Talk to me about breadmakers please?

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

I am really hankering after a breadmaker. My Mum has one, and she makes yummy bread and I would like to too.

So I asked her to get me one for Christmas.

Mum 'Ooh what do you need one of those for?'
Me 'Er, to make bread'
Mum 'It's not cheaper than buying bread in the shops you know'
Me 'Um, that isn't why I want it, I would like to be able to make bread'
Mum 'Are you sure there isn't anything else you would like'
Me

It isn't about the money, a breadmaker , even a flashy one is well within the usual present budget, and if there was an issue financially she would tell me.
I am really bemused by her response - it is so bizarre!

I know that if I go back and say that this is what I really want she will get it for me, but I thought I would canvass some more opinion. Good and bad opinions please, because I'm wondering if there is some hidden drawback that Mum doesn't want to share with me

i have panasonic one - makes fab bread and also pitza bases, nan bread, current bread. though some of my family prefer shop-bought sliced white!! you can also monitor what goes in it - shop bought bread has lots of nasties in it. smells lovely in the morning if you do it on timer overnight. my mum had cheap nasty one that made awful bread. i hate gadgets but love this one.

See that is what I want to be able to do, I have been looking at panasonic ones.

We have a panasonic one (the basic one) and it's fab. You might not save lots compared to buying cheap supermarket pap bread, but it's a lot cheaper than buying 'proper' bread. We haven't been that adventurous but I like being able to alter the amount of white/wholemeal, and different types of flour. Makes the house smell lovely! Only downside is that I probably consume more bread than I should...

Panasonic

Panasonic.

I got mine for my birthday earlier this year. I just prefer knowing exactly what's gone in to my bread, as my children seem to eat their own body weight in sandwiches sometimes .

Yes but does it slice it for you?

I've been thinking about getting one, I like the thought of the overnight timer thingy. But I am incapable of slicing.

I second Panasonic. Don't be tempted to buy a cheaper make, I find there is a big difference in the quality of bread they produce. I've never had a bad loaf with my Panasonic, whereas I had quite a few with my older machine. Re waking up to fresh bread... it feels like a real luxury, if you have guests they always comment on how lovely it is for breakfast and the smell is better than any air freshener!!

Thanks everyone :)

I will speak to her again and re-iterate my request!

Definitely go for the Panasonic. We have the one with the nut and seed dispenser and its been great.

re: slicing. Use an electric carving knife -its not foolproof by any means but makes it a bit easier to aim towards an even slice .

I have a 10+ year old Panasonic breadmaker that is used every day pretty much. It is still working absolutely fine and I would definitely replace it with another one when it gives up.

Panasonic again, I think mine is about eight years old and still going strong (touch wood). I've only just started using it to make pizza dough, have no idea why I've never done that in the past, but it is brilliant.

Panasonic (had terrible Tefal thing before)

its convienent, I stock up on flour & yeast and therefore don't have to 'pop' into shops for 'just' a loaf of bread and end up spending £20 on stuff.

It smells great, although it does seem to make the kids crazy during the last half hour.

Perhaps she enjoys the 'make all her own bread' snob appeal side (it's very easy with a panasonic but we don't want everyone knowing that.)

ANd a really good bread knife is essential. Ikea does a good one for about £20 - it is worth forking out for it.

Panasonic here too btw.

We use it for brioche too.

Mmmm brioche. I want one more and more!

Another vote for the breadmaker. Ours is a Panasonic too.

I, too, like controlling what goes into our bread. We live some ways from the shops and it's nice not to have to worry about "oh no we've run out of bread". It's easier to have the ingredients on hand. We have it on timer overnight.

We make mostly a mix of wholemeal and white flour - if you are doing only wholemeal you need ascorbic acid (vitamin C) according to our instructions, or it won't work very well. (I tried it without - and yes it didn't work very well!)

I also love the naan, the milk loaf and the enriched dough. Otherwise pretty unadventurous. If I were getting one again I would look for one that makes jam - apparently they do exist ... bread and jam! but not at the same time

panasonic here too......though i may have to buy a replacement breadpan insert as mine has been scratched so bread sometimes sticks in it....
Shop bought bread is soooo plastic and disgusting once you have made your own bread. You can also smell the yeast on shop bought bread.
Making your own bread is easy (though you do have to think in advance when you want it).
As it contains no preservatives the bread does not keep very long esepcially in summer, so i always slice it and keep half in the freezer etc and bring it out when needed.
The slicing is a bit of a faff even with a gadget but worth it.
I have had my breadmaker 4.5 years and will replace it when it dies.
The smell of fresh bread cooking in the morning......hmmmmmm
Unless you buy the really cheap bread (which isn't bread in my opinion....it is cheap refined rubbish)i believe the breadmaker does save you money......however even if the breadmaker worked out more expensive (which i doubt when comparing against a quality bread) I would choose the breadmaker every time.

I have and Unold Backmeister(german brand, not available in UK) and love it.
we hardly ever buy bread and make about 3 loafs a week. but I sometimes bake a loaf in the oven as well.

I find the bread lasts a lot longer than shop bought ones and if stored correctly they don't go too stale either.
we keep the bread tightly wrapped up in a teatowel in a breadbox.

I would go with a "big brand" one, because the kneading hooks need replacing ever so often and it can be difficult to get them for "no name" ones.
if you like heavy breads/rye breads, go for a breadmaker with 2 kneading hooks.

Another one with a Panasonic and it's been really reliable.

Another Panasonic here - it's great.

How big are the Panasonics, please? Do they take up a lot of space?

Without measuring, I'd say about 1 foot x 1 foot footprint. Height is a bit more.

OK, thanks.

online search reveals that model SD255 (so SD256 will be similar) is 37cm in height, 28cm in width, and 33cm in depth - someone must have measured it.

sonsmum - the cost of a replacement pan can be high.

My research (for SD255 replacement parts) has resulted in:
- SD255 Pan with shaft nearly £60 plus then postage (£6.50). Whereas Debenhams does a new SD255 machine complete for £87 (today's price) plus £4 delivery.

Anyone found spare pans available anywhere for a more reasonable amount? Panasonics own websites does not always seem to list it as a spare part. Though it does list for some other models - at around £40. Part code: ADA12R132 - so I do wonder if the same pan fit's many models.

Sorry for going a bit off topic... though it isn't totally off topic as you may at some point decide to buy a replacement pan.