The Oster CKSTBRTW20 has enough menu settings and recipes to get you started without having to spend a bread pan full of money. This Oster bread machine is a good baking appliance, and it is affordable as well. It is one of the best-selling bread machines due to its perfect price point and standard features. It can get you started with baking your own bread in a bread machine at home.
This Oster CKSTBRTW20 2-pound Expressbake bread maker review discusses its various features, advantages and disadvantages. I conclude the review with a few comments on its overall performance as a bread machine.
Oster CKSTBRTW20: Key Features
- 1 year limited warranty covering defects in material or workmanship.
- 6-minute memory function for short power outages.
- 60-minute automatic keep warm mode after baking cycle ends.
- Appliance is made for North American electrical usage (115v, 60Hz).
- Control panel with LCD.
- Crust color button: light, medium, dark or rapid.
- Delay timer for up to 13 hours.
- Glass viewing window.
- Includes measuring scoop, measuring cup and kneading blade removal tool.
- Includes Oster CKSTBRTW20 user guide and recipes.
- Kneading blade.
- Loaf size button: 1lb, 1.5lb or 2lb loaf size.
- Menu button: choose from 12 settings.
- Removable bread pan.
Kneading Blade
The Oster CKSTBRTW20 has a single kneading blade. The kneading blade bakes into the loaf. There is no signal that gives you a reminder to remove it before the baking starts. It is probably best to let it bake into the loaf.
You can use the included kneading blade removal tool to remove the paddle from the finished bread loaf. You put the hooked end of the tool into the kneading paddle and then pull it out gently and slowly. It will leave a small hole, but you can still eat the bread.
Removable Bread Pan
The bread pan is probably made from aluminum and coated with a nonstick coating. The pan is easily cleaned by rinsing and wiping it dry. Do not use metal utensils which will scratch the nonstick surface, rather use wood or plastic utensils in a gentle way.
The loaf pan has a slightly rectangular shape, and the 2-lb loaf comes out quite tall. So, I guess it makes an almost square, vertical loaf shape. It does not look like a traditional bread loaf baked in a long oven pan.
Glass Viewing Window
Do not touch the viewing window or open the lid during the baking step because it gets quite hot. The sides of the bread machine stay cool. Some heat from the baking is lost through the window, which might cause the top of the bread to have a lighter crust color than the bottom.
Control Panel With LCD
After loading the bread pan (with the kneading paddle and ingredients inside) into the bread maker, close the lid and plug in the bread maker. Now you may use the menu select button to choose from the 12 settings. Here they are:
1. Basic
2. French
3. Whole Wheat
4. Sweet
5. Express Bake 1.5 lb
6. Express Bake 2 lb
7. Quick
8. European
9. Dough
10. Bagel Dough
11. Jam
12. Bake
Next, you may select the desired crust color and the required loaf size. The delay timer cannot be used on the Expressbake settings. Do not use ingredients that can spoil, such as milk or eggs, when using the delay timer function.
Adding Fruit And Nuts
The bread maker will give an audible signal during the kneading cycle to remind you to add raisins or nuts if the recipe requires it. You may raise the lid and slowly add the ingredients until they are mixed with the dough. The add fruit & nut reminder signal can be loud, which might wake you up when the machine makes bread overnight with the delay timer. The audible signal cannot be muted.
Memory Function
If the power goes out while the bread maker is busy, then it will remember where it was for a maximum of 6 minutes. The bread machine will continue with its current program if the power comes back on in less than 6 minutes. If the power outage lasts for more than 6 minutes, you have to start over again with new ingredients.
Oster CKSTBRTW20: Manual And Recipes
The Oster CKSTBRTW20 manual gives an overview of parts & functions, tips & hints, care & cleaning, troubleshooting as well as warranty information.
The manual also contains a handful of recipes for each of the twelve menu programs. There are no recipes for gluten-free bread because the Oster CKSTBRTW20 does not have a menu setting for it. Here are a few examples of recipes that are included in the manual:
- Traditional white bread
- Oatmeal bread
- Raisin bread
- Sourdough bread
- French countryside bread
- Italian herb bread
- Apple walnut bread
- Cheese & Rye bread
- Whole wheat bread
- Butter rolls
- Pizza crust dough
- Basic pasta dough
- Strawberry jam
- Orange Marmalade
The manual provides a recipe for a making a sourdough starter. It takes about three days to prepare the starter, which you then use in the sourdough bread recipe. The European bread setting is used for making the sourdough bread in the bread maker. The manual contains the recipes as well as a few sourdough baking tips. Please note that this bread machine sourdough recipe needs active dry yeast because the starter alone will not cause the bread to rise properly.
Limited Warranty
The company warrants that the bread maker is free from material or workmanship defects. The warranty does not cover the normal wear of parts or damage due to improper usage of the bread maker. This unit is intended for household use only, so keep it in the kitchen.
Oster CKSTBRTW20: Advantages And Disadvantages
- It is not difficult to use or to clean.
- Basic bread maker at an affordable price.
- Prepare pizza dough by following the pizza crust recipe in the manual.
- It does not have a gluten-free bread cycle.
- The pan shape does not produce a traditional bread loaf shape.
- It does not allow you to program your own custom knead, rise and bake times.
- The beeping signal for adding extra ingredients cannot be silenced for overnight baking.
Oster CKSTBRTW20: My Verdict
This Oster bread maker is an affordable introduction to the world of bread machines. It does not have any fancy extras such as an automatic fruit and nut dispenser or the ability for custom programming by the user. It is cheap, and the learning curve is not too steep.
If you read the manual and follow the instructions and recipes closely, then you will get acceptable results. The loaves will not look like bakery bread, but it will not taste like supermarket loaves either.
No appliance is foolproof and the Oster CKSTBRTW20 might not produce a perfect loaf every time, but with a little experience it will perform well. However, you need to keep it away from the edge of the kitchen counter because it might “walk” off the counter when kneading dough due to its lightweight design.
There are other Oster bread machines on the market. For example, the Oster CKSTBR9050 Expressbake (read the review) has a gluten-free setting. It also has an Expressbake setting for rapidly making and baking a bread loaf in only an hour. It is very similar to the CKSTBRTW20, but its control panel is gray, which does not look so nice.
To conclude: the Oster CKSTBRTW20 makes decent bread loaves, even though its audible beeps might annoy people with sensitive ears. It is an inexpensive bread machine that makes basic bread machine bread loaves (buy on Amazon – paid link).