Bread maker - some ideas and help please

property.advert

I've always loved fresh bread but my local area doesn't have much and Asda bread selection is pretty poor in my shop.

So I would like to investigate a bread maker.

I know nothing about it other than you have to chuck some ingredients together and then leave it and then cook it. I certainly don't want any mess or an overly complicated process.

So just what are my options and then what are the good makes and just what should I look out for as features to make sure I get a perfect loaf every time.

Finally, what is the cost comparison of buy it in or make at home ?

shopndrop

I have a Panasonic which I bought nearly 2 years ago and now, never have shop bought bread. Why not have a look at this thread and this one? You might find some of the answers you are looking for to help make a decision.

foxgloves

We had a Breville which we thought was pretty good but it wore out recently and we replaced it with a Panasonic which is even better. You do have to weigh out all the ingredients, put them into the bread maker bucket in the correct order, follow instructions, etc, but it is easy to do. There are lots of different options for types of loaves and you can also set the timer so that you've got a fresh warm loaf of bread ready when you get up in the morning. A good thing about the timer is that if you are on Economy 7 electricity with the cheaper night time rates, you can run the breadmaker overnight. We wouldn't be without one.

property.advert

I love Panasonic for electrics and have done for years as they nearly always get it right, with top quality and impressive reliability. Sometimes though they can be a bit expensive.

Though I wanted one for ages, I thought it would just be a white elephant, as all the food processors I've bought over the years have become. I also want to throw away breville type sandwich makers after the first go because they are so hard to clean !

Yesterday I saw and advert for a DeLonghi at Argos, down to half price at about £35. I've a £8 Argos credit left so I thought for about £25, I could join the bread making fraternity. Sold out, no more coming. Ah well, I'll look at alternatives.

I come across a Morphy Richards 48268 which has a Which? Best Buy label from 2008 and is £47. http://www.morphyrichards.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Product=48268 Then I see the Panasonic recommendations but they are about double the price !

So is Panasonic worth this much extra ?

suzybloo

If you go over to the old style money saving threads there is much advice about breadmakers, there is an entire thread dedicated to them, along with various recommendations, recipes etc. definately worth a read if you are looking to buy one,
I have the Panasonic one and cant fault it at all even though it was a little bit pricey.
enjoy!!!

ClaireLR

I have a panasonic too! Have never had a bad loaf out of it. Was bought second hand from ebay for £27 have a look on there, I think a lot of people buy these and don't use them much, mine came boxed and looked like it had never been used!

Also, have a look at the old style board, plenty of suggestions on there for bread makers.

property.advert

I looked through the links kindly supplied by shopndrop and Panasonics do come out as well received but I'd guess time moves rather quickly with new innovations and though I wouldn't buy one half as good as a Panasonic for half the price, I might buy one 90% as good for 50% as much.

I see the cheaper of the two Panasonic ones does not have a timer or a nut putter inner ! I could do without the nut thing but I'm sure the long time it takes to make means that setting it to work overnight it a sensible option.

So I ask two further questions.

1. Do you use it overnight and is the result any different ?

2. Do you really have to remove it as soon as it is done or can some keep it warm but still 100% quality wise ?

Thanks

property.advert

Sorry but can I ask a question of SD254 owners.

The Panasonic website says that this model does not have a timer and that only the 255 has one. Is this correct ?

cooking-mama

property.advert wrote: »

Sorry but can I ask a question of SD254 owners.

The Panasonic website says that this model does not have a timer and that only the 255 has one. Is this correct ?

The Panasonic SD254 definately has a timer...Its also on special offer of £67+ at Dixons just now. http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1881100727.1255997951@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfiadeiilgefgecflgceggdhhmdgml.0&page=SimpleSearchProducts&low_bound=0&up_bound=0&criterion=breadmaker&AtimeStamp=3433450753#(any):(any):30:90:PageNo_0:SortOrder_DOWN the sd255 is reduced too

Clowance

one thing to watch out for: the bread is so delicious a whole loaf gets scoffed by my family of 4 at one sitting. But if there is occasionally a little bit left over, its nowhere near as nice the next day. I think if you were trying to manage with just a breadmaker, you would probably have to freeze the surplus in slices?

Swan_2

property.advert wrote: »

I come across a Morphy Richards 48268 which has a Which? Best Buy label from 2008 and is £47. http://www.morphyrichards.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Product=48268 Then I see the Panasonic recommendations but they are about double the price !

So is Panasonic worth this much extra ?

I had a Morphy Richards given by a friend, the bread it produced was always acceptable but 'cakey'

it broke down recently & I replaced it with a Panasonic & the difference in the bread is like night & day, it makes light 'bready' bread

buuut ... tbh I prefer hand-made bread & although the Panny bread is light, fluffy etc, I find it a bit lacking in character, but that's just me & the Panny is great when you're in a hurry & don't have time to be around for hand-made bread

so for automatic bread, I'd definitely recommend the Panny, seriously, don't waste your cash on any other brand