The Black and Decker B6000C bread maker is an affordable kitchen appliance that does what it was made to do: make large bread loaves. The Black & Decker B6000C is not as well-constructed or fancy as more expensive bread machines. Nevertheless, it offers 11 menu settings, three loaf size options (up to 3 pounds) as well as a 13-hour baking delay timer. You may already know the drill, now take a look at the bread machine.
Black And Decker B6000C: Key Features
- Viewing window.
- 13-hour delay timer.
- Nonstick baking pan.
- Loaf sizes: 1.5, 2 or 3 pounds.
- Eight bread making programs.
- Control panel with LCD.
- Horizontal shape loaf pan with two kneading blades.
- Audible signal reminder for adding fruit and nuts.
- Crust control button for choosing a regular or dark crust.
- Extra programs for cooking jam, kneading dough or one hour baking only.
Loaf Size And Menu Programs
Normal bread loaves are about 1.5 to 2 pounds. The Black & Decker B6000C has a control panel button for selecting a 1.5, 2 or 3-pound bread loaf size. This bread maker can bake a 3-pound bread loaf, which is quite big and tall. The shape of the bread pan contributes to it being long with a narrow width and high top.
The LCD is not backlit, which can make it difficult to read while selecting the desired baking settings. Other control panel buttons are for selecting the crust color and bread menu programs.
The Black and Decker B6000C has eleven menu programs, which are conveniently listed on the front of the machine in English and French. Eight of those options are pre-programmed for making bread: White Bread, Rapid White, Whole Wheat, French, Sweet, Low Carb, Gluten Free And Quick Bread.
The Rapid White program kneads and bakes twice as fast for a speedy bread loaf. The whole wheat program does not start mixing immediately, it allows the whole wheat flour to soak up some moisture for about 15 minutes before starting.
If you want to make gluten-free bread, then you can use a gluten-free mix and the appropriate program setting to do so.
The three other programs are for cooking jam, for preparing a basic dough and for one hour baking (Baking Only). It unfortunately does not have special programs for making pizza or bagel dough.
Two Kneading Paddles
The Black & Decker B6000C has a powerful motor and two kneading paddles. It does a good job with mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough. The dual kneading blades work well to knead whole wheat and gluten-free dough.
However, there is no audible beep that reminds you to take out the dough, remove the kneading paddles and return the dough before the last rise and baking cycle. This unfortunately leaves two holes in the bottom of the bread.
Bread Baking Pan
The baking pan bakes a horizontal loaf that tends to be narrower and taller than a normal bread loaf you buy at the bakery. At least it does not make strange vertical bread that looks like a gluten mushroom.
The baking pan has a nonstick coating on the inside, which reduces the chance of the finished bread sticking to the pan. It also makes it easier to clean, although a nonstick coating does not last forever.
It may sometimes be necessary to scrape the sides of the baking pan with a wooden or plastic spatula during the kneading phase to make sure there are no unmixed ingredients hiding in the corners or stuck to the sides.
Black And Decker B6000C: Advantages And Disadvantages
- It is an affordable bread maker.
- It can bake an extra large 3-pound bread loaf.
- Audible signal reminds you to add nuts or raisins.
- It has a horizontal loaf pan with two kneading blades.
- Built-in viewing window for keeping an eye on the bread.
- LCD is not backlit, which can make it hard to read.
- No preheat function, so your flour and liquid should not be cold when you add them into the baking pan.
- The user manual does not give the bread cycle times for the different programs, making it difficult to predict when the bread maker will be doing what.
- There is no audible beep before the last rise cycle that reminds you to take out the paddles if you want to avoid holes in the bottom of the bread loaf.
Black And Decker B6000C: The Verdict
The Black & Decker B6000C works best for large bread loaves of 2 to 3 pounds. The two kneading paddles and the big baking pan can handle a lot of dough and produce big loaves. It does not work so well for smaller loaves of 1 to 1.5 pounds.
The Black and Decker bread maker is not as well-constructed as the more expensive, dual paddle Zojirushi BB-PDC20 bread machine (read my BB-PDC20 review). Nevertheless, the B6000C does not break the bank, and it bakes a decent bread loaf if given a little attention at the right time.
The B6000C manual is a little thin and only offers a few recipes for the bread programs. It does not provide information on how much time the bread maker spends in the different cycles of mixing, kneading, rising and baking.
By and large, the Black and Decker B6000C is a big 3-lb loaf bread machine that might fit a small budget. Unfortunately, I do not know where you can buy the Black & Decker B6000C bread maker, because it seems like it is currently unavailable, and I do not know if it will ever be in stock again.
If you want to own and use a 3-pound bread machine for making large bread loaves, then I suggest that you read my review about large bread machines for large families.