Best Bread Machine? Why I Still Recommend Zojirushi After Years of Use

I’ve owned several bread machines over the years. Eventually I reached the point where I wanted to buy a really good one and be done with it.

That machine was a Zojirushi Virtuoso, and after years of use I still believe Zojirushi makes one of the best bread machines for someone who regularly makes homemade bread.

My machine is the older BB-PAC20 Virtuoso, which has since been discontinued. The current BB-PDC20 Virtuoso Plus is its successor and keeps the main features that made me choose mine in the first place.

Ours gets used for more than finished loaves. Sometimes we let the machine do everything. Other times Mrs. J uses it to knead and rise the dough, then finishes the bread in the oven. We also use it for pizza dough.

That flexibility is one reason it has stayed useful rather than becoming another kitchen appliance sitting in a cabinet.

I’ve been a Pleasant Hill Grain customer for decades and am pleased to now be an affiliate. I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus BB-PDC20
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The current Virtuoso Plus makes a 2-pound horizontal loaf and keeps the features that originally sold me on ours: two kneading paddles, heat from both the bottom and lid, customizable bread cycles, and a large selection of bread settings.

Why I Chose a Zojirushi Bread Machine

Bread machines vary quite a bit in price. Zojirushi is definitely on the expensive side.

I knew that when I bought ours.

What I wanted was a bread maker that would reliably knead heavier dough, bake a good-sized loaf, give me control over the cycle, and hopefully last for many years.

So far, that decision has worked out very well.

One of the first differences you’ll notice is the loaf shape. Many bread makers produce a tall vertical loaf. The Zojirushi Virtuoso uses a long horizontal pan, which produces something closer to a conventional loaf of bread.

The current Virtuoso Plus makes traditional horizontal loaves in roughly the 1½- to 2-pound range.

Depending on how thin you slice the bread, that size produces roughly eight sandwiches.

Two Kneading Blades Make a Difference

This is one of my favorite features.

The Zojirushi has two kneading blades instead of the single paddle found in many bread machines. With a long horizontal bread pan, that helps work the dough from both ends.

I’ve found it especially useful with heavier dough.

My BB-PAC20 has the same two-paddle horizontal design used by the current Virtuoso Plus. The newer control panel is shown below.

Mrs. J will sometimes let the Zojirushi do the kneading and rising, then take the dough out, shape it, and bake it separately in the oven.

You don’t have to use a bread machine all the way through the baking cycle. In fact, using one strictly as a dough machine may become one of its most useful jobs.

The paddles on ours have also been easy to remove after briefly soaking the cooled pan in warm water.

Heat From the Top Helps Brown the Bread

Many bread machines heat primarily from underneath.

The Zojirushi Virtuoso also has a heating element in the lid. That additional heat helps brown the top of the bread instead of leaving it noticeably lighter than the sides and bottom.

The current BB-PDC20 uses a 600-watt main heater plus a 40-watt lid heater, according to Zojirushi’s specifications.

That’s one of those design details you may not think much about before buying a bread machine. You notice it when you start looking at the finished loaf.

The Homemade Cycle Is One of Its Best Features

Presets are convenient, but sometimes you want to change what the machine is doing.

The Homemade cycle lets you program your own kneading, rising, and baking times. The current Virtuoso Plus can store three of these custom programs.

We have regularly used the custom feature.

Maybe you want a longer kneading time for heavier whole-grain flour. Maybe your favorite recipe needs more rising time. Or perhaps you simply don’t want the machine baking quite as long as its factory program.

You can adjust the cycle instead of adjusting your recipe around the machine.

That is a big advantage once you move beyond the recipes supplied with the bread maker.

The control panels on my older BB-PAC20 and the newer BB-PPC20 ceramic model. Both provide quick access to the Homemade cycle. I like the simpler layout of the newer controls.

Can the Zojirushi Make Sourdough?

The Virtuoso Plus has a Sourdough Starter setting. It does not mean that you drop ingredients into the machine and press a dedicated “sourdough bread” button that handles every traditional sourdough recipe automatically.

The starter course helps prepare sourdough starter, and the programmable Homemade settings give you considerable control over kneading, rising, and baking.

For someone experimenting with longer fermentation or custom sourdough recipes, that flexibility is more useful than a machine with only fixed bread cycles.

Other Bread Settings

The current Virtuoso Plus includes settings for White, Whole Wheat, European, Multigrain, Gluten Free, Salt Free, Sugar Free, Vegan, Rapid White and Rapid Whole Wheat.

There are also Dough, Sourdough Starter, Cake and Jam courses.

The Rapid cycles can produce a white or whole-wheat loaf in about 2 hours 25 minutes.

There’s also a delay timer of up to 13 hours.

