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Reviews of the top bread makers on the market. Our bread maker reviews will help you make the most informed purchase possible.

 

Bread Machine Reviews

Monday, February 15th, 2010

If you want to find the best bread machine, be sure to review the reviews on these products for helpful information.If you’re searching for a new bread machine, it may help you to read through some product reviews first. It’s absolutely important that you read product reviews in your search for a bread machine. I will discuss the information that you should search for in bread machine reviews in this article, and I will review the additional features that you may want to take into consideration prior to buying a bread machine.This article will detail the numerous available in bread machines and give you some insightful tips on what should be inclusive in a bread machine review. The following article outlines the best qualities of bread machines, so you know what to look for as you contemplate your purchase. The cost of bread machines vary, and they can run from $40 to $250 or higher.The price range for bread machines begins at $40 and goes up to more than $250.You can purchase bread machines for anywhere from $40 to $250. The cost depends on the options that are offered.Whether cheaper or more costly, each machine comes with a wide variety of options. The price is usually indicative of the perks you get. Having a clear idea which features are the most crucial to you will help you to buy the best bread machine.If you know the features you want before you do your shopping, you’ll be a step ahead in getting the type of bread machine that will best suit your needs. Determining your most important requirements for your bread machine will help you find out which one will work the best.

Many kitchen accessories and gadgets are available in this day and age. Bread is something that everybody has in their pantry. It’s one of the requisites in any sort of food preparation or meal. There are more than a few methods to slice bread, and many of us want it cut up to our predilections. Of course, cutting bread by hand is the most common. A bread machine provides the easiest and most efficient way to bake all varieties of bread.

The Panasonic Bread product and the Zojirushi Bread product lead the pack in these products. My individual tastes lean toward the Zojirushi. It’s more pricey than other similar models, but the final product is undoubtedly worth the money. The Zojirushi Bread product me because it can make bread in two-pound loaves and perfectly. It also has the bonus convenience of a timer that can be programmed. The greatest feature of this timer is that it can be programmed to recall your personal preferences and recall them. Consequently, you can have it cut your bread in any way you want, depending on how it will be used. If you have kids and don’t want to have to cut off crusts, you will love the crust control function. It takes less than two hours to prepare a 2-pound loaf of bread! Multiple baking cycles will allow you to increase the number of outputs you have as you’re otherwise occupied.

Keep in mind, it’s a massive machine! You should only really get it if you have the counter space, because it takes up quite a chunk of real estate. When compared to the Panasonic bread product, it’s a bit bit flimsier, so remember that when you’re evaluating the pros and cons of the Zojirushi and Panasonic bread machines. On the other hand, jams and cakes can also be facilitated on the Zojirushi, making it a very good product. This model also has a handy sourdough starter.

If you want to save dough, however, get the Panasonic Bread model. It doesn’t seem to be that technologically advanced where function and looks are concerned, but it is a good value for the cost. The most prominent drawbacks to this machine are its lack of memory and custom settings. With paddles that can knead and mix, the Zojirushi Bread machine is better, as it can prepare a greater quantity of bread. There’s no window with the Panasonic, and you can’t make jam with it.

If you want an affordable bread machine that can prepare bread efficiently, the Panasonic Bread model is for you. Those who have issues with complex instructions and prefer a more basic bread machine will like the Panasonic machine. It doesn’t have all the operating buttons and levers as the Zojirushi, which some people may appreciate, but of course this means it can’t do as many things. One feature it does have is a delay timer. Compared to the Zojirushi, this bread model doesn’t match up in the Bread model Ratings. After all, most bread product ratings give the Zojirushi as the strongest bread machine out there on the market. It gets such a high rating as a result of its extensive range of features and settings. But when monetary value is the determining factor, the Panasonic Bread product clearly tops the Zojurishi in the price tags/performance category. Compared to the Zojirushi bread machine, the Panasonic is a lot more compact and easy to store, so your counters won’t be as cluttered with the device, and you can even store it easily when you’re done.

If I were to select one, I would buy the Panasonic Bread product, as I don’t need the jam and cake making features. I find functions like these unnecessary. But for the person who cooks at a professional level, or someone who appreciates the ease of a fully-featured bread machine, the Zojirushi Bread model may be the most practical option considering the type of use it will get. In your choice, you should figure out what your monetary value range is as well. If the sky’s the limit, and you want a quality, multifunctional model, you will want to purchase the Zojirushi Bread model. But if you do have to think about price before you make your final decision, the Panasonic Bread machine is great for you, in my opinion. I truly hope that the information I presented on the Panasonic and Zojirushi Bread Machines in this review was implemental, and that you can form a more educated decision on which machine to buy.

