AIBU to ask which Panasonic Breadmaker?

[Ichangedmynameonce]

I bought a cheap Argos breadmaker during lockdown and the bread is horrible. And the loaves are tiny.

Everyone says get a Panasonic- but there are loads of models.

AIBU to ask WHICH PANASONIC?
Please recommend or reject specific models.

I want:
Decent , tasty bread, including brown bread

A decent sized loaf, that will feed 5 of us.

Please don't recommend I do it by hand - I just don't have the time.

Thank you
ps I'm thinking the SD 2511 model

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MNHQ

Bumping in the hope that someone has nothing better to do than reply

I've got the SD 2511. It does sourdough and has a seed dispenser. I'm very hapy with it. It's my second Panasonic one an dthis one has a better non-stick finish.

Hi Op Have been using bread makers for about 10yrs or so. Best so far is the Panasonic 2500 do not think that they make them anymore. I have found the 2500 very good now our second as the old one gave up. Have tried various recipes but this current appears to be the best.

350ml water
spoonful of butter
a measure of bread improver most important obtained on eBay
a measure of yeast obtained on Amazon
Then 200 grams of white flour must be strong Canadian flour
a measure and a half of dried milk powder
150 grams Hovis granary flour
a measure of dark brown sugar
150 grams Wholemeal flour

The measure is supplied by Panasonic small plastic spoon thingy

If it is not a brown loaf that you want then 500gramms of strong Canadian white flour

Shake the tin before placing in the breadmaker setting for 4 hrs large loaf and then light setting to give a light loaf.

Hope this helps

I agree with Voyager50 that you need strong bread flour, but I just use "Strong Bread Flour" (!) - i don't know that it is specifically Canadian (though lots of hard wheat is). I find Lidl's is good.

I also just buy bog standard easy/fast action yeast from any supermarket.

The bread maker makes great loaves but they don't keep like commercial bread; not a problem as they are quickly scoffed

I have an SD-zb2502

It is amazing and very attractive! I had another before and it was nothing like as good.

It was £119.99 from amazon but they now seem to be. a lot more.

thank you all for your comments and recipe advice.
@voyager54, did this recipe come with breadmaker?

Thank you

Frankly I'd just get the Russell Hobbs £65 one. They all do the same job, pretty much.

@Ichangedmynameonce the Panasonic comes with a recipe book with lots of different recipes including just dough ones (for pizzas etc), and cakes and jams. Lots of choice there, you'll all be fat as barrels in a couple of months!

Have you tried different recipes in the Argos one that you have?
Not used in ages, but bought an Argos one years ago (moved to the county and thought it was obligatory to make your own bread ).

The recipes supplied were a bit bleugh, but did get some OK bread from it. From memory, there was an option to just use the machine for kneading and mixing, then cooking the loaf free form in the oven, which I preferred.

Mine is a really old Panasonic (at least 15 years).

The loaves from all bread makers are pretty much the same size I think - the Panasonic isn't large but it is so easy to make this doesn't matter as you just make another.

I don't think the machine is going to be responsible for the taste - that will depend on the recipe. I like a 50/50 white/wholemeal mix with lots of seeds in it. I never put milk powder or sugar in mine.

I've had the Panasonic SD-ZB2512 for 18 months ish. I use it a lot, loads of different recipes mostly from th accompanying booklet but I also use readymixes. I add 50gm of butter to any mix or nearly any recipe. I rarely use any setting other than 1 which is 4 hours, even if a mix says otherwise. Never have a dud loaf now and think the breadmaker is worth every penny.

@Mumisnotmyonlyname

Frankly I'd just get the Russell Hobbs £65 one. They all do the same job, pretty much.

They really don't.

thanks all.

I have considered just making the dough and sticking in the oven, as I make decent pizza dough with it, but really I just want the bread ready. I will experiment a bit more perhaps.

I'll not recommend mine, as it's an old model but it's well worth going for the one with the seed dispenser as it tends to have other refinements, too, whatever generation you get.

