The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker (model # BB-PDC20BA) turns out consistent, fluffy loaves in under three hours, helped by dual kneading blades and a Crust Control setting that improves the bake. Reviewers point to the range of the 50-plus included recipes, which cover pizza dough and sourdough starter, and rate it well for sandwich loaves. It occasionally needs a manual dough punch-down and takes extra cleaning effort, but reviewers still call it a reliable machine for home bakers who want convenience and quality. Those who bake regularly and can spare the counter space are the fit.
- — Bakes a 2-lb. loaf of bread in under three hours with rapid recipes available in just 2 hours and 25 minutes
- — Features dual kneading blades and an additional heater on the lid for thorough kneading and even baking
- — Requires occasional manual punch-down of dough to prevent over-proofing
- — Cleaning requires soaking the pan to loosen baked-on dough from the detachable paddles
▾Why it's ranked here
The Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker (model # BB-PDC20BA) turns out consistent, fluffy loaves in under three hours, helped by dual kneading blades and a Crust Control setting that improves the bake. Reviewers point to the range of the 50-plus included recipes, which cover pizza dough and sourdough starter, and rate it well for sandwich loaves. It occasionally needs a manual dough punch-down and takes extra cleaning effort, but reviewers still call it a reliable machine for home bakers who want convenience and quality. Those who bake regularly and can spare the counter space are the fit.
- — Bakes a 2-lb. loaf of bread in under three hours with rapid recipes available in just 2 hours and 25 minutes
- — Features dual kneading blades and an additional heater on the lid for thorough kneading and even baking
- — Requires occasional manual punch-down of dough to prevent over-proofing
- — Cleaning requires soaking the pan to loosen baked-on dough from the detachable paddles