Hamilton Beach 29881/29882 Review
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The Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881 (white)/29882 (black) is actually very similar to the Sunbeam 5891. Both bread machines are advertised as making 1.5-pound and 2-pound loaves of bread. And they have 12 bread cycles each. You can set the machine at basic, French, whole grain, 1.5-pound express, 2-pound express, dough, jam, cake, etc. One really cool feature of the Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881/29882 is that it has a gluten-free mode. More and more people who realize they are sensitive to gluten can make gluten-free bread with this simple setting. In addition, it has light, medium, dark crusts settings, which again is the same as the Sunbeam 5891. The 13-hour delay timer allows you to set the machine to bake bread at a later time. This is useful if you want to add the ingredients to the machine before going to bed to bake bread close to the morning.
One neat feature of the Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881/29882 is that it includes an additional kneading paddle. Even though you’ll only be able to attach one onto the removable baking pan, you get an additional one in case you need to replace it.
Our Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881/29882 Review
Speaking of replacing paddles, the funny thing about this machine is that when we tested it, the paddle would sometimes come loose and end up being baked right in with the bread! So we wondered if we actually lost the paddle somewhere, but it was sticking right underneath the bread. This is a small problem and you could just yank it out, but we just noticed that this might be the difference between this cheaper bread machine than the more expensive ones like Zojirushi. If this happens to you, be careful when removing it because the paddle would be very hot.As usual, we tried at least three different settings on each bread machine we test. So for this one we tried baking French bread, whole grain, and making dough. With regards to the dough, well we don’t have much to say about that than it works. The machine incorporates it well. If you regularly make pizza but not bread, we recommend this machine just for that because it’s budget-friendly. Next, for the French bread we followed instructions that came with the machine. A good idea is to follow the instructions because it might be slightly different between machines and could make all the difference. Generally speaking, you should be adding the liquids first and then the dry ingredients. The French bread was delicious! We didn’t know how well this machine would do considering it’s one of the cheaper models we bought, but we were impressed. Finally, when it came to the whole grain bread, we threw in some nuts in it. The machine automatically announced when it was time to add in the nuts, and we did so as instructed. Simple enough to make and our bread turned out great.
If you are a first-time bread machine buyer or inexperienced when it comes to bread baking, the Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881/29882 would make a great purchase. With an extremely affordable price, this bread maker will allow you to try out baking bread with a machine and seeing whether you like it without breaking the bank or spending hundreds of dollars on a machine that you won’t end up using because you figured you’d rather go back to buying bread. Rather than baking bread by hand, which almost always is time-consuming and leads to inconsistent results, bread machines are fast and foolproof. Even if you add the wrong proportion of ingredients or leave something minimal out, the bread will almost bake nicely if not perfect with bread machines. Since the HomeBaker 29881/29882 has such an appealing price, we highly recommend it as an entry level purchase.
Hamilton Beach 29881/29882 Rating
Summary
The Hamilton Beach 29881/29882 bread machine is a great budget choice. The gluten-free setting and audible reminder to add fruit and nut are handy. Highly recommended as an entry model for those entering the baking arena.
Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881/29882 Features At A Glance
- Makes a 1.5- or 2-pound rectangular loaf
- Bakes bread in about 1 hour, has a 13-hour delayed timer
- Comes in white (29881) or black (29882)
- Has 12 pre-programmed baking functions: basic, French, gluten-free, whole grain, quick bread, sweet, 1.5-pound express, 2-pound express, dough, jam, cake, and bake
- Has 3 different crust selections: light, medium, dark
- Has audible reminder to add fruits or nuts
- Has an extra large viewing window at the top
- Comes with instruction manual, recipe book, removable bake pan and two kneading blades (one spare)
Concluding Thoughts
We would just like to remind you that buying a bread machine will come down to individual preferences. But if you read most of Bread Machine Pros reviews, you will have already learned what to look out for. So to summarize what the Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881/29882 offers, it’s a bread machine on the lower end of the pricing scale, it makes a 1.5- or 2-pound loaf of bread, it 12 pre-programmed settings that include some specialty items, it has customizable crust options, it has a large viewing window at the top, and it has an audible reminder to add fruits or nuts. We imagine this machine is perfect for those looking to buy a budget model, or even something cheap to make pizza dough (without the mess!) since it would be a waste to buy an expensive bread machine just to make pizza dough if you don’t bake bread all the time. We found the Hamilton Beach HomeBaker 29881/29882 to be a solid choice for the price.
I have the white Hamilton Beach bread maker and love it. It has nearly all of the same features found on expensive models. Bought mine at Walmart online for $39.97 around 18 months ago.
Love using mine but the o-ring seems to eventually fall apart and make it useless unless you purchase a new pan which is almost the price of the actual machine new.
I love this machine for regular bread however the cycle for gluten free seems to be incorrect. All the research that I have done shows there should not be a second rise cycle for gluten free bread. This machine has a second rise and it is even longer than for refular bread. As I have been recently disgnosed with celiac, this is quite disappointing.
That is incorrect, this setting is perfect for gluten free bread, provided you use the proper binding agents and good yeast you will get a good loaf of bread.
I have used it several times and am a celiac.
I also am disappointed with the gluten free setting. It always falls after the 3rd rise and bake. Trying weekly for a year now with always same results. Tried the dough one and put it in suggested 4×8 pan and pan too small and dough rose too high and spilled over into oven. The recipe I use is delicious and bread eatable. Still better than anything can buy. Was wondering about express setting with just one rise?
I have found that flour is left unmixed in the corners of the bread pan even when making the 2 pound loaf. I use a rubber bowl scraper to move the flour into the dough after it has been mixing for a few minutes. I must admit that I am disappointed with the machine and would have returned it if too much time had gone by before I had a chance to use it. Make sure you try it out shortly after purchasing it so you can return it in good time.
That is what all breadmakers will do, regardless of model.
I am a new bread machine user and really like my Hamilton Beach so far -my question is I have a recipe that calls for a medium setting in the baking (not crust colour ) what cycle would be the equivalent to a medium setting –
I have this bread machine and love it. It does everything that it says it will do. I have had mine for some time I use it all the time and has never caused any problems.
Yes the flour will sit in the corners and the spatula is the best way to get it in the dough.
GREAT MACHINE.
I plan to order another I like it so much.
I have the Hamilton Beach Breadmaker Model 29882C and I have grease coming in around the paddle and getting into the dough. I started just cutting away that piece of the dough but today I found streaks of the grease throughout the loaf. Not going to use it anymore as I don’t feel like it is safe to eat. How do I get this fixed or do I return it somewhere?
It sounds like an issue with the shaft of your baking pan. Perhaps the seal is wearing out, allowing grease to leak through. You likely need to replace the shaft, or you could get a replacement pan. If your machine is still fairly new/under warranty, we would suggest contacting the manufacturer for a replacement.
I can’t see the display where crust color says light, medium or dark when I press button? I also don’t see display for loaf size so I just pressed twice for 2 lbs?
I have a model 29881 bread machine and after only a year and a half, the timer quit working, rendering a mechanically perfect machine useless. I’ll never buy another Hamilton Beach product.