Panasonic Breadmakers Tips and Quick Questions Thread

Whitefiver

What is the weight of the mix? I would weigh it, and follow the nearest instructions (probably 400g).

Regards,

White.

Mr_Lahey

Ive got the Panasonic SD - 254

Small Loaf = 400g

Large Loaf = 550g

Dough up to 250 - 600g

lizzyshep

After much umming and aahing, I finally bought one of these and I'm so excited! I tried making bread by hand but it was messy and I never seemed to have time, it didn't turn out that well either. This BM got rave reviews on here and Amazon, so I decided I may as well go for it rather than a cheaper one. I had £20 of vouchers from completing surveys and £42 pin money, so it only ended up costing me £6 from this month's wages

Anyway, I've been reading through an old discussion called 'I am in love with my Panasonic breadmaker' that is in the Indexed Collections, but that is closed now, is there a more recent one?

Also, one thing that nearly stopped me buying this was the nine negative reviews on Amazon, about the paddle coming loose over time and the lack of customer service from Panasonic. I weighed this up and decided that the 215 five star reviews made up for it, but has anyone else had a problem with the paddle?

Pink.

Hi lizzyshep,

I can't help with the paddle as I don't have a panasonic but this is the thread that has replaced the original panasonic thread

Panasonic Breadmakers Tips and Quick Questions Thread

I'll add your thread to that one later as your query may help others.

Pink

southcoastsounds

Can't help with the paddle question but try ebay for new ones - they do turn up there.

I have had a Panasonic b-m for over a year now and have used it every other day since then - a medium size loaf does us two days no problem. I know so many people who say, "don't buy a bread maker, you'll never use it after the first couple of months". Nonsense - if you love good bread and get in the habit of using it you'd find it hard to do without one.

My question is this:

I make bread rolls by using the dough setting and then following the instructions in the manual for baking them in the oven. They are quite delicious - but rapidly become hard and difficult to eat. If I keep them to the next day they loose their freshness and if I freeze them they come out even tougher. I've tried several recipes, including packet mixes.

Sure, a quick burst in a microwave goes someway towards restoring them, but is there any way of baking a lighter roll, perhaps one with more air in it? I'm not sure if this is possible because the whole idea of breadmakers is to bake "real" bread. However, sometimes I yearn after something a little lighter.

thanks in anticipation

Tom

Morvern_callar

I've had my Panny for over 2 years now, use it regularly and no paddle problems.

Penelope_Penguin

southcoastsounds wrote: »

Nonsense - if you love good bread and get in the habit of using it you'd find it hard to do without one.

:eek: Don;t let thriftlady hear you say that How do you think people managed before BMs were invented

I use thriftlady's bread roll recipe and the rolls are lovely and light, and defrost well.

I'll go and find the recipe for you ........... Here it is.

Penny. x

lizzyshep

I got one of these after a bit of deliberation - it seemed a lot of money but I'd tried making bread by hand and it wasn't that successful, plus I never had time to do it (and clean up afterwards!). I almost went for the cheaper Morphy Richards but thought I might regret it if I bought that and was disappointed with the results. What really decided it was that Amazon had the S254 on offer for £67, and I knew I'd be upset if I decided to wait and save up and it went back up to £99. So I bought it and it arrived yesterday, and I love it! My first loaf was a medium basic white, using Hovis super strong flour - and oh my goodness! When I cut into it, it was SO fresh, I've never had bread like it! I think I should have left it for a bit to cool, because it was so fresh it was difficult to slice, but never mind. I made a basic wholemeal loaf before I went to bed and left it overnight, this was much easier to slice. I had some for toast this morning and it was really nice, denser than the white (as you'd expect) but still really delicious. Neither of the loaves looked perfect - for some reason one side was risen more than the other - but I don't really mind, it's all part of the fun. I'm now being a bit more daring and I have an apricot and almond loaf in the machine (waiting for the beep to add the fruit!), which will be ready in about 3 1/2 hours. :T

What I'm most happy about is:
1. It will save money in the long run, especially with the 'fancy' breads, and I'm getting much better quality for my money
2. Much healthier, no nasties going in
3. It tastes much better than most shop bought stuff
4. Looking forward to making lots of different types of bread, and using it to make my own pizzas

So, all in all I'm over the moon with my purchase - if you're thinking about buying one I would recommend it 100%

Craftyscholar

lizzyshep wrote: »

I got one of these after a bit of deliberation - it seemed a lot of money but I'd tried making bread by hand and it wasn't that successful, plus I never had time to do it (and clean up afterwards!). I almost went for the cheaper Morphy Richards but thought I might regret it if I bought that and was disappointed with the results. What really decided it was that Amazon had the S254 on offer for £67, and I knew I'd be upset if I decided to wait and save up and it went back up to £99.

So, all in all I'm over the moon with my purchase - if you're thinking about buying one I would recommend it 100%

Can I ask if you considered the SD255?
I'm not sure what the advantages would be of going for the more expensive one, but I don't want to find myself regretting that I didn't spend the extra.

lizzyshep

No, I didn't really consider it. The only difference is the automatic dispenser and the rye blade. I like rye bread but don't eat it that often, and the only advantage of the automatic dispenser is that you don't have to wait to put ingredients in after the first hour. I've seen some people say they just add them at the start anyway, so if I wasn't in when I was making the bread (which I usually would be), I could put them in at the start. Also, I think I'll mostly make plain breads so probably wouldn't have used the dispenser much. The SD255 was £30 more than the one I got, and I just didn't think it was worth the extra money.

So I would go for the cheaper option, unless you really love rye bread or want an automatic dispenser!