Cuisinart CBK-100 2lb Bread Maker Review

We love a low-cost high quality bread maker here at Make Bread At Home, and the Cuisinart CBK-100 2lb bread maker is our latest obsession.

The wealth of bread makers on the market right now is a little daunting, but the Cuisinart CBK-100 is always a reliable bestseller, rivalling the equally popular Oster Expressbake.

This review will clue you in on everything you need to know about the Cuisinart CBK-100 2-Pound programmable breadmaker — both good and bad — and will show you how it compares to its slightly more expensive sister, the Cuisinart CBK-200.

Note: Since the time of publication, we’ve also seen the arrival of the CBK-110 – a machine that builds and improves on the CBK-100. [See our full review]

Let’s take it away…

Cuisinart CBK-100 Bread Maker: In a Nutshell

• Weight: 18.2 lbs
• Dimensions: 12.25 x 18 x 15 inches
• Loaf Capacity: 2 lbs
• Settings: 12 plus 3 crust settings
• Timer: 13 hour delay preset
• Stand-Out Feature: Gluten free program

Let’s take a little tour:

1. Viewing window and removable lid
2. Stay cool handles
3. Non-stick removable bread pan
4. LCD screen
5. List of pre-programmed settings
6. Delay start timer
7. Start/stop button

Cuisinart CBK-100 2 lb Bread Maker: Features

Loaf Size

You can choose from either 1 lb, 1.5 lb, or 2 lb loaf sizes with the Cuisinart CBK-100 bread maker.

This is the standard size offering across most bread machines — with some of the more premium options going up to 2.5 lbs — and should be varied enough to suit most families and households.

We found that it made classically rectangular shaped loaves that were a little on the tall side — especially on the 2 lb setting. As such, they can be a little tricky to slice and toast.

As we’ll get into in The Negatives section, some of the menu options for the Cuisinart are only available for smaller sized loafs — the gluten free program for instance.

Settings

The Cuisinart CBK-100 2 lb bread maker has a surprising number of settings considering its low price.

It features 12 pre-programmed menu options, as well as 3 crust color options: light, medium or dark.

Here’s the program list:

• Basic/white
• French/Italian
• Whole wheat
• Sweet bread
• Gluten free
• Packaged mix — for premixed yeast bread packages
• Cake/quick bread
• Dough
• Pasta dough
• Jams
• Bake only
• Rapid bake

13 Hour Delay Start Timer

One of our favorite features across bread machines is the ability to delay the start of the baking process. Whether that’s setting up the bread maker to deliver a just-baked loaf as you come home from work, or if you prefer waking up to the smell of fresh bread, the delay timer is your friend.

Thankfully, the Cuisinart CBK-100 bread maker has that feature and allows baking to be delayed for up to 13 hours.

Beep Notifications

Another clever feature of this bread maker are the audible beep notifications that sound when it’s time to add your extra ingredients into the mix.

This could be fruits, nuts, chocolate, seeds, cheese — anything you want!

The beep notifications also let you know when to remove the kneading blade so you can avoid the classic hole-in-the-bottom-of-the-loaf look when the baking process is complete.

Removable Lid

The Cuisinart CBK-100 2-pound programmable breadmaker also comes with a nifty removable lid for super quick clean up.

This lid also has a large viewing window so you can watch the progress of your baking bread and check how the crust is browning.

Stay Cool Handles

The non-stick bread pan and single kneading blade are all removable as well, contributing to easy clean-up. These are all dishwasher safe too.

What we love though are the ‘stay cool’ handles of the bread pan, which allow you to safely remove the bread from the machine as soon as the baking process is complete.

Power Failure Backup

For safety, this bread maker features integrated power-failure backup which in the event of power outage will store in memory the stage of the bread making cycle and resume baking once power is restored.

The unit can maintain memory for up to 15 minutes. Just pray that your electricity comes back on in that timeframe!

Cuisinart CBK-100 Review

The Positives

Gluten Free Loaves!

One of the reasons behind why the Cuisinart CBK-100 bread maker is so popular is because of its gluten free setting — this is only usually seen on much more expensive machines, so to have it with this cheap bread maker is something worth celebrating.

Not only that, but the program produces some of the best gluten free bread we’ve ever had. Who’d have thought it could be that cheap and easy?

Other settings that we really value include the package mix (yay for lasy bakers!) and pasta dough.

Good Quality Loaves

While you can’t produce the same quality loaves in this bread maker as you could in a premium machine like a Breville or a Zojirushi, there’s no doubt that the Cuisinart CBK-100 2 lb bread maker reliably produces even and tasty bread, time and again.

