Hamilton Beach 29885 Bread Maker Review

There is not much that’s better than the smell and taste of freshly baked bread. And while making bread by hand can be a long and strenuous process, a bread maker allows you to do it easily in your own home and save your arm strength for another day!

With a bread machine, you can make different kinds, different sizes, and different flavors of tasty bread whenever you want. Although, finding the machine that does everything you’re looking for can be overwhelming.

There are so many different models on the market and you never know which ones work better than others. The Hamilton Beach 29885 Bread Maker is just one of the options available and the one we are going to look at today.

It has 14 programmed cycles (including a gluten-free option); a removable, non-stick dishwasher-safe bread pan; and an easy to read LCD display with a delay timer.

While there are some complaints about the machine “walking” on the countertop when it’s in the kneading mode, its loudness at times, and occasional malfunctions, we’re about to take a closer look.

This way, you can decide if it’s the right bread machine for you.

Hamilton Beach 29885 Bread Maker: The Details

In a Nutshell

• Weight: 10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 16 x 10 x 10 inches.
• Loaf Capacity: 3 loaf sizes: 1 lb., 1.5 lb., 2 lb.
• Settings: 14 programmed cycles and three (3) different crust shades: light, medium and dark.
• Timer: Delay timer to add ingredients and to begin the baking process later.
• Stand-Out Feature: Non-stick, dishwasher-safe bread pan.

Features

14 Programmed Settings

With this bread machine, you have so many options in the kinds of bread you can make; for that matter it might be hard to pick which one to try out first.

The Hamilton Beach bread machine comes with 14 different cycles which include gluten-free, basic, French, whole grain, 1.5 lb. express, 2 lb. express, quick bread, sweet, dough, cake, jam, rise, bake, and artisan.

You can really make any kind of bread you can think of!

Here are some tips for what each setting means:

• Basic: As the name suggests, these are for white and mixed loaves of bread made with bread flour.
• French: For light bread made with fine flour, such as in baguettes.
• Gluten-Free: An unusual but beneficial feature for those with dietary restrictions, this lets you use gluten-free flours and bread mixes.
• Whole-Grain: For breads made with heavier flours or thick added ingredients – such as grains or even chocolate chunks!
• Express 1.5 lb.: For a 1.5 lb. loaf. The bread will bake in an hour, or 20 minutes if you’re using quick-rising yeast.
• Express 2 lb.: For a 2 lb. loaf. It will take around 55 minutes to an hour to bake.
• Quick: For recipes that do not use yeast, which are more difficult to prepare but do bake much faster.
• Sweet: For breads with fruit juices, fruit pieces, smaller chocolate pieces, or added sugar, as this setting is more gentle in the mixing process so as to avoid bruising or crushing.
• Dough: Prepares a variety of yeast doughs, and then you bake them in a conventional oven. Talk about saving time and effort!
• Cake: For kneading, rising, and baking with the aid of soda or baking powder.
• Jam: Makes jams with fresh fruit.
• Rise: Use for rising doughs or a quick method for frozen bread dough.
• Bake: Use for baking dough after rising or when breads need more baking time.
• Artisan: A long, cool rise to help develop flavors and texture. You will bake the dough in a conventional oven after it rises in this setting.

Quick Start

Setting up and starting the machine is quite simple. All you have to do is find your favorite recipe or use one that comes with the machine.

Then just add the ingredients, select the correct cycle, and press start. You’ll have warm bread in no time!

Keeps Warm

The bread machine also has a keep-warm setting that will automatically turn on after your bread is done baking.

If you can’t take out your bread right away for whatever reason, you don’t have to worry about it going cold or overbaking.

Accessories

Accessories (all dishwasher-safe) that are included are:

• Measuring cup and spoon
• Kneading paddle
• Paddle removing tool

Side note: you may want to also invest in a good bread knife, especially if you are going to slice your bread for sandwiches. No one wants a sandwich made with squished-up bread.

Brushed Stainless Steel Exterior

The exterior of the bread machine is part brushed stainless steel around the body and part black plastic around the top (near the controls) and bottom.

Hamilton Beach 29885 Bread Maker Review

The Positives

Removeable Interior Pan

The bread pan (that one in which you bake all your bread within the machine) is removable, so you can get your final result out more easily.

