I didn’t think I had time to make bread - then I tried the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker

RRP at time of testing: £100 | Check price at Amazon, Lakeland, Currys or Morphy Richards directly

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My verdict

I’ve always filed homemade bread under ‘lovely idea, but not happening’. The kind of thing you see on an American homesteading account, where someone calmly kneads dough at 10am while their toddler plays with wooden toys and the kitchen somehow stays spotless.

In my house, it’s a stark contrast. There’s work, children, dogs and the slow creep of washing that never quite gets finished. So you wouldn’t blame me for thinking that baking bread from scratch felt wildly unrealistic.

But after a month with the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker, I’ve had to reassess that slightly. Not because I’ve suddenly become that person, but because this makes it a lot easier to pretend I am.

It comes in a large box with everything you need inside to get started

This bread maker isn’t for someone chasing perfect, artisan loaves or wanting to get deeply into bread-making as a hobby - you'll probably want to look at the Sage Custom Loaf Pro Bread Maker. It’s for people who like the idea of homemade bread but don’t have the time or inclination to do it the traditional way. Like cooking with your air fryer or multi-cooker: it makes the job a lot easier. 

There are a few quirks, though. The lid clearance is slightly annoying and it’s not the quietest appliance when it gets going. You’ll also need a bit of trial and error at the start, or at least I did. But once you’ve found your rhythm, it slots into a busy week more easily than you’d expect. And in a house where most things feel like a juggle, that’s probably the most convincing selling point of all.

How I’ve tested the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker

I’ve been using the bread maker for the past month in our fairly typical, slightly chaotic household. It’s been used twice a week, mostly by me, fitting around work, school runs and everything else that comes with family life.

I started with a 1.5lb loaf on a medium crust setting, which didn’t go brilliantly. Largely because I didn’t put enough water into the mixture. Since then, I’ve settled into making 2lb loaves with a dark crust setting, tweaking the water levels to improve the results.

Most of my testing has been with the standard Morphy Richards white bread recipe rather than anything particularly experimental, as that’s realistically how I’d use it long term. I’m not pretending I’m about to start whipping up sun-dried tomato loaves on a Wednesday night between homework and bath time.

I've been making a basic white bread recipe that has just four ingredients

I have used the Fastbake setting on a couple of occasions but, to be honest, I prefer the basic white bread programme. Fastbake takes just 58 minutes, which sounds incredibly appealing when you’ve realised too late that nobody bought bread. In practice, I found the result more crumbly, as though the loaf hadn’t had quite enough time to bind properly. The basic programme takes around three hours, but the extra proving time gave me a better loaf.

Every loaf has been a learning curve, but I now feel confident making two loaves a week using the basic recipe. I’ve also learned that warm water does, in fact, make a difference. The manual recommends liquids between 21°C and 28°C, and annoying as it is when instructions are right, this one is worth following.

Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker: what’s in the box?

Inside the box, you get the bread maker itself along with the non-stick baking pan and kneading paddle. Thankfully, it’s not overloaded with extra parts that ultimately get lost in the junk drawer. It does come with some measuring spoons and cup but I already had my own stainless steel ones, so didn't really need these.

The unit is solid and the only extras you get are some measuring tools

Is the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker easy to set up?

Setup is very straightforward. There’s no complicated assembly involved. You slot the baking pan into place, add the kneading blade and you’re essentially ready to go.

Morphy Richards advises washing the baking pan and kneading blade before first use, then greasing the pan and running it empty for around 10 minutes on the Extra Bake programme. This helps clear any first-use residue or smell from manufacturing.

Once that’s done, the only real setup is getting used to ingredient quantities and order. The manual is quite firm on this: ingredients need to go into the pan in the order listed, and the yeast shouldn’t touch the water before mixing starts. This matters more than you’d think, particularly if you’re using the delay timer.

To prepare the breadmaker, I had to grease the inner pan first

How easy is the Morphy Richards breadmaker to use?

After getting past the initial intimidation factor, it’s surprisingly very easy to use. You add your ingredients, choose your programme, select the loaf size and crust colour, then leave it alone. There’s no hands-on kneading or constant checking, which is exactly what makes it workable in my home.

I’ve ended up doing all the baking myself, mostly because it’s simple enough to fit into my routine without much thought. As soon as my Big Food Shop arrives on a Monday afternoon, I get a loaf on the go so we’ll have fresh bread by the time our DC get home from school.

My first loaf didn't turn out the best aesthetically - but it tasted good!

There is a bit of trial and error at the start. My first loaf came out with a spiky, uneven top, which turned out to be down to not adding quite enough water. Adding an extra 10ml made a noticeable difference to the next loaves.

After that, it’s been very straightforward each time. It’s one of those appliances where the first go feels like a science experiment, then by week three you’re measuring flour while answering a question about PE kit and wondering why you ever thought this was complicated.

Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker: size and worktop fit

Bread makers have a reputation for being bulky, and while this isn’t tiny, it’s not as bad as I expected. It’s slimmer than some of the chunkier models I’ve seen from Sage and Panasonic, though it is quite deep. It sits on the worktop without taking over completely, which matters if space is already tight.

As you can see, you need good headspace above the bread maker in order to open the lid

The bigger issue is height. You need enough clearance above it to open the lid fully. In my kitchen, that means pulling it right to the edge of the counter to open and close it, then pushing it back under the cupboard once it’s running.

