The first thing you might notice about the Hamilton Beach 29888 bread maker machine is the stainless steel exterior. If you like stainless steel, then you probably like the look of this bread machine. It also has both an automatic dispenser and a viewing window. Furthermore, it has a dial knob on the control panel in addition to the buttons.
Please note that the Hamilton Beach 29888 is no longer available. I suggest that you take a look at a newer model: the Hamilton Beach 29890. It also has a shiny control dial and an automatic fruit and nut dispenser.
Hamilton Beach 29888: Overview
There are a few features that I would like to discuss right at the start of this review.
First, the lid is removable. It might be easier to wipe the lid clean if you remove it. However, the removable lid must never be submerged in water nor loaded into a dishwasher.
Second, the lid has a viewing window so that you can see what the bread machine is doing without opening the lid. This is important because opening the lid at the wrong time, such as during the rising or baking cycles, could make the bread loaf turn out poorly. The only good reason to open the lid is to scrape unmixed flour from the sides or corners of the bread pan with a rubber spatula during the mixing cycle.
Third, the lid has a built-in dispenser for automatically adding fruit or nuts into the dough. The dispenser can hold only 1/2 cup of ingredients. Apparently, the bread machine beeps eight times when it dispenses the mix-ins into the dough. I do not know why it beeps, since the purpose of an automatic dispenser is to add the fruit automatically without you having to hear about it. Other Hamilton Beach bread machines, such as the newer 29987 model, does not have an automatic mix-in dispenser.
The fourth thing that catches my eye is that the control panel has a dial knob. The dial is used to either increase or decrease the parameters of a function selected with the buttons. That now reminds me of the control panel of the Breville BBM800XL, because it also has a selection dial.
For example, you select the type of bread or dough that you want the machine to make by pressing the MENU button. Then you turn the dial forward or backward and watch the numbers change on the screen until you reach the desired number/program. After selecting the required menu option, continue by making other choices for the loaf size, crust color and delay timer.
What menu programs does the Hamilton Beach 29888 have?
The Hamilton Beach 29888 has fourteen program cycles for making bread or dough. It seems like both the program numbers and the names are printed on the lid. This makes it easier to select the correct cycle number without having to constantly refer to the product manual. The program cycles are:
- Basic
- French
- Sweet
- 1.5 LB Express
- 2.0 LB Express
- Quick Bread
- Gluten-Free
- Artisan Dough
- Whole Grain
- Dough
- Rise
- Bake
- Cake
- Jam
How do you use this Hamilton Beach bread machine?
Remember to clean all the parts according to the instructions before running a short 10-minute Bake cycle to heat and release any residues left over from the manufacturing process. Do this in a well ventilated room. Let it cool down before cleaning all the parts again.
It is good practice to add the ingredients into the bread pan before putting it into the machine. Otherwise, you might spill something into the baking chamber and that is annoying to clean up. Add the liquid, sugar and salt first, then add the flour to form a dry island for the yeast. Remember that the yeast must remain dry until the mixing process starts. Now you may carefully load the bread pan into the baking chamber and lock it clockwise into place.
The Hamilton Beach 29888 bread maker weighs about 15 pounds and might vibrate or “walk” on the counter during the kneading phase. Thus, do not place it on the edge of a countertop, rather place it in the middle of a work surface. However, do not place it against a wall because it needs some ventilation space around it.
To continue, plug in the bread maker and choose the correct settings by pressing the buttons and turning the dial. Press the START button.
The bread machine beeps ten times to signal the end of the baking cycle before switching to a one-hour warm cycle. The bread machine will beep another ten times when the warm cycle is over.
You should probably remove the bread from the baking chamber once it has finished baking, thus press and hold the START button until you hear it beep. Get your oven mitts because the bread pan will be hot! Remove the bread pan by lifting the handle, turning the pan counterclockwise and pulling it out.
Shake out the bread onto a wire rack for cooling. Use a spatula if necessary to loosen the sides of the bread loaf. The kneading paddle might sometimes get stuck in the bottom of the bread loaf. You can use the included paddle hook to get it out.
How do you clean the various bread machine parts?
You should never put the whole bread machine or the removable lid with its dispenser into water. Instead, use a damp cloth to wipe the lid, viewing window, baking chamber and housing. Never use an abrasive cleaner!
The other smaller parts such as the pan, paddle, cup, spoon and hook are dishwasher safe even though the outside of the bread pan may discolor. Never use abrasive cleaning materials for the bread pan because it will scratch the nonstick coating.
If the kneading paddle does not want to leave the bread pan, then you need to pour in some warm water. Let it soak for a few minutes until you can loosen it by hand.
Which bread recipes can the Hamilton Beach 29888 make?
It seems like the product manual has at least one recipe for each of the menu programs. For example, the Basic program (cycle 1) has a white bread recipe for each of the loaf sizes. The Sweet setting has a Cranberry Orange Pecan recipe, while the Gluten-Free cycle has a gluten-free sandwich bread recipe.
The manual provides two recipes for the Dough cycle: Dinner Rolls and Pizza Crust. There is only one recipe for Strawberry Jam.
Is it possible to use other bread machine recipes?
Yes, but you should test the recipes and make small adjustments to the amount of dry or wet ingredients as necessary. You should never use more than 4.25 cups of dry ingredients because it might be too much for the bread machine and baking pan. You can compare other recipes to the ones in the manual to see if it might work.
Many people also buy bread machine cook books when they need more recipes. For example, The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook has 300 bread machine recipes for you to try out. View the book on Amazon (paid link).
Can the machine use packaged bread mixes?
You can buy and use a packaged bread mix if you do not want to follow a bread recipe and mix the ingredients yourself. However, the bread mix should not make a bread loaf that is larger than the 2-pound capacity of the Hamilton Beach 29888.
You should follow the instructions on the package when it comes to the amount of liquid and yeast to use. Just remember to add the ingredients in the right sequence into the bread pan: liquids first, then the dry bread mix and the yeast on top.
Choose the bread setting that matches the bread mix. For example, use the Basic cycle for a white bread mix and the Whole Grain cycle for a whole-wheat bread mix.
Hamilton Beach 29888: My Verdict
It seems like this is the first Hamilton Beach bread maker in quite a number of years that has an automatic fruit and nut dispenser. Moreover, this might be the first Hamilton Beach bread maker that has a dial knob for changing various settings.
To conclude, the Hamilton Beach 29888 costs more than the other Hamilton Beach bread makers. Yet, the few extra dollars will buy you a modern stainless steel style bread maker with an automatic mix-in dispenser and artisan dough cycle.
Unfortunately, the Hamilton Beach 29888 is no longer available. In light of that, I suggest that you consider buying a newer model with similar features: the Hamilton Beach 29890 bread machine (check price on Amazon – paid link).