Of course, you’ve got to follow the instructions and recipes to a T.

Don’t substitute bread flour for all purpose flour and wonder why your loaf doesn’t rise properly. Add your ingredients in the order specified and use the highest quality ingredients you can afford.

And remember — if you’re using the Rapid Bake program, you’ll need to use rapid rise yeast, otherwise your loaf will not rise properly.

Easy to Use

With a large and easy to read control panel, the Cuisinart CBK-100 is simple and intuitive to use.

There’s also a handy LCD screen which allows you to view what program, loaf size and crust color you’ve selected, and where your loaf is in the baking process.

Easy to Clean

Cleaning the Cuisinart CBK-100 2-pound programmable breadmaker is made easy thanks to the non-stick removable baking pan and single removable kneading blade.

Everything is dishwasher safe and the removable lid and touchpad control wipe clean with a damp cloth.

The sleek design means fewer crevices where dirt can gather.

It Looks Good

Speaking of design, can we take a moment to really appreciate the aesthetics of the Cuisinart CBK-100?

Compact with a sleek silver covering, this bread maker looks more like the premium machines from Breville and Zojirushi than it does the Oster, or other bread makers at this low price.

We’re proud to have the Cuisinart out on our kitchen counter, and much prefer it to the dated tall, white designs that most cheaper bread machines sport.

It’s Cheap

Perhaps the biggest advantage to the Cuisinart CBK-100 bread maker, and undoubtedly the main reason behind its popularity, is how damn cheap this machine is.

Considering its wide array of features and its sleek design, we’d truthfully be happy paying more for it. This doesn’t feel like your lower market bread maker.

>>> Check current price on Amazon

The Negatives

Of course, it’s not all roses and there are a few minor issues we’ve found with the Cuisinart CBK-100 2 lb bread maker.

No Customization Options

While we love the convenience of baking bread with a bread maker, we love machines that allow us to unleash our creativity and get a little experimental.

Like the Zojirushi BB-PAC20, for instance.

That machine comes with a super comprehensive recipe book and the ability to customize your bakes and save your desired settings.

Not so much with the Cuisinart CBK-100 bread maker.

You can’t alter existing bread settings or create your own personalized baking programs.

If you just want your bread maker to make loaves from the pre-programmed settings, this won’t be a big deal for you. If you’re more of an experimental baker, you might want to think about plumping for a more expensive model.

Gluten Free Doesn’t Work on 2 lb Loaves

While the gluten free program is one of the major advantages to this bread maker, unfortunately it only works with the smaller sized loaves.

This might be a problem if your whole family is eating a gluten free diet.

* Plus, the beep notifications to add in fruit and nuts don’t work on the gluten free setting.

Other Areas for Improvement

• The beep notifications are LOUD. If you’re baking overnight and you’ve got a small apartment, you’re going to be unceremoniously woken…
• The recipe book leaves a little to be desired: recipes are short and not particularly instructive.
• The loaves come out looking a little tall: slicing and toasting can be tricky

Overall Verdict

Overall, we would highly recommend the Cuisinart CBK-100 bread maker and consider it excellent value for money.

The settings are varied, the gluten free program is a huge bonus, and the loaves are delicious.

If you’re looking for a bread maker that you can get experimental with, this one’s probably not for you, but it’s great for families and for people who want good bread without any hassle.

Cuisinart CBK-100 vs Cuisinart CBK-200

Lots of people ask us about the differences between the CBK-100 and CBK-200 models.

While both produce up to 2 lb loaves, the CBK-200 is a little more expensive and looks a little different.

The answer is that the CBK-200 has a few features that the CBK-100 doesn’t:

• A convection fan for more evenly baked loaves
• 4 more pre-programmed settings, including a Low Carb one
• More lightweight than the CBK-100

We’ll be going more in depth on the differences between the two bread makers in a later blog post.

In the meantime, this table illustrates some of the differences between the two Cuisinart machines:

Cuisinart CBK-100 Tutorials

We love a good bread maker tutorial, and we’ve found these two on YouTube which should help you get creative with your Cuisinart CBK-100:

Where to Buy the Cuisinart CBK-100 Bread Maker

One thing’s for sure: the Cuisinart CBK-100 2-pound programmable breadmaker is a very popular machine.

As such, there are plenty of stores you can buy it from online, including the following:

• Cuisinart
• Bed Bath & Beyond

And, of course, it’s available on Amazon.

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Now that’s everything you need to know about the Cuisinart CBK-100 2 lb bread maker!

How do you think it compares to more expensive machines?