Old bread maker, meet new bread maker, Bread Man

We are going to have to say good-bye to a good friend of ours, bread maker. We bought him when we first moved to Waltham, and we met him at a community garage sale (a very affluent community) with the extravagant price-tag of $5. Since that very auspicious morning, he has made two or three loaves a week for us, with the exception of last year, of course, when we were in Florence. (We missed him dearly during that time, especially since our only choice for bread came unsalted, the "typical" Tuscan style.)

Bread maker's paddle crank has been starting to corrode, so we figure it is time to find a replacement since apparently that brand (Regal) is no longer in business. Meet Bread Man. He has some 90 different settings. His little operation light makes him look like a UFO in the dark. He is a real man. Don't know how many of his fancy features we will be using considering I only ever make one type of bread (the type where I dump in flours, oats, and water willy-nilly without measuring anything), but Bread Man made a loaf very nicely this morning so I think he will be able to fill big shoes. The real bonus will be that his dough setting has a delay start feature (which our very basic original maker didn't have), so it will be easier to make pizzas :o)

Good-bye friend, and hello shiny chrome Breadman Ultimate Plus!

My first loaf using the easy no-exact-measuring-technique came out great. I think the horizontal bread pan helps the heavy ingredients to rise.

**If anyone is need of parts for a Regal Kitchen Pro (K6743) bread machine, let me know! The only thing wrong with this one is the seal and paddle. I want our beloved machine to keep on giving for as long as possible ;o)