The best bread maker

[jollyboysmum]

Can anyone recommend a good one? Or steer me clear of bad ones? Or is it just as easy to bake my own without one? Thanks!

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MNHQ

Panasonic - have had it over 10 years and it is still going strong. I use it about 5 times a week.

Panasonic.

Also Panasonic. I have had mine for nine years and use it five times a week I would say.

Just to be different - Morphy Richards. Although I've never tried a panasonic!

Panasonic. Six years, every day.

There are cheaper brands, which work fine (I used to have a Morphy Richards) but the Panasonic is noticeably better.

Panasonic!

Panasonic - and to be more precise an SD-256.

Love mine to pieces!

Google 'doris grant wartime loaf'. It is simplicity itself and very yummy. I make it with Dove's Farm spelt. Or get any Dove's Farm flour and follow the recipe on the pack. The spelt has Roman Army bread which is very similar to the Doiris Grant loaf and the malthouse flour makes my picky-eater DS2's favourite bread ever.

No big machinery taking up counter space and very, very good bread.

Google 'doris grant wartime loaf'. It is simplicity itself and very yummy. I make it with Dove's Farm spelt. Or get any Dove's Farm flour and follow the recipe on the pack. The spelt has Roman Army bread which is very similar to the Doiris Grant loaf and the malthouse flour makes my picky-eater DS2's favourite bread ever.

No big machinery taking up counter space and very, very good bread.

Again Panasonic and to be precise an SD-257 as it has the automatic dispenser so I can set it at night before I go to bed and at some un-godly hour it starts mixing and then drops the seeds into the granary loaf I make. All freshly baked for 7am.

Had mine since April 2011 and I love it. We did a lot of research and that one was voted best by Good Housekeeping or Which magazine plus there were loads of reviews.

I have googled and it says it is unavailable which makes me think they have brought out a later model.

Yep panasonic!!

Panasonic 253 - been going for about 6 years. It used to be the 'Which guide' best buy, but I think that Morphy Richards are the best buy now as the cycle is shorter.

Oh, just read Fizzy's post, maybe Which have changed their mind then.

Panasonic for me too.

short cycles aren't all they're cracked up to be - the bread tastes better on a longer cycle because the flavour has longer to develop.
Ideally I would want a short rapid setting for the times when you need it at short notice, but a long standard one.

another vote for panasonic - does great brioche, and dough for naan bread as well as 'standard' loaves

Panasonic

Panasonic here too.

Yet another one for Panasonic. Used it 2 or 3 times a week for about 8 years and still going strong.

Panasonic here - according to all the reviews I read about 2 years ago, they were the only ones to consider.

Use ours at least weekly, especially for dough which I then shape (can't knead easily as it aggravates the skin on my hands).

Next stop, sourdough!

Just checked Which - Panasonic just wins by 1% point, not much in it. The Morphy Richards is about £40 cheaper.

I have the Panasonic - with raison/seed dispenser. Although I have rarely used this function. I've had the machine for 8 years now, never thought we'd get so much use out of it, the bread is really lovely. We no longer bake it in the Bread Machine though - we let the bread machine do all the work and then we intervene for the final rise and bake it in the oven.

WinterGoddess - is it better if you bake in the oven? What do you bake it in?

we have the panasonic too, it's very good HOWEVER google New York Times No-Knead Bread as tbh we now eat a lot more of that than we do the breadmaker bread. the machine is great for pizza dough and panettone though.

It's much better baked in the oven - at the very least it has better shaped slices and doesn't have a big hole where the paddle was once lodged, I think it tastes better too.

We set it for a dough only programme then take it out and give it a gentle kneading before placing in a floured bread tin, allow to rise and then bake for around 25-30min.