The programs do make some difference to taste and texture. If I have some slightly duff white flour, I use the wholemeal cycle for a longer prove which gives a nicer crumb.

If I just want dough, for rolls or enriched breads, I use my kitchenaid mixer as the clean up is much easier.

I don't know why but the Panasonic ones do seem to be consistently better. The key considerations to think about are whether it has a hopper for seeds/nuts etc (handy if you want to make bread with bits in, particularly on the timer, and a separate yeast dispenser (good if you're regularly putting it on overnight). There are other factors (some do sourdough bread for instance) but I'd say those are the most important for what you need.

Flour quality does make a big difference too - we get 16kg bags from Shipton mill which are good value.

@Mumisnotmyonlyname

Frankly I'd just get the Russell Hobbs £65 one. They all do the same job, pretty much.

They really, really don't.

According to Which pretty much all the Panasonics are good. Just choose one with the programs you think you will use and which is in your price bracket.

I make mostly wholemeals, usually with some honey rather than sugar (because it smells amazing when baking mostly!), a handful of whatever seed or nut I want to use, and a big spoonful of tahini rather than oil or butter. Occasionally I use raisins and fresh rosemary as well, or cranberries or some coconut or eggs or whatever.

I use Doves yeast - most supermarkets sell it. Keep packet in fridge.

The thing that sets a Panasonic apart from all the shite cheaper models is that they are SO forgiving. I don't really measure anything except yeast flour and water, add everything else by eye (OK, a pretty experienced eye!) and it always comes out great.

Canadian flour tends to have more selenium than EU hard flours, but flours really are different - try several and find one you like.

Spelt is tasty but because it is higher in gluten may need a shorter program otherwise it rises too quickly and falls again before baking starts. Spelts are beginning to be standardised now, so you won't have the rollercoaster of each bag behaving differently like the old days!.

You certainly don't need flour improver (mostly vit C) unless your bread machine is dreadful and cannot produce a risen loaf without it - I personally prefer bread without.

@Mumisnotmyonlyname

Frankly I'd just get the Russell Hobbs £65 one. They all do the same job, pretty much.

Not in a million years sadly. It's extra money well spent.

Ok we had the ?SD2501 I think, until it finally gave out after about 8 years service used every day!

Now we have the SD2511. I would get this, for sure. It will do everything you need. The seed dispenser option is great. The bread is always good.

Sadly no, there is for whatever reason a massive difference between panasonic and other makes. The bread tastes like bread, and nice bread at that, rather than slightly cakey 'breadmaker bread'.

And they last for years so frankly it's a really good investment if you use it regularly, because you will save money on bread UNLESS your idea of bread is a wet supermarket ready-sliced 20p abomination.

There are 3 loaf sizes you can go for for each recipe. We always do the smallest and it's a good sized loaf. So no issues there I'm sure.

Oh and you get a massive recipe booklet with loads of info and a million recipes with different size options.

We use whatever flour is available - as folk have said, they're really forgiving on everything.

Never had a bad loaf.

I bought a Panasonic SD-256 from Facebook Marketplace for £10. It makes great bread. If you are adding extra ingredients you have to do so manually, but for £10.

I've never had a bad loaf either - I've had my Panasonic bread maker nearly thirteen years, and I'd replace it the second it broke.

When we bought ours, and when I've looked to see what I'd replace it with, there always seemed to be two current models - the one with the seed dispenser and the one without. But the one without will beep to tell you to add the seeds yourself if you ask it to (I never have!).

My Panasonic must be at least 15 years old but it's still going strong. I keep looking at shiny new ones but there's nothing wrong with the one I have.

I make my dough the night before with first prove and then the second prove is slow overnight in the fridge ready to pop straight in the oven in the morning.
You can pop it straight in from the fridge to a hot oven or if you want leave it for an hour before hand.

Sorry that's meant to be in answer to not getting a bread maker but still having a fresh loaf ready for the morning