What's a good bread maker?

We have a Hitachi HB-B201 bread maker. The loafs come out like a cube and are very dense. Been trying different recipes for a year but always get the same thing. Ready to try a new one. Any suggestions?

 

Bread machines have been around long enough that most of the make pretty good bread.
Have you tried different yeast in your machine, and have you tried warming the water before putting ingredients in?
Also, are you segregating the yeast from the liquid and sugar when you load the ingredients?

 

If you want the convenience of a bread machine, then most will work fairly well. As fflowley mentioned, the issue is more likely the recipe and your technique. It is important that the yeast be separated from the liquid and sugar/fat at the start, but there are many recipes that are extremely touchy. I have one, a molasses-oatmeal brownbread recipe that is probably the most forgiving recipe in the world (and one of the tastiest). Other ones have to be handled with kid gloves to get good results in the same Black & Decker unit.

 

Have tried warming the water. Have tried different yeast. Haven't tried segregating the yeast fromthe liquid and sugar. Will try that, thanks.

Also haven't tried:

Have access to one. I'll try that, too.

 

I am with Snowy and Borla. I've just started making bread and rolls and it isn't all that much effort if you have a stand mixer.

I made two batches of hamburger buns for a BBQ last weekend and it was almost no effort at all with my new stand mixer.

 

The stand mixer is so tempting.
I mainly make pizza dough with my bread machine.
How does that work with the mixer?