Kurt Yordy

All about Bread Machines

Review of a Bread Machine

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Critique-Panasonic Yd Sd250 Breadmaker

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

“If breadmaking is new to you, Panasonic’s Automatic Bread Maker for you. The machine is simple to use and returns apparently foolproof, perfect .The various features are simple to use, and you can use the breadmaker to bake white, whole grain, multigrain or French bread, or even make pizza dough or use the machine on a bake-only setting. The patented yeast dispenser means you don’t have to worry about layering dry ingredients over wet ingredients. Thankfully, yeast is automatically dispensed at the exactly right moment in the mixing, assuring expertly risen bread every time.
Veteran bread-machine users might be disappointed that the instrument panel does not indicate at what point in the process the Panasonic Breadmaker is, and that there If you have used bread machines before, you may be dumbfounded and a little disappointed that you cannot have the system save your personal recipes and that there is no observation window in the top. A characteristic that aids to counterbalance for these negatives, is the ‘dough only’ setting that allows you to use the bread machine to blend the dough, and then remove it, shape it, and bake it in a conventional oven as you desire.
Another concern some customers bring up is Panasonic’s effort to establish their own special loaf sizes. They use ‘Medium’, ‘Large’, and ‘Extra Large’. They supply no indication the corresponding ties between their size descriptions, and the pound descriptions usually used by bread makers. One phone call to Panasonic’s first-rate support center solved the issue. It is as simple as the Panasonic’s loaf sizes corresponding with the three most commmon loaf sizes practiced by other companies, 1.5 lb, 2 lb, and 2.5 lb.Granted the operating instructions are excellent, the recipes can take some practice. The ingredient measurements for some of the recipes are in strange measures, like 4 7/16 cups of flour, possibly due to converting the measure from ounces measurements (which are also given). A kitchen scale would be a good investment for measuring the elements.,
The Panasonic Automatic Bread Machine sells for about $140, making it an affordable alternative for simple homemade bread. According to reviews, the Panasonic SD-YD250 is the best middle of the road bread machine, priced right in between the fancy Zojirushi BBCC-X20 Home Bakery(*Est. $200) and the beginner Sunbeam 5891 Bread Machine(*Est. $55). Many reviewers say it’s a rugged, versatile bread machine that is simple to use and operates quietly. The Panasonic machine makes horizontal loaves, which many individuals favor over the vertical loaves produced by other breadmakers. Even though the Panasonic machine does not give you custom-make settings like the Zojirushi breadmaker, many individuals don’t care.
The greatest peculiarity is that the Panasonic does not give an observation portal while most others do. The durability of the Panasonic bread maker is indicated by bakers who write that they have used their breadmakers for years, also because of the comparatively few charges of breaking.More than 475 customers have ranked the Panasonic SD-YD250 bread maker at Amazon.com and over 70 have posted at Epinions.com, giving a fantastic measurement of overall user satisfaction. Onenthusiast website bestbreadmakerreviews.com, the owners give a one-page review of the Panasonic bread bread maker, where they talk about its features and repute.
I truly hope you to buy one of these outstanding bread makers. My complete family has totally savoured the bread me make in ours. If you desire a uncomplicated answer to homemade bread, do yourself a favor, buy the Panasonic Breadmaker.”

Kurt Yordy

“Best Breadmaker
Review of the Panasonic YD Sd250 Breadmaker“

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Learn More About The Impressive Zojirushi 2lb Home Bakery Supreme Breadmaker From This Review

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

“The Zojirushi (which is ‘elephant brand’ in Japanese) decidedly fits it’s name. It feels as large as an elephant itself, with its 27 pounds of bread baking bulk. Be certain to utilize a tape measure on the dedicated space to be sure there’s sufficient room. The Zojirushi is large, with a width of 17 inches and depth of 12 inches. It’s also 9 inches in height, not considering the lid, so make sure you have many distance to open it up; don’t squeeze it under your cupboards and require it to fit.

Unlike other manufacturer’s models, the Zojirushi 2lb Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine uses 2 paddles for the creation of a normal size, 2 pound loaf. You’ll find the cooking pan shape to be similar to typical oven bread pans. The pan measures 5 inches x 9 inches x 5 inches in terms of general size. You can also make a 1.5 pound loaf in it. A highly domed lid offers adequate room for rising dough.

