I have problems slicing the bread, anyone have suggestions?

Buy a great bread knife; it makes all the difference. I bought the Tojiro Bread Slicer 235mm F-737. It slices cleanly and easily through just about anything, warm or cold, hard crust or soft. I tried using a bread slicing guide, but just a little practice with my Tojiro knife produces as good or better results, and I never use the guide anymore.

trying to decide between the mini and the regular Zo, I'd like to use this machine to also rise dough- do you think it's big enough?

It depends on the recipe. I bought the book "bread machine magic" as it has all recipes for small medium or large and I use all the small recipes which include dough recipes. I once tried a kolache recipe that was definitely either a 1 1/2 to 2 pound recipe on the dough cycle and it definitely had trouble kneading it and I had to transfer it in my kitchen aid mixer for the first 20 minute kneading cycle then I put it back in the zo as it does have the temp control for rising. Then it did not have any trouble kneading the second time because the dough was pliable at that point. You also cannot program so if you were to knead the dough then place it in the machine you have to let the machine run its course but there is a timed chart so you know about when everything happens. Anyway, if you stick with 1 pound recipes you pretty much will be able to make any kind of dough.

Anyone have problems with over baked crust?

We have only had our Mini Zo for 2 days. Baked 3 loaves yesterday. First loaf on "basic" and "regular" settings. Interior of loaf was very light and fluffy, but crust extremely crispy (making it very difficult to slice). Second loaf was the cheese and onion basic with light crust, to which was added 1 1/2 Tbsp drained, chopped, pickled jalapeños.. Cheese, onions and jalapeños were thrown all over, even outside of the bread pan, crust was VERY dark, and when sliced all of the add-ins were at the bottom 1/3 of the loaf, a terrible job of mixing! 3rd loaf was Yorkshire Spice Bread from "Quick and Delicious Bread Machine Recipes" by Norman Garrett, settings were "soft" with "light crust". Turned out quite well, except for the VERY dark crust. I wanted to be able to, at least occasionally 'set and forget' this machine for overnight baking of basic loaves, so setting a timer to remove the loaf early is not a practical solution for me. I am amazed at all the wonderful reviews for this machine (I absolutely did my research) when it cannot seem to produce a loaf with a decent crust, and am so disappointed in it that I hope Amazon will accept its return.

does this leave a hole in the bottom of the loaf, or does the blade retract befor baking?

If you use the machine for baking, then yes, it does leave a hole in the bread. As this machine bakes a small loaf of bread and if baked in the machine, it has a hole in the bottom and is shaped similar to a chimney, I prefer to let the machine do everything other than bake the bread. After it is done mixing the ingredients, I take the dough out, shape it and bake it myself in the oven, just because of the aesthetics. The taste is wonderful no matter which way you decide to do it.

ASIN	B000G32H84
Best Sellers Rank	#202,353 in Kitchen & Dining ( See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining ) #68 in Bread Machines
Brand	Zojirushi
Color	White
Customer Reviews	4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,188)
Date First Available	October 2, 2001
Global Trade Identification Number	00023596267084
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer	No
Item Weight	1 pounds
Item model number	BB-HAC10
Manufacturer	Zojirushi
Number of Programs	9
Product Care Instructions	Hand Wash Only
Product Dimensions	11.25"D x 8.5"W x 12.25"H
UPC	023596267084
Wattage	450 watts

ZojirushiBB-HAC10 Home Bakery 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker, White

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