Breadmakers to love and loaf (ouch sorry!)

[MrsSantosloves2010]

My Morphy Richards Fastbake has just met an untimely end on the kitchen floor (guilty cat held for questioning grin]). I know this is sad but I have got to be such a geek about my own bread and can manage to make by hand for a bit but I really do want another machine. I liked the Fastbake but the paddle used to stick in the bread which left a huge hole in the middle of the loaf that annoyed me - but don't they all do that? Plus it had started to get really rattly and noisy.

Which breadmakers do you rate and any to avoid? I originally wanted a Panasonic but went for the Fastbake because it was much cheaper.

We've got a Panasonic and it's excellent.

The paddle does leave a hole, but I think all breadmakers do.

I'd also recommend the Panasonic as being well worth the extra. I've had other ones (cheaper) in the past but found that the bread tins buckled after a while so spent quite a lot of money replacing them. The Panasonic made excellent loaves right from the off and I like the seed-adding gizmo. It does leave a hole in the bottom... (my Mum has one that doesn't do that)... but I think it's not a big deal.

we went from a fastbake to a panasonic...the bread takes longer to make generally (tho there is a rapid option) but imo is better.
does leave a slit in the bottom but slides out easily. nice to add raisins etc automatically rather than remembering to add after x minutes.

panasonic is sturdier.

only prob is that recipe for pizza dough recs too much water

Thanks for the replies ladies - I think I will go for the Panasonic as there is not that much difference in price. I don't think the cat did pull the machine down as it was plugged in at the time (and working ). I think it must have propelled itself off the kitchen side. It was making an awful racket when I put it on yesterday. I have used it every day for a year, but I owuld expect a machine like that to last a bit longer. Seems the Panasonic is worth the extra money after all (had this argument with my now-XH must remember to mention it )

Is the Panasonic relatively quiet when its on? We have a Morphy Richards one which I think is a dud as it is so loud and wakes the entire house (and possibly street) when it comes on in the early hours to make bread and I really want to trade it in for a silent breadmaker so can wake to freshly baked bread instead of a cacophony...

it does make a noise in the dough mixing bits...but i can't hear it upstairs and i have a house where sound (like dh snoring)carries thru the floors...

My Panasonic has never shown sucicdal tendancies!

It doesn't wake me when it cranks up, but then I am reknowned for sleeping through many a loud noise.

Our panasonic is really quiet. Love it.

Have got one and am quite (pathetically ) excited about it but the Angel of D & V decided not to pass over our house this weekend [vom emoticon] so I have yet to try it out . Thanks again for the replies.