West Bend 2.5 Pound Hi-Rise Bread Machine Review

We make all of our own sandwich bread and have for years.  Originally by hand, then with a Bosch mixer and for the last two years we have used the West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Machine.  It makes nice large, square loaves perfect to slice for sandwiches.

We use a combination of store bought bread flour and our freshly ground whole white wheat flour:  approximately 2 cups of the whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour per loaf.  The machine kneads it just fine and it almost always turns out tall and towards the light side.  It is not as light as white bread, but it does not turn out as what we refer to as "health food" bread:  it is not sticky or heavy.

The ingredients are measured and layered in the pan in order given in recipes.

The yeast is added last.

Each recipe has a setting on the machine and it is easily chosen from the list on the machine.  It also has a no-bake setting so you can use it for kneading.

Square Pan.

Because of health issues we cannot knead manually so we also use the West Bend Hi-Rise Bread Machine to knead the following and bake in a conventional oven:

• Dinner Rolls
• Pizza Crust
• Bread Sticks
• Hamburger Buns
• French Bread

One of two beaters.

We use this machine every day, often more than once and are very pleased with it.  We don't appreciate the holes left in the bottom of the loaves by the beaters when they hang on tightly at times and pull out extra bread.  But that is a minor issue.  I will be sharing our recipes over the next couple of weeks.

Whole Wheat bread baked in the West Bend 2.5 Pound Hi-Rise Bread Machine
Check out all our  Bread Machine Recipes.

Muffin (or Cupcake) Tins

I have had several types of muffin tins over the past few years. There are, as with any piece of kitchen equipment, pros and cons for each type. I think these are a must for any kitchen – after all, who can live without cupcakes?

My favorite is my stainless steel set. They were

Cooling Racks

Cooling Racks are essential for anyone who wants to do much baking. As with any piece of kitchen equipment, there are several things to consider when deciding which type to purchase.


First, you need to consider

The Loss of THE SPOON

THE SPOON has always been referred to in our kitchen in capital letters. It was a perfect combination of spoon and scraper. It even had a lightweight handle so that it did not tip over and spray the kitchen with batter or broth. Now, we have dozens of spoons, but whenever someone said, “Hand me The Spoon.” We knew

Wire Whisks

Wire Whisks are a must have for many recipes.  They are great for beating eggs, blending wet ingredients, and mixing anything that has a medium to thin consistency.  For example muffin batter is often too thick to do the final mixing with whisk.

Keep in mind, that whipping things together incorporates air into whatever you are beating so be sure that you are

Mixing Bowls

Mixing bowls have been much on my mind for the past couple weeks as I received a long desired set of metal ones for Christmas from my dear mother who knew how much I wanted them. The bowl to the right of this paragraph is one of hers – from the set she started out with at her marriage over 30 years ago.

Mixing bowls are essential for anyone who wants to