapor built up in the LCD display. I don't know if this was a problem with just the unit I received but it could explain why the electronics were flaky.The way the kneading shafts and bearings are mounted the dough collects in the seam. After every use the pan has to be soaked and the area around the shafts scrubbed. I've never had this with any other bread machine.

Pros:- It has a huge capacity.- You bake great breads after you get familiar with it.Cons:- It is very hard to remove the blades after the bread is cooked.- It is hard to remove the bread too. Blades hold the bread inside and the handle gets in the way too.- Display is awful. It is hard to see the selections of crust and size if of the bread.- The lid is clumsy, it does not sit on the main body appropriately.- If you cook a smaller bread, dough sometimes gets stuck on one blade and just turns around, or some small pieces of dough or some flour is left on the other side of the pan. So this machine is better if you will be baking large loaves of bread most of the time.-Recipes in the book need some adjustment. I had to add a lot of water. You should keep an eye on the dough to make sure it is nice and sticky before the machine switches to rising cycle.

Disappointed with the quality of this machine. The top cover is ill fitting and loose. I purchased for the large loaf size but have had more failures than successes. I have an older "store brand" bread machine that was literally half the price of this one and it still produces nice loaves of bread. I am not one to surrender easily, so I will continue battling this machine to get a decent 3 lb loaf of Challah bread. The recipe booklet is next to useless. There aren't good selections for large loaves of bread. Black & Decker, You should be ashamed of the quality. Maybe redesign and get some quality control and a improved product and Cookbook!