Breadmaker Recommendation

One that makes cakes too if you just throw the ingredients in. Ours doesn’t and I’d like it to. No idea how good they are or if I’d use it very often.

the issue with bread makers isn’t so much the making of the bread, it’s the slicing of afterwards. I find this a real PITA.

Thanks MJ - agree that the paddle / hole causes slicing problems and a hole. Good tip on the cake capability - will pass on.

CJK

Panasonic.

Just replaced our 20+ year old one with another newer Panasonic. The heating element and moisture eventually corroded the inner after pretty much daily use for 20 years. Make sure you get the one with the black non-stick loaf tin.

Loads of as new bargains on ebay and I picked one up for £40 including the recipe book and delivery. Loads of people seem to have decided it was the way to go during lock down and then got bored, I guess?

I just make bread BTW. Pointless for anything else IMHO.

We’ve had a Panasonic SD-2501 for several years now. It’s been great - reliable and versatile enough for a range of breads and pizza doughs. Haven’t used it for cakes though!

If you didn’t know by now the answer is a Panasonic one.

<p style="text-align: left;">Panasonic. On our second. It's done 11 years with minimal maintenance and is used every single day. All spares available as well.</p>
As for slicing, get a victorinox bread knife. Glorious for slicing a warm crust in the morning....

Thanks MJ – agree that the paddle / hole causes slicing problems and a hole.

the Panasonic makes a relatively tall loaf compared the Kenwood model I had previously and the paddle is pretty small - turn it on its side to slice it- the hole is then only an issue for the first could of slices

Thanks very much, I’m thinking Panasonic is the way to go!  We’ve been hearing about the ‘ultra processed’ nature of supermarket bread and thought it’s time make our own.

CJK

Yep, Panasonic. Ours lasted almost 20 years being used 3 times a week. Replaced it with a new Panasonic a couple of months ago and all is well 🙂

For those finding cutting a really soft loaf tricky, get a https://simpleslice.co.uk/ bread cutting guide plus the recommended knife - your days of hacking bread are over.

You don't need a bread maker to make bread.

You can make nicer bread by hand than any of those machines can make.

Recently bought a new Panasonic to replace a 12 year old Morphy Richards and I almost hate to say it but I am really disappointed with it. It 'works' as it is meant to, I think, but it's just not making a reliable loaf. Frequently hasn't sufficiently mixed the ingredients, so loaves come out covered in unmixed flour; rise is highly variable, sometimes great, sometimes soggy.

It frequently sits inactive for 20-30 minutes after starting, then gets going. Am I doing something wrong? And that's with using slightly tepid water, too.

It frequently sits inactive for 20-30 minutes after starting, then gets going. Am I doing something wrong? And that’s with using slightly tepid water, too.

it’s supposed to start with a pause - other bread makers leave it to you to guess / gauge what ‘tepid’ might mean when adding the water - if found with my old kenwood the results could be pretty variable in that respect- particularly as my kitchen tended to be pretty cold so it was pouring my idea of ‘tepid’ into a cold machine. The Panasonic uses that pause at the start to bring the ingredients to temperature before it starts mixing taking out that variability. If you’re getting the ingredients mixing poorly it may be down to not measuring things out accurately enough - perhaps too much flour / too little water. If the dough is too sticky at the start it clings to the hook and doesn’t pick up the rest of the flour

Another vote for panasonic, I can't say if it makes the best loaves as I am gluten free and therefore I'm aiming for the dizzying heights of edible. But, I had a kenwood before and while it made perfectly good loaves the build quality was poor. I think Kenwood and others know perfectly well that a lot of these machines will get used a few times then put on a shelf and forgotten, or at most will be occasional things, but I was using it constantly and I just plain wore it out. When I claimed on the warranty they were like "What have you done to this poor innocent machine, you monster". The Panasonic is I think 7 years old, gets used 2 or 3 times a week, and is basically good as new.

Only criticism I have is that it doesn't mix as well as I'd like- I just hand stir in the bowl with a spatula, takes 20 seconds. This might be because my gf flour is made of sawdust though.

Panasonic here and at the parents. They just work.

Previous Morphy Richards was all over the place by comparison

+1 for Panasonic.

As for slicing bread, Victorinox pastry knife is incredible and under £30.

Belated thanks everyone - Mrs K pursuing Panasonic when they’re in stock!  Thanks again. CJK