Breadmaker Wannabe!

J3nesis

So I've just spent the last hour(s) browsing the breadmaker index chatting about it with the OH and we're wondering about getting a breadmaker. We both like bread, toast, sandwiches, spaghetti hoops on toast etc etc. We probably get through 1-2 sliced loaves a week, but it's nasty full of chemical stuff so getting brown/wholemeal doesn't mean anything as it's still full of yuck.

ANYWAY! It's my birthday this week and I'm mulling over breadmakers. There's no question over whether we'd use it, we get through 2ish sliced loaves per week now, probably equates to 3-4 smaller homemade loaves.

Cost-wise it's obviously hard to estimate but if the OH has his way he buys Hovis Best of Both (£1.15 :eek:) rather than own-brand value bread. I read in the other breadmaker threads that HM loaves end up as under 50p per loaf? Is that still about right?

So after all that, what do I go for? I have the current Which? Reviews which sticks the Panasonic SD-2501 at the top of the list, that looks like a great machine but at £120 that's a big outlay for a first-time purchase. (MSE forumites seem to prefer Panasonic bread which is why I'm tempted, but the price tag has to be seriously justified!)

Argos do a value one for under £40, which I may go for in case we don't end up using it much, but some of the reviews are a bit iffy, saying the paddle doesn't knead all the dough, it's too flimsy etc. Not to mention that if it makes bad bread, it'll never get used again, end of our breadmaking adventure and back to e-numbers!

Thoughts?

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I'm not too bothered about nuts/seeds in bread (we don't eat nuts anyway) so I don't need one with an automatic nut dispenser, but I'd probably make fruit bread on weekends when I have time to sit and wait for the beep to add the fruit. A long timer and auto-cutoff in case of overheating is essential for our machine as it would be left on either overnight, to bake bread in the morning, or during the day when we're both out so we must be able to leave it unattended without worrying about the house burning down! It'd also be nice if it baked cakes and made pizza dough but we're not bothered about jam.

alimbee

I love my Panasonic, if it went wrong tomorrow it would be replaced the same day!

I never buy bread, and we bake and use a loaf every day. I have used the nut dispenser once in the 2 years or so I have had it, and personally wouldn't bother again. My mum bought a cheapie one and used it a couple of times, wouldn't recommend going down the cheap route. I have baked a cake once, which was ok but easier to use the oven IMHO, and I use the pizza dough setting all the time.

I only ever use the express setting for the bread, so you get a fab loaf in under 2 hours. I use Lidl flour, about 70p a bag and MUCH better than the allinson etc brands (IMHO!) if we get a bad loaf its usually the flour used.

Its also moneysaving as you ever need to go the corner shop for bread and come out with £20 of other bits you didn't know you needed ( or is that just me)

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the panasonic to anyone. Sorry, rambled enough now!

7_week_wonder

I'm another poster with a panasonic. I;ve had it 3 years and if it broke I would get another one straight away. There are only two of us, but I make at least 3 loaves a week, plus the occasional fruit loaf/pizza dough.

At the moment I mainly make sourdough bread and rye bread, but can definitely recommend Lidls bread mixes: yummy bread in les than 2 hours and under 50p a loaf. What's not to like.

I would definitely recommend biting the bullet and going for it.

J3nesis

alimbee wrote: »

Its also moneysaving as you ever need to go the corner shop for bread and come out with £20 of other bits you didn't know you needed ( or is that just me)

Not just you I'm terrible for doing this (or used to be before I joined here!)

7_week_wonder wrote: »

I'm another poster with a panasonic. I;ve had it 3 years and if it broke I would get another one straight away. There are only two of us, but I make at least 3 loaves a week, plus the occasional fruit loaf/pizza dough.

At the moment I mainly make sourdough bread and rye bread, but can definitely recommend Lidls bread mixes: yummy bread in les than 2 hours and under 50p a loaf. What's not to like.

I would definitely recommend biting the bullet and going for it.

Thank you both for your recommendation. I'm definitely leaning towards the Panasonic but I welcome any further comments - Morphy Richards seem to get some good press too. Is there a genuine taste difference for more expensive machines or is it all down to the ingredients? Does bread baked then-and-there taste better than bread baked using the timer function?

tigerfeet2006

A Panny for me too, all the way. It is definatly worth the money. Mine is in use all the time and spicy fruit loaf is the kids absolute favourite, so I use the dispenser all the time. I tend to put mine on all the time.

I have 2 who need gluten free so the Panny is a God send where that is concerned. We also do pizza dough a lot.

Have a watch of this http://fwd.channel5.com/gadget-show/videos/jon-test/breadmakers

SUESMITH_2

i'm another panny lover. i'm on my 3rd breadmaker and i have had the cheap ones and my advice would be DON'T BOTHER WITH THOSE ONES!

I was lucky and got my panny off freecycle and it was a revelation, really really good bread with brilliant texture and taste

marmiterulesok

I've got a Kenwood 300 breadmaker.I got it second hand.I don't know how it compares to a Panasonic.I'm very happy with it and always have a good loaf.I probably use it about twice a week.HTH.

joedenise

Definitely a Panny. Had a couple of cheap BMs but wasn't happy with them - ended up giving them to the kids! Don't use the BM as much as I should. I usually use the dough setting and then cook in the oven, think it tastes better that way, although it's still OK cooked in the machine but just like the shape of the bread!

Denise

Swan_2

I've used a Morphy Richards Fastbake, a Kenwood 450 & a Panasonic 255

the MR 'bread' was always dense & cakey, so I definitely wouldn't recommend that brand

the Kenwood & Panny produced very similar bread that's a world away from the MR's, but the Panny just edges ahead & it's the one I use currently & would recommend to anyone about to buy a breadmaker



now if only I could have a breadmaker with the looks* & user programmability of the Kenwood 450, but with the Panny's bread quality I'd be very happy

* to me the Pannys always look as if they belong in a lab rather than a kitchen

clairelh

We have a Panasonic - I got it 2nd hand off Gumtree. It was the best buy of this year for me. We had our work's Christmas 'fuddle' yesterday and instead of paying a small fortune in the supermarket bringing in nibbles and expensive breads, I simply made a couple of loaves - lovely fresh bread taken in for less than £1.

My dad has a Kenwood - it was his baking that convinced me to get a breadmaker myself. His is the compact one (it's still pretty big), but makes a really nice loaf. He said the only thing he struggles with is to get a crusty loaf.

I use the timer function loads - put the mix in before bed and have a fresh loaf ready in the morning and can't say I notice a difference between this and cooked on a regular cycle. Cakes haven't been a great success with it; I tried a banana loaf in mine the other day and it was nowhere near cooked after the recommended time and in the end I put it in the oven to finish off. Not a huge problem with this though - I do a lot of baking and prefer to do it in the oven anyway.

SailorSam

I wanted a breadmaker for ages and was tempted to get a Cookworks one 'cos they were cheaper and i'm dead tight, but after reading so many threads on here decided to bite the bullet and spend a bit extra on a Panny.
In 2yrs only had two disasters when i didn't get a nice loaf. First time i forgot to put the paddle in and the second i forgot the water, don't suppose i can blame Panny for them.