This also makes cleaning it very simple. Instead of fumbling to clean the pan while it’s attached to the machine, simply pop it out.

And guess what? The pan is non-stick and dishwasher-safe.  You don’t even have to hand wash the pan!

We know cleaning after cooking or baking is always daunting and less than welcomed, but you won’t have to worry thanks to this machine’s easy to clean parts and accessories.

As for the machine itself, its stainless steel exterior makes it easy to wipe with a damp cloth should the exterior get dirty.

LCD Display

You also don’t have to guess when your bread is going to be ready due to the clear LCD display that shows the amount of time you have left.

Once you set the timer, the machine will let you know when your bread is done. Although, your nose will probably tell you that too.

This is great for those with a busy schedule, or those who love to wake up to the smell of fresh bread (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?).

A Bread for Every Type 

This Hamilton Beach bread maker is made to appease bread lovers of all diets and restrictions.

Its gluten-free mode opens this bread maker up to those with gluten allergies, allowing them to also get in on this fresh bread action.

It doesn’t limit those with this diet to just one type of recipe either – feel free to experiment with a variety of gluten-free flour and mixes.

And while making your own bread can already be a healthier alternative to store-bought loaves, the Hamilton Beach bread maker stands up to heavier whole-grain doughs so you can make your recipes even healthier.

Not Just a Bread Maker 

Those looking for a machine to do double-duty have found the right one! While you’re able to delve into a variety of loaves with this machine, it doesn’t have to stop at bread.

Need to whip up a cake for a friend’s birthday party? Or feel like cooking up a batch of strawberry jam to go with a fresh loaf? This machine is all you need.

With both a cake and jam mode it will be easy and convenient to use this machine for more than just bread, saving you money from buying other appliances, and saving you room in your kitchen.

Oh, and it makes pizza crust too.

Compact and Lightweight 

If you’re living in a small space, or you’re running out of room on your counters or in your cupboards, you won’t have to worry about this bread maker.

It has a slim, sleek design, so it won’t take up too much room sitting on your counter, and if you prefer to put it away when it’s not in use, you can easily find a space for this in your cupboard without compromise.

You won’t even have to worry about moving it since it’s lightweight (weighing about 10 pounds) so if you decide that it should only be displayed occasionally, or are thinking about moving, it won’t be a hassle.

The Negatives

“Walking” Machine

There were quite a few users who talked about the machine moving as it was kneading the bread, since the heavy-duty task made it vibrate and ‘walk’ across the counter.

This could possibly be dangerous, especially for people with thinner countertops that could crack, and it stands a chance of falling from your counter, breaking itself, the floor, or anything else in the way.

That’s not to mention the scare it’ll cause!

Keep this in mind before you buy, or place it somewhere more secure so it can afford to tap dance a bit.

Loud

There were also a few users that thought the machine was overly loud, especially during the kneading process.

Since there is a delay timer feature that allows you to schedule the start time of your bake, we can’t imagine it’s too welcoming to wake up to the loud sounds of your bread kneading in the morning.

Burning

One or two users also had trouble baking bread in the machine altogether.

They mentioned smelling a burning odor despite the bread not being done. While this may be just user error, it might be something you want to look out for.

Overall Verdict

After looking at the good and the bad, we would recommend the Hamilton Beach 29885 Bread Machine.

It has a ton of settings, most of its accessories and the bread pan are easy to clean because they go in the dishwasher, and it comes with an easy to read LCD display.

While there are some concerns about the machine moving around on the counter and the machine being loud, it’s a reasonable tradeoff for its abilities.

Now all you have to do is go out, buy your machine, gather your ingredients, and start breaking some bread!

Where to Buy the Hamilton Beach 29885 Bread Maker

Hamilton Beach is a company that’s been at the top of the home appliance and kitchenware game for a while. There’s a chance you’ve seen the name on the shelves of department stores nationwide.

Due to their presence in the market, and brand popularity, it won’t be hard to find Hamilton Beach products both in-store and online, even if your search for the 29855 Bread Maker proves a little tricky.

To start your search, check out the following online retailers.

• Hamilton Beach (from $79)
• The Hudson Bay (from $99)

But of course, you can also find it easily on Amazon.

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That’s it for our Hamilton Beach bread maker review. Tempted to give it a go?