That means you can load the ingredients ahead of time and have the bread finish later, though you’ll want to use some common sense with recipes containing ingredients that shouldn’t sit unrefrigerated for hours.

A New Ceramic Nonstick Virtuoso Plus

Zojirushi has added another version that may interest people shopping for a new bread machine today.

The BB-PPC20 Virtuoso Plus uses a ceramic nonstick coating on the baking pan and kneading blades. Zojirushi says the areas that contact food are free of PFAS, including PTFE and PFOA, and are also BPA-free.

Otherwise, its basic specifications are very similar to the BB-PDC20. It still makes a horizontal 1½- to 2-pound loaf and uses two kneading blades and top-and-bottom heating.

The ceramic model costs more, so whether that difference matters is going to be a personal choice.

If I were buying today, I would at least compare the price of the standard Virtuoso Plus against the ceramic version before deciding.

Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus BB-PPC20
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→ Check Amazon Price

Zojirushi BB-PDC20 vs BB-PPC20: What’s the Difference?

The BB-PDC20 and BB-PPC20 Virtuoso Plus are much more alike than different. Both make a 1½- to 2-pound horizontal loaf, use two kneading blades, heat from both the bottom and lid, and have the same basic bread courses and programmable Homemade settings.

The main difference is the baking pan and kneading blades. The newer BB-PPC20 uses a ceramic nonstick coating, and Zojirushi says all food-contact areas are free of PFAS, including PTFE and PFOA, as well as BPA. The BB-PDC20 uses Zojirushi’s conventional nonstick-coated pan and blades.

As of now, the BB-PPC20 carries about a $45 premium at manufacturer pricing.

If the ceramic coating matters to you, the BB-PPC20 is the obvious choice. Otherwise, the BB-PDC20 gives you essentially the same bread-making features for less money.

Is an Expensive Bread Machine Worth It?

That’s the obvious drawback.

These are expensive bread machines.

If you make one loaf of bread every six months, I wouldn’t spend this much money. There are plenty of inexpensive bread makers that may be perfectly adequate for occasional use.

My reason for choosing Zojirushi was different.

I wanted a machine we would actually use for years, with a large bread pan, good kneading ability, custom programming, and enough flexibility that we wouldn’t quickly outgrow it.

That’s what happened.

Our bread machine didn’t turn into a single-purpose appliance either. Dough alone makes it useful.

We regularly make pizza dough with it. The machine mixes, kneads, and handles the rising process, after which we take the dough out and bake the pizza in the oven.

What Is the Best Bread Flour for a Bread Machine?

Bread flour generally contains more protein than ordinary all-purpose flour. That extra protein helps develop gluten, which affects the structure, chew, and rise of the loaf.

You can certainly make bread with all-purpose flour too.

One option when using lower-protein flour is adding vital wheat gluten. The exact amount depends on the flour and recipe, so I prefer following a tested bread-machine recipe rather than automatically adding the same amount to every loaf.

Measuring flour accurately also matters.

Bread recipes often specify flour by weight because a cup of flour can vary considerably depending on how tightly it is packed.

A small digital kitchen scale takes most of the guessing out of it.

Bread Machine Yeast vs. Active Dry Yeast

Bread machine yeast and rapid-rise yeast are designed to become active quickly and can usually be mixed directly with the dry ingredients.

That works especially well with a bread machine’s delay timer because the yeast can remain separated from the liquid until the machine begins mixing.

Active dry yeast can also work in bread recipes, but follow the particular recipe you’re using rather than assuming every type of yeast is interchangeable in the same amount.

Bread machines are quite forgiving once you get accustomed to them, but flour, liquid, temperature, and yeast all affect how the dough behaves.

Two good bread machine cookbooks to have on hand:
→ The No-Fuss Bread Machine Cookbook (Amazon)
→ The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook (Amazon)

Making Your Own Bread Lets You Control the Ingredients

One of the other reasons I like making bread at home is simple.

I know what went into it.

Flour, yeast, water, salt, oil, honey, grains, seeds, or whatever else we decide to use.

You can make the recipe as simple or as elaborate as you want.

A bread machine isn’t the same thing as kneading a loaf completely by hand, but you’re still choosing the ingredients and making the bread yourself.

For me, the machine simply takes some of the repetitive work out of the process.

Would I Buy a Zojirushi Bread Machine Again?

Yes.

After using ours for years, I haven’t found a reason to change that recommendation.

I especially like the horizontal 2-pound loaf, two kneading blades, top heater, and programmable Homemade cycle.

It’s not the bread machine I would recommend to someone looking for the cheapest appliance available.

But if you’re looking for a bread machine to use regularly and would rather buy a good one once than keep replacing cheaper machines, the Zojirushi Virtuoso is still the one I would look at first.

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