As with many other bread makers, this one can also make pizza dough and raisin bread. Bread’s not all it’s limited to making. Jellies are also possible to make with this machine. You read that right; you can utilize fresh or canned fruit to make your own jams at home. They’re also great for cake making to boot. This breadmaker is likely to last longer and perform better than any Bread Machine that you’ve worked with prior to this.

Even with all that mass, it is unbelievably quiet while it kneads. You are able to easily understand the buttons and the display, as they’re presented in a user friendly tilt to allow you to find the controls promptly. The best testament to the Zojirushi, or as it is called by lovers, the ‘Zo’, is the fact that the manufactuer has been operating since 1918 and creating bread making appliances since 1988. You can bank on the fact that customer feedback and satisfaction is a high priority to them, as they continuously strive to make the bestbread machine they possibly can, improving every year.

Often, with a normal Bread Machine, you are able to preset them to make the bread ready by the time you wake, so you won’t need to wait. Nevertheless, when you it, are you actually going to get that much sleep if the Breadmaker thumps and clanks while kneading the bread, gratefully this one does not.

The newer Zo bread machines are so incredibly silent your wake-up call is going to be the mouth-watering aroma of a fresh, hot loaf of your favorite bread. Using many of the bread machines you quite often have different options for making unique kinds of bread, crust color and texture, or also the dough only mixing settings. The Zo surpasses its competitors because you can program and store 3 custom processes. Experienced bread makers will love this ability since they can use it to adapt old favorites for use in the Bread Machine.

If you have problems with breakers being tripped, like when you run your AC unit in the summer, you’ll be delighted with the Zo. If the electricity will flicker in your area, or clicks off/on a lot, the Zo just resumes a the same spot it stopped. It can save this information for 10 minutes. It can upset you to have made bread on a less reliable breadmaker and then wind up trashing the half-baked slop because your electricity burped and the bread maker reset itself to the beginning.

You can discover all the information you need to know in the basic English manual, along with some bread recipes. You may note a few spelling errors throughout the manual, but none of them will impact your ability to make great loaves of bread. Since Zojirushi desires you to be pleased with their appliance, if you find any trouble with a recipe just call their toll-free live customer service number for answers. You might be dismayed to discover the Zojirushi is missing the typical baking pan handgrip you expect on almost all breadmakers. Luckily, you can find out by contacting the customer service center that the horizontal cooking pan is better without the wire handle, and you are better off just using oven mitts.

In another instance, the crust of my loaf of bread was not even. A quick call allowed customer service to explain this is a periodic occurrence with more heavy breads going through the ‘punching down’ process. If you smooth out the crust with a spoon before you begin baking, it’ll help immensely. The Zo makes great gluten-free breads and wheat breads. It also does a decent job using fast-rising yeasts used for 2 hour recipe loaves. Don’t worry about the smaller, lower-quality machines that do not protect against power brown outs and inconvenience you with their noisy processing – buy the Zo and savor quality bread without the troubles.”

Kurt Yordy

“Check this out this review site: Bread Maker Reviews

Zojirushi Bread Machine Review“

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Cuisinart CBK-200 2-Pound Convection Automatic Bread Maker- Reviews

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Great reviews abound for this top bread maker the Cuisinart CBK-200 2-Pound Convection Automatic Bread Maker. Please read this bread maker review below to decide if this is the one for you.

Donald of Concord, NH wrote:
“I bought this breadmaker for my wife for Christmas. She uses it at least twice a week, and so far has truly loved it. She likes making beer bread and cinnamon raisin bread, and every loaf she’s made has been big, aromatic, and absolutely delicious. Have you ever looked for Texas toast to make that killer French Toast for breakfast? This machine – which makes some substantial 2-pound loaves, is the perfect thing for ‘em.

Personally, I might add that if you buy one of these machines, you may never need another air freshener. I love the smell of baking bread!

I chose the Cuisinart CBK-200 because I’ve purchased several Cuisinart products and I’ve been very impressed with all of them. It’s a solidly constructed piece, wieghty, and good-looking on the counter. After looking at so many of the other breadmakers in local stores, I got the feeling of plasticky engineering, and envisioned them lasting an amount of time not worth the $50 or $60-something dollars they were asking. I also envisioned smaller loaves, noisy breadmakers which shifted around on the counter. I admit this is all speculation, but these are real concerns we all have, and we speculate because we want to make the best decision we can. In the end, I feel very satisfied with the choice I made, and more importantly, my wife is thrilled with it.