It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does add a small layer of faff. Then again, this is probably a ‘my kitchen’ problem rather than solely an appliance issue, given I had the same head-space problem with the Ninja 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker recently.

What programmes does the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker have?

The Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker has 12 programmes: basic, French, wholewheat, quick, Fastbake I, Fastbake II, dough, jam, cake, sandwich and extra bake.

In reality, I found what worked and stuck with it. The 2lb loaf with a dark crust setting has become the default in our house, giving a firmer, crunchier finish that works well for toast.

There are 12 settings to choose from on the Fastbake Breadmaker

The extra settings are useful if you want to experiment. The dough programme can make dough for rolls, pizza bases and hot cross buns - my husband enjoys this function. The jam setting can be used for marmalade and jam (though I’m yet to try this), while the cake setting is there for recipes such as fruit cake and gluten-free cake. Gluten-free bread is made using the basic programme, with a slightly different method.

Still, you don’t need to use every setting to get value from it. I suspect most families will be like us: find the loaf everyone actually eats, then make that until someone complains.

Does the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker perform well?

After my slightly dodgy first attempt, performance has been consistent. Once I’d figured out the right ingredient quantities (after a quick Amazon Prime next-day purchase of measuring cups), the machine did what it was meant to do. You add everything in, leave it alone and come back to a finished loaf.

My DC love helping me put the ingredients inside - though you do have to be careful what order you dump them in

There’s no need to intervene mid-cycle for a standard loaf. The machine does beep during certain programmes to tell you when to add fruit, nuts or other extras, but for a basic white loaf I’ve mostly been able to ignore it until it’s done.

The basic programme has been the most reliable for me. Fastbake is useful in theory, especially as both Fastbake programmes take under an hour, but I preferred the texture of loaves made on the longer setting.

Bread quality and consistency with Morphy Richard’s breadmaker

The quality of the bread has been good, particularly after making that small adjustment to water levels.

The crust setting makes a noticeable difference. Switching to a darker crust gave a firmer, more satisfying finish, especially for toast. The bread itself is simple, fresh and very much ‘family loaf’ rather than artisan bakery, but that’s exactly what I wanted from it.

After the first few goes, my bread started to look and taste great

What I liked most is that improvements were easy to achieve. Small tweaks had clear results, rather than feeling like guesswork. Since that first week, the loaves have been consistent enough that I’ve kept using it regularly without worrying about wasted ingredients.

Morphy Richards Fastbake: how noisy is it? 

This isn’t a silent appliance. During the proving stages, it’s quiet enough that you forget it’s there. Then the kneading starts, which is noticeably louder. It’s not unbearable, but in an open-plan space or during quieter parts of the day, you’ll definitely notice it. Something to note if you work from home nearby. It wouldn’t stop me using it, but I wouldn’t set it going in the evening if I was hoping for a peaceful kitchen reset.

One of the many loaves that have turned out perfectly

Cleaning and maintenance of the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker

Cleaning is fairly simple, but it is hand-wash only. The baking pan and kneading blade shouldn’t go in the dishwasher, which is worth knowing if you’re allergic to washing up by hand.

The non-stick pan has cleaned up easily so far. The kneading blade can stick occasionally, but soaking it in warm water helps loosen it. You’ll also need to avoid metal utensils so you don’t scratch the coating.

Morphy Richards’ bread maker: is it good value for money?

Where this bread maker starts to make sense is in how often you use it. Making two loaves a week has reduced how much bread we're buying, particularly packaged supermarket loaves, and has cut down on some of the plastic that comes with them. 

Making our own bread has meant we’re relying less on packaged supermarket loaves, which is something my husband and I were keen to do anyway. I like knowing exactly what’s going into it, and it’s noticeably cut down on how much bread we’re buying each week. 

My DH always says I make too much mess in the kitchen - whoops!

The numbers back it up too. We used to pick up a Warburtons farmhouse loaf for £1.60 at ASDA; now, each homemade loaf costs us around 55p in ingredients - flour, yeast, honey and a splash of olive oil. That’s a saving of just over £1 per loaf, or roughly £100 a year at two loaves a week. At that rate, the bread maker pays for itself within the first year. 

That’s where the value is. Like the best slow cookers, it’s the kind of appliance that earns its keep if it becomes part of your weekly routine. If it doesn't, it's another appliance taking up space.

Comparing bread makers: Morphy Richards vs Sage

Final verdict: should you buy the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker?

The Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker is a practical, easy-to-use bread maker for families who like the idea of homemade bread but don’t want bread-making to become a full personality change.

I've enjoyed making two loaves a week for our family

It isn’t perfect. It needs space above it, it makes some noise when kneading and the Fastbake setting didn’t give me our preferred results (though you may like it). There’s also a bit of trial and error involved at the start, especially with water quantities and temperature. But once I found the setting that worked for us, it became surprisingly easy to use regularly. The basic white programme has produced consistent 2lb loaves, the dark crust setting gives a good finish and the whole thing now fits neatly into my Monday routine.

It’s not for artisan bread purists. It’s for busy households that want fresh bread with minimal fuss. On that front, it does the job very nicely IMO.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

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All prices are correct at the time of writing.

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