Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Breadmaker - which ones are worth buying?

farmerbarleymow

farmerbarleymow

I'm Petee's spirit animal
Thinking of buying a breadmaker but there are so many on the market it's confusing. So any views on which ones are good ones would be useful. Budget isn't an issue, and want one that will make nice bread - particularly seedy/granary type loaves.

The last thread I can find is from around ten years ago, so thought a newly risen one was in order.
 
The Panasonic one is what everyone recommends. As far as I can tell it hasn't fundamentally changed in decades.
The mechanism is the same in all of them, so you're not losing out by getting the cheapest one (which still has a "seed drop" for toppings)
ao.com

SD-2501WXC_WH | Panasonic Bread Maker | Rapid Bake | ao.com

This SD-2501WXC_WH Panasonic bread maker has a choice of 27 programmes, a Rapid Bake feature & a raisin and nut dispenser. It can work with rye & spelt flours too. Choose Click & Collect to get it sent to a store near you, or book a delivery timeslot so you’re not waiting at home all day, at ao.com
ao.com ao.com
Ours has been baking non-stop for 8 years so far without a fault. Easily paid for itself many times over.
Get the big sacks of flour from catering suppliers and save even more :)
 
Last edited:
We've had the same Panasonic as Crispy (slightly earlier model number) for 16 years. Haven't used it much in recent years but resurrected it at the weekend & it is just as good as when we last used it.
 
I got my mum a Morphy Richards one and she loves it. Not sure on model but could find out if you want to consider an alternative. It's a pretty basic one I think.
 
I've got a Panasonic too, but now I'm WFH I tend to use the pizza dough program to make the dough then transfer it to a normal shaped tin, prove and oven bake, preferably before or after using the oven for something else to save on heating up time/cost. If using the full programs I go for the smallest loaf otherwise the shape is too tall.
 
Could you not just make soda bread?

Takes about 5 minutes to mix the ingredients, 35 minutes to bake and there's no kneading or proving required.
 
farmerbarleymow said:
I could make bread by hand but I'm lazy.
Click to expand...


Then why not just buy it?

I've never used a machine to make bread and can't understand why anyone would want to, but each to their own.

I do though wonder whether using a maching is any less bother than making soda bread by hand. I can't see how it can be. Presumably you have to assemble the ingredients and put them in the machine and remember to switch the machine on and remove the bread when it's ready. So where's the saving in time or effort?
 
rummo said:
Then why not just buy it?

I've never used a machine to make bread and can't understand why anyone would want to, but each to their own.

I do though wonder whether using a maching is any less bother than making soda bread by hand. I can't see how it can be. Presumably you have to assemble the ingredients and put them in the machine and remember to switch the machine on and remove the bread when it's ready. So where's the saving in time or effort?
Click to expand...
It takes 2m30s to prepare a machine loaf (yes I've timed it), makes zero mess, requires no implements, and you don't have to think about preheating the oven or setting a timer. Just chuck it in the machine in the evning and wake up to freshly baked bread. Proper bread too mind :p
 
Last edited:
rummo said:
Then why not just buy it?

I've never used a machine to make bread and can't understand why anyone would want to, but each to their own.

I do though wonder whether using a maching is any less bother than making soda bread by hand. I can't see how it can be. Presumably you have to assemble the ingredients and put them in the machine and remember to switch the machine on and remove the bread when it's ready. So where's the saving in time or effort?
Click to expand...
I can't buy bread in the shops I actually like.
Hot bread and freshly-ground coffee is a key luxury to me.
I would do the same even if I suddenly became insanely wealthy.

I "bake" my bread early in the morning once a week.
I put the pan on a scale.
I weigh in 307g of water - about 1/3 boiling
sprinkle of sugar (I also mix the first bit of flour in to get the yeast growing)
5g of yeast.
I weigh in 500g of flour
squidge of oil
3 pinches of salt
In the machine and press "go".

I have a Panasonic. I bought it aeons ago.
Based on the MR I'd briefly had before, I bought a replacement pan bearing at the same time and actually had to fit it last year.

I don't currently own any kind of oven.
 
Yup, little has changed since the last bread maker bread, so there isn’t much need to repeat it. :facepalm:

Otherwise, my ancient (late 1990s?) Breadman is still turning out a couple of excellent loaves a week and I was even able to get a new pan for it a while back when the paddle bearing on the original wore out (that model was sold under several brand names) - the old pan then made an excellent drinking fountain for the birds.

Otherwise, I’d also get a Panasonic.
 
killer b said:
Come now. There's a great deal of value in the convenience, but machine bread is still something of a compromise.
Click to expand...
Not for me.
I like my bread dense, I'm not bothered if it's crumbly, I don't even get massively annoyed by the hole left by the paddle.
All for a few minutes' effort once a week.
 
Argos have got a Panasonic one for £100. Is the bread as good as the better models. It doesn't have the bit for nuts and fruit, but can you still stick seeds in there.

Do folks mostly use raw ingredients or do you buy the mixes? I've quite liked making bread in the past, but it's quite time consuming and I don't have a decent bakery near me to buy it from.
 
UnderAnOpenSky said:
Argos have got a Panasonic one for £100. Is the bread as good as the better models. It doesn't have the bit for nuts and fruit, but can you still stick seeds in there.

Do folks mostly use raw ingredients or do you buy the mixes? I've quite liked making bread in the past, but it's quite time consuming and I don't have a decent bakery near me to buy it from.
Click to expand...
The seed dispenser can help preserve the Teflon a bit as well as stopping things like olives turn to mush.
I suppose you would have to look at the cycle to work out when to add things - perhaps it beeps ?
I stopped adding masses of seeds because it ruined the bread structure.
The mixes I can buy locally are rather unpleasant. As Crispy said earlier it takes minutes to weigh in the ingredients on a cheap digital scale... I find a 1/100 gram scale useful for yeat as well as coffee beans, but I believe somepeople use volumetric measures....
 
gentlegreen said:
Not for me.
I like my bread dense, I'm not bothered if it's crumbly, I don't even get massively annoyed by the hole left by the paddle.
All for a few minutes' effort once a week.
Click to expand...
Actually the hole left by the paddle issue was always one that irritated me .I used to try and rationalise and forget only to be plunged into inevitable disappointment after making a new loaf .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ATOMIC SUPLEX
Bifold aluminium patio doors or regular ones (insurance question)
Replies
15
Views
501
ATOMIC SUPLEX
ATOMIC SUPLEX
danny la rouge
My neighbours are at it again.
2
Replies
39
Views
1K
Saul Goodman
Saul Goodman
MrSki
Cheapo shite you have bought that was worth it.
Replies
17
Views
732
_Russ_
_Russ_
newme
Fire pits - are any not shit?
Replies
10
Views
300
keybored
keybored
Hollis
Are these Wooden French doors beyond repair?
2
Replies
30
Views
939
Mrs Miggins
Mrs Miggins
Back
Top Bottom