A previous reviewer mentioned the only downfall to the machine is that you can’t change some of the options mid-cycle. This is true, but I got the feeling that reviewer was as expert a bread-maker as one could be! My wife loves baking, but I think even at two or three loaves a week for the next five years, she’s not going to have that reviewer’s expertise to make those mid-cycle decisions. Actually, if my wife is accustomed to this machine, then I think those decisions might be made before the process even begins, knowing how the machine operates. That said, I think the reviewer was probably correct for upper-echelon bread chefs, and those with that kind of experience might want to go with a $300+ machine.

For the price, which was just under $100 at the time of my purchase, my wife and I are thrilled with what we’ve gotten back. We’re both convinced that the convection oven aspect of the machine only adds to the thoroughness of the baking. She reports that the crusts come out exactly how you want them to, and I know that’s important to her! And the bread is scrumptious. The only thing I wish it would do is cut the bread, too!

In summation, we’re very satisfied with this purchase, and most of my satisfaction comes from my wife’s happiness with it. The Cuisinart CBK-200 may be $30 or so more than other bread makers, but with that investment, you get repeated satisfaction that those dollars were very, very well spent.”

Linda of MA wrote:
“I had been thinking of buying a bread machine for a while, I did a lot of research on the internet. I read all kinds of reviews and came to a conclusion that the Ziroushi (probably spelled wrong) was the best, but cost over $200. I was shopping one day and came across a Cuisinart Convection Bread Maker for only $99. Also it was brushed stainless steel, more attractive in my kitchen. The manual is very easy to read and understand. The machine is beautiful. I couldnt believe how easy it was to make my first loaf of Honey Whole Wheat Bread. Also, the machine is very quiet, other machines I read reviews of the machine being very noisy during the knead cycle, not this one. There are convient beeps to let you know when to add nuts or raisins, also another set of beeps if you want to remove the paddle, so there wont be an unsightly hole in the bottom. The pan is non-stick so the bread comes out very easy. The bread was so delicious that it was gone within 1 hour.”

Is it any wonder that we consider this a Top Bread Maker?

All bread maker reviews are courtesy of amazon.com

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Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker- Reviews

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

People seem torn between the customization of this machine the Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker, Stainless Steel
vs the ruggedness of the Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine
, here are some great bread maker reviews in favor of this top bread machine:

S. Ferrer of Van Nuys, CA wrote:
“This is truly the best breadmaker I have had in years. This is the seventh breadmaker I have bought. I have had Rival, Salton, Williams Sonoma and not to mention a very expensive one. This one tops all of them together. To start off with, it has a small size but makes a huge 2lb loaf. It is so quiet, that I had to keep looking if it was working. I have made 3 Cinnamon Raisin breads and 4 White breads and 1 French bread in the last two days. They all came out perfect. Also the body (exterior) of this one does not get as hot as the other ones so it can be put against a backsplash. This was the best purchase and I would recommend this machine to all who love a perfect loaf of bread. ”

and TB of CA wrote:

“I bought this bread machine from Amazon because it was on sale for $69 about two weeks ago. That seemed like a good price for what looked like a decent machine, so I ordered it. I’m so glad that I did! I have made six loaves so far, all of which have come out perfectly. I tried two other machines before this model, both of which burnt or did other crazy things to the loaves and so required tons of monitoring and adjustments. With this machine, though, it really IS as easy as throwing a few ingredients in the machine and pressing a button! So far I have made french bread, whole wheat bread, brown rice flour bread, irish potato brown bread, and more. The recipes that came with the machine work well, but I also picked up a few bread machine cookbooks for more variety.

In addition to making great bread, I love how quiet the machine is (like another reviewer, I kept checking to see whether it was working the first time). I also like that it’s a little smaller than equivalent 2 lb. machines and so easily fits under kitchen cabinets, and I love the way it looks in my kitchen (it’s not a huge, hideous white box!). There’s a helpful fruit/nut add-in beep, the shape of the loaf is nicer than the other 2 machines I’ve used, and the finished bread easily slides out of the pan.

Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase. 5 stars!

Added 10/25/2007:
I am still so happy with this bread machine, so I had to come back and add to my review. Since I bought this more 6 months ago I have been using it often (at least 1 loaf a week) and I have never had a failure yet. In addition to loaves made with bread flour, I have made many loaves with 100% whole wheat flour (the majority of my loaves are 100% whole wheat) or other flours like spelt, rice, and oat, and all loves came out beautifully. This machine produces perfect, perfect bread! I now bring fresh bread to every dinner party I attend, and people are always so grateful.

