Mister Loaf may no longer be around as a company, but their variety of different bread machines still turn up on Ebay and second hand stores quite often. They were quite popular in the 1990’s, but promptly vanished overnight leaving us with several of their products. One of their more popular product offerings was the HB-211 Home Bakery model. With an age of around 20 years it is quite old now, but can it still hold up to the newer competition? More on that below.
Product Features: First off we begin by taking a look at the overall design of this model. Our first impressions aren’t too exciting, as this is a typical bread machine design of a product released around this period. The entire machine is a creamy white color with the logo featured on the front. On the top is a warning label, and surprisingly there is no viewing window at all so you can’t keep an eye on your cooking bread. The main controls are on the top right of the machine, and there is no lcd on this model. Instead there are three lights with the associated actions to the right of them which include Knead/Rise, Bake and Complete. These lights will of course light up when the machine is busy with each of these actions.
The only buttons are the Start and Stop buttons, so this is a basic no frills bread maker. In terms of recipes, there aren’t actually any predefined ones, as seen on newer models. The user does however comes with a list of around 30 recipes which is quite good. This model can also make dough, but you will need to be sure that you don’t miss the signaled three beeps to indicate that the dough phase is complete. If you miss this, then the machine will simply carry on with the normal bread baking cycle and you will be left with bread instead!
This model makes three different loaf sizes including the small 1lbs, the medium 1.5lbs and the 2lbs size. Again these aren’t defined on the machine itself or in the user manual, so it looks like you will need to adjust your recipes accordingly before placing in the ingredients. The baking tin is the vertical kind, and this is somewhat expected for a lower range model such as this one. It has a nonstick coating, but there is no mention if it is dishwasher compatible. The baking pan is quite easy to remove, and you simply twist it slightly counterclockwise to unlock and pull it out. The entire lid of the machine is also removable which makes cleaning it a little easier. Cleaning the pan is quite easy, and the nonstick coating seems to work well according to reports. We should note that there is no Keep Warm setting on this model, so you should try and remove the bread shortly after it is finished baking to prevent it from becoming soggy.
Cooking times are quite fast for an older model, and these take 2:20 in total for the only recipe available. This is quite a contrast when you compare this against some of the 3 and 4 hour cooking times on newer models. The general consensus though is that shorter cooking times lead to a less than ideal finished loaf of bread. From the minor reports we have read about the HB-211, it seems like the ends results are ok. Texture are claimed to be acceptable, and the taste is claimed to be quite good. Being such an old machine though, it is hard to gauge how good it really is though as there isn’t that much feedback about it available. We have read reports of these Mister Loaf bread machines still being used today however, so it seems like they must be reliable at least.
So that is a quick look at the HB-211 machine. In this day and age you will struggle to find one for sale. But if you find one in good shape for a bargain price, it should provide you with a basic means to make decent bread.
User Manual: If you are looking for the user manual you can find it in pdf format here.
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Pros:
- Easy to clean
- Simple to operate
- Reliable
Cons:
- No viewing window
- No predefined recipes
- No keep warm
- No lcd
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Summary:
The Mister Loaf Hb-211 bread maker is quite a basic machine, and pales in comparison to newer models. However if you want a very simple breadmaker, then this can do the job. You can read some user reviews and find out more about this breadmaker on the product page.
| Our Rating: |
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| 2 |
Actually This Bread Machine is Awesome! The hb211, Mister Loaf bread Machine is still Working after 25 years. It will pump out a Fresh Loaf in just over 2 hours. However you need to get the yeast going separately with warm water 15 to 20 minutes before you add it and start the machine because of the quick cycle time. If i ever see one at a flea market or thrift store i would definitely buy another as a backup.
hi there. just picked up one of these. i find the instructions a bit confusing. it says the indicators flash to tell you which step is happening. then, it says if the knead/rise is flashing it means the chamber is too hot. my knead/rise is flashing, the machine is not warm to the feel, but i’m not sure what to do.
I have one for sale if you’re still interested.
I was given mine in 1990 as an engagement present and it’s still going strong. I’ve never had any issues with the bread that it produces (other than a dead yeast issue way back). My three sons are now in their mid 20s and still love the fresh bread that I make in it. We’re having it tonight with filet mignon and mashed potatoes. It makes our kitchen smell just like my Mom’s did when I was young. Don’t discount this machine just because it’s a basic model.
Mine quite heating last week. I’ve keep the bucket and the paddle. Might remove the belt before it goes to recycler. This has been with me for 10 years. I’ve never purchased a new bread machine and am guilty of useing all 4 of my used bread machines at the same time for rolls or danishes. For bake sales or family gatherings, I don’t like all the crust when you bake in the machine.