I don't know anything about the Zo, but will be interested in the responses since I'm "keeping my eye out for a good deal" on a bread machine too since mine died... not seriously shopping as I seem to be managing fine without one, but good deals are always nice.

Most every bread machine I've ever encountered has a "dough only" cycle that will beep when the dough is finished with the kneading, rising, punching down, and final rise. That's good because the heater part won't turn on, so you don't have to watch it if you don't want to bake in the actual bread machine. It wouldn't rise in less time unless you had rapid rise yeast... which most bread machines also have a setting for and then it takes about an hour on the ones I have experience with. When I had a bread maker, I always did the final rise on or in whatever I was baking it on or in.

Good luck!

Yes, use the machine to mix the dough, knead it, let it rest, then rise again. After that, I usually restart my machine to knead the dough a second time. After that I take it out, let it rest about 20 minutes before shaping it, and let it rise the second time, free form or shaped in a pan before baking it. It's so much easier for me to use my bread machine any more because of arthritis, I'd hate to be without it. Take the plunge! You'll be so glad you did...

Yes, I use my bread machines for mixing and rising. Then take out and shape and let raise again and then bake in my regular oven. I don't know as you need an expensive machine to do that. I only have one that I bought new and it was around $40. All 3 others were from rummage sales at $5.00 each and they do a good job. I really don't like baking in any of them. I have when my oven didn't work. As you get older, you like to have things easier :)

Sue

Posts by Annie & Grainlady convinced me that I should buy a Zojirushi. So last year my husband got me one the larger one for Christmas. I use it exclusively for kneading & rising. (I don't care for the way the crust turns out when the machine does the baking. I had another brand years ago and the crust was the same, so I think it's just part of the bread machine experience.)

My husband is on a low sodium diet, so I make all our breads and cut the salt content by half. We're not big toast eaters so I usually make sandwich buns, dinner rolls, bagels, etc. and keep them in the freezer until needed.

Because I bake the dough myself, I don't fuss with special bread machine recipes. I just put the ingredients in the machine following the recommended order.

I let the dough rise in my machine and then take it out to form and bake. However, while it's kneading, I check it to see if it needs a bit of extra liquid or flour. You can't just dump everything in, walk away, and have a perfect loaf. There are so many variables that I think it's really necessary to check the dough while it's kneading. One advantage to baking it yourself is that if you find that, for some reason, the dough is still too dry or too wet, you can adjust it before sticking it into the oven.

The large machine is perfect for marathon baking days. I've used it to make three different breads in one day. I'll get one recipe going and pull out the dough to rise in a bowl while I use the machine to mix up & knead another recipe. Then I'll do the same thing. Only the last recipe made will actually rise in the machine. That way I can get almost a month's worth of sandwich & breakfast breads baked in just one day. I also use it for kneading sourdough bread. But I take that dough out and let it rise on its own, many times overnight.

The instruction manual for the Zojirushi gives the times for the different processes (pre-heating, kneading, add-ins, rising) so I just set my kitchen timer a few minutes past the beginning of the kneading cycle to check the dough. Then I set the timer again for the beginning of the rise. I usually rub a bit of oil on my hands and dab the top of the dough ball so it won't dry out during the machine rise.

I make pizza dough in it all the time and let it rise in the machine unless I'm doing one of my marathons. I think using the full operation, from pre-heat to final raise, probably takes longer than if you just took the dough out and let it rise on its own.

Before I got the bread machine, I either made bread by hand or using my food processor. There was nothing wrong with those methods. The thing the machine did for me was allow me to make larger quantities of bread products at one time to accommodate my husband's dietary requirements.

I have an old Welbilt that is used exclusively for mixing, kneading, and rising (dough cycle). Then, like the others, I shape, and let it rise a second time before baking in my own oven.

Last weekend I was staying with a friend out of town and she was asking about bread machines. We got on Craigslist and found a Breadman for $15. We drove across town to purchase it, stopped by Sam's on the way home for yeast, and 3 hrs. later had fresh bread. She's pretty thrilled at how easy it is.

Gah! I went to Amazon, wondering why I didn't get the notice Amck got about bread machine deals. And saw that the Zo I put on my wish list just last week is now more expensive!
It was much cheaper than King Arthur; now it's only $3 cheaper!

I guess even at Amazon it's better to keep your cards close to your vest! What a bummer.

I tried to teach my husband how to use my Kitchen Center for kneading dough but he prefers the bread machine. So I taught him how to use the dough cycle to make his favorite Russian Black bread. The machine does the mixing and the first rise. Once the beep goes off, hubby takes the dough out, punches it down and shapes it into a loaf pan then bakes it in the oven. I have been assisting him for over a month. Went shopping last weekend and when I got home I smelled bread! He actually did the whole thing without me. The bread turned out great and he was very proud!

Thanks for the feedback. I'm still on the fence about whether to spring for the machine. When I do get one, it will probably be the Zo, based on the high praise it gets on this forum.

I think I will more use it to mix & rise and then bake off in the oven. But in the hot summer months, it would be nice to have the option of baking in the machine & not heating up the house. Would be especially nice to have a warm loaf in the morning if we have sleepover guests.

c christine...the mini machine I'm looking at - as of yesterday - was $20 less on Amazon than at KA (both currently offering free shipping.) I wonder if they upped the price on your model to offset a free shipping offer. Maybe not--- Hard to know when/where to buy for best deals.

I am looking at the big Zo. Now King Arthur has free shipping (temporarily) to match Amazon's (that "sold by somebody else but fulfilled by Amazon" free shipping). So there's no real difference. I bet the Amazon price went up on the first of the month.
I wonder if King Arthur is the better place to get it, because of their advice and support. I'm still not really decided. Bread machines always seemed so unnecessary, but my hands are not in great shape, and even with the Kitchen Aid mixer you have to do a lot of poking and spatula-wrestling. But I'm not making bread very often any more, and with the machine I would.
Then there's the problem of finding a spot for it on the counter.

I too only use the machine for mixing and rising. I don't like the square fat loaves that the machine bakes, nor do I like the crust when baked in the machine. It's much nicer to shape your own loaves and bake in the oven.

I can make any yeast bread recipe in there as long as the yield isn't too great. My babka recipe rises out of the machine and pushes the lid open, because it is meant for 2 large loaves. That's the maximum I can make in the machine at once.

I love that I can just pour all the ingredients in, push a button and just leave it. It really is no fuss, no muss. I wouldn't want to be without it.

Another one who uses my machines for mixing and rising only. I use the oven for baking. I use it for bread, pizza dough, calzones, sticky buns, brioche , bagels, hamburger buns everything.

Love that I can just dump and run, especially at the cottage.