In addition to homemade bread being delicious, I think it’s much healthier, too: I love that I now know exactly what went into every loaf of bread I eat (i.e. no weird chemicals or additives, I can decrease the sugar or replace it with a natural sweetener like maple syrup, etc.). I would give this machine 10 stars if I could, I love it that much.

One helpful tip someone gave me was to buy The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. I use recipes from this book every time I bake bread, and they always come out beautifully. I’m sure there are lots of other good bread machine cookbooks, but this is by far the best one I’ve tried. ”

All bread makers reviews are courtesy of Amazon.com

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Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine- Reviews

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Of all the bread makers, Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine is my favorite.

Based on the bread maker reviews available, this should be the Top Bread Maker. My only guess is that the price makes some folks opt for the cheaper models. However, remember that you get what you pay for. Especially when it comes to kitchen appliances.

Edward of Cambridge, MA wrote:
“This is my third bread machine. My first was the original Zojirushi, and the second was a Breadman. I still use both the Breadman and the Zojirushi BBCCX20. According to most baking sites I’ve seen, the Zo and the Breadman are the leading contenders in this category today, so here’s my comparison:

- The Zo is more solidly built and has a stronger motor. It can handle stiffer doughs that literally stopped the motor on my Breadman.

- The Zo is much quieter than the Breadman. The pan in the Breadman clanks around in its clips and makes quite a racket during kneading.

- Unfortunately, the Zo has an annoying 15-second beep to signal the right time to add nuts or fruits. As far as I can tell, there is no way to turn off this feature. For me, this is a big deal, because I used to love to set up my bread machine to make bread during the night, giving me a wonderful hot loaf of bread for breakfast. With the 15-second beeper, which sounds a lot like an alarm clock, using the Zo BBCCX20 overnight simply isn’t an option. I wish there were a way to turn it off.

- The double paddles on the Zo do a better job of mixing ingredients without the need for scraping down the sides of the pan.

- The Breadman is a much more flexible machine. It’s “Pause” button let’s you add 15 minutes at any point in the cycle. Without the ability to pause, the Zo sometimes starts baking before the loaf is fully proofed. With bread, where the length of the rise depends on so many factors, having the flexibility to pause during a cycle is very valuable. You can program custom cycles on the Zo, but that’s only a solution if you know in advance that your loaf is going to take some extra proofing time.

- Crust control is better on the Breadman. Even set on “light” crust, the Zo tends to produce a dark crust with breads that have a lot of sugar.

- The Breadman has a small bin that automatically dispenses “add ins” (fruits, nuts, etc.) at the right point in the cycle. You just load it up at the beginning of the cycle and the “trap door” releases the goodies at the right time near the end of the kneading cycle.

In a nutshell: The Zo is a better built, more powerful, quieter bread machine. It’s solid, reliable, and great for doughs that would stop a lesser machine. The Breadman, on the other hand, provides much greater flexibility to make changes to the cycle once you’ve started and to get the crust you like. It also has an automatic fruit/nut dispenser and no long, annoying beep. If Zojirushi and Breadman would combine the Zo’s motor and mechanics with Breadman’s control panel and programming, they’d have the perfect bread machine. As it is, you have to choose based on what’s most important to you.”

Ross from Lacrosse, WI wrote:
“After much agonizing, we (I) chose the Zo’ breadmaker. We had the Breadman for five years until it gave out a month ago. Before that I hand made bread for ten years. I bought the Breadman as present for my wife (she called it a “football present”) after I just became tired of making bread. The cathartic effects of kneading bread are way overblown, in my opinion. We came to rely on the bread machine, baking at least once a week. After the Breadman died a slightly early death, we originally were going to replace it with another Breadman. But, after consideration of how much bread we make, and more important, the kind of bread we make, we decided to look at other machines.

See, we bake mostly whole wheat breads and such breads are hard on a machine. That is why the two paddle set up of the Zo’ was so attractive. While I know there is only one motor, I thought the two paddles could knead the tough dough better. So far (a week into it), the Zo’ is working great.

As noted above, we thought long and hard because of the negative comments in this section, as well as the cost, which is twice the Breadman. None of those negative comments have proven true. One cause for the bad loaves complained of may be inexperience with these machines. Even with ten years of baking, we had quite a few problems with the Breadman, mostly because of poor recipe choices and sloppiness in measuring. You see, hand bread bakers do much by feel, so amounts of liquid and flour are flexible. Not so with the bread machine. As far as recipes, go get one book: The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. Her recipes are nearly foolproof.

My only concern about the Zo’ is the set up of the pan. The Breadman has a high narrow pan, while the Zo’ has lower pan, more like a traditional bread pan. While the Zo’ pan makes it easier to slice the bread (a problem with larger loaves of the Breadman) the loaves can be a bit lopsided. The dough can sit to one side of pan. This is especially true of whole wheat loaves that are more stiff and less likely to “flow” to an even level in the pan. The problem can be addressed somewhat by checking the dough after the first knead and spreading it by hand in the pan.

Addition: Two years later this machine still works great. We use it at least three times a week, mostly with whole wheat bread, so it has been adequately tested. The only irritation is getting the bread out. Helps to keep the paddles clean inside and out. I use a pipe cleaner to clean the inside of the paddle.

Second Addition (2-09): Over four years later, it still is working great. We still use it at least three times a week. I’ve recently starting using the custom settings, which are much easier to use than I thought. ”

All Reviews are courtesy of Amazon.com

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Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker- Reviews

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

The Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker is one of the top sellers on Amazon for Kitchen Products

Here are some sample reviews of this Top Bread Machine:

From Henry of Santa Clara, CA

“The Panasonic SD-YD250 is pretty much the state of the art in bread machine technology in mid-2003. It’s one of the larger units around with a 2.5 lb. loaf capacity. This size will also eat up your counter or cupboard space: you need just under 14″ of width and height, and 10″ of depth, so keep that in mind when you order.

The bread consistency is excellent. It’s even pretty good in the “rapid” mode, though the results are a bit better in the standard bake mode so that’s what I generally use. Also, the “rapid” mode for whole wheat or multigrain bread is 3 hours (vs. 5 hours standard), so it’s not like you can start the machine at the beginning of a meal and expect completed bread before you leave the table. The fastest full cycle — “rapid” bake mode for white bread — is 1hr 55min.

The SD-YD250 is quieter than most earlier bread makers; however, you’ll still hear the clicking and whirring as it mixes and kneads the dough. It’s a neat idea to wake up to the smell of freshly-baked bread but the machine isn’t quiet enough to run in the bedroom unless you’re a VERY sound sleeper.

The options for this machine include the following:
o basic/rapid bake
o immediate start/timer delay
o white/whole wheat/multigrain
o sandwich (soft crust)
o crust color light/medium/dark
o raisin (pause and beep to add fruit or nuts)
o dough knead without bake
o bake without dough knead

Note that not all of these options can be combined. For instance: you only get crust color selection for white bread, and sandwich mode for white and whole wheat; multigrain bread always has a dark, tough crust (although the bread inside the crust is moist and well-textured).

The container inside really is nonstick (based on my not-so-lengthy use since I bought it) and the kneading blade does very little damage to the finished loaf. Ease of use and cleanup are both excellent.

Bread results are quite sensitive to variations in the ingredients in either weight, consistency, or age. Always use fresh BREAD flour and fresh yeast (bread machine yeast recommended) and the right amount of salt, sugar, and flour. The recipes in the included book specify flour weight in units like 16 3/4 oz., so it’s HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you get a digital kitchen scale for good results. Note that this will require still more counter space.

Summary: a very good machine, but you’ll need a fair amount of counter space and attention to details to get the best results from it.”

Timothy of Albuquerque, NM wrote:

“I purchased this machine as a replacement for a Philips bread machine I’ve had for a couple of years. It’s the third bread machine I’ve purchased for myself, and had bought its predecessor (the SD-250) for my Parents some time ago. My Philips packed up (the bread tin broke away from its base), and they don’t make spares, so I have to throw the whole machine in the bin – definitely won’t buy another Philips anything. My parents have been most impressed with the Panasonic, and it’s been personally recommended to me by other people, so after reading all the reviews on Amazon.com I decided to buy one.
So, to the point, I’m thoroughly impressed with this machine. It is solid and quiet. I took the first loaf I made with it and sliced it to find an absolutely even loaf (even from the 1:55 rapid mode). All the other machines I’ve had have had some level of streaking or unevenness in the bread.

As for all the other criticism of the recipe book for its use of weight rather than volume measurements for flour, it is a far more accurate way of measuring flour for any baking. Also the manual has since been updated (no doubt as a result of these criticisms), and now shows the approximate volume equivalents in all the recipes.”

All bread maker reviews are courtesy of Amazon.com

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