Home Baking with a Breadmaker
There are many advantages to making you own bread: fresh bread always available; no need to go shopping regularly; you know what is in the food you are eating, e.g. no preservatives; you can adjust the recipe to suit your taste and make a loaf of the size you require. In addition to that, if you use a breadmaker, you don't actually have to do anything apart from pour in the ingredients... Oh, yes. And it tasted really good too.
This article includes a review of a good breadmaker (or Bread Machine): The Panasonic SD-255WXC
Table of Contents: Breadmakers and Bread Machines
- Breadmakers
- Breadmaker for Sale
- Panasonic Breadmakers
- Cookbooks
- Instructions and Recipes
- CafePress
- Baking Options
- Bread makers (on eBay)
- More Bread Recipe Lenses (Please add your own and vote)
- The Results
- More breadmakers
- Maintenance/Cleaning
- Cake Recipes
- Conclusion
- My Lensography
- Reader Feedback
- Twitter Follow
- About Me
Breadmakers
A year ago I would never have expected to be the proud owner of a breadmaker let alone be writing a review of one. Rather than being a master-baker, I am more of a mad chemist who likes to eat his experiments, so I was pleasantly surprised to receive this machine for Christmas, to aid my research. Breadmaking has never been my forte, with the exception, perhaps of pizza. Breadmaker for Sale
Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker
Amazon Price: $65.99 (as of 12/12/2009) 
Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker
Amazon Price: $129.99 (as of 12/12/2009)
Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker, Stainless Steel
Amazon Price: $93.59 (as of 12/12/2009)
Panasonic Breadmakers
My kitchen, using estate agent language, is of modest proportions (i.e. Little more than a cupboard with a hotplate) so superfluous gadgetry is bannished, but this robotic wonder permanently occupies some very valuable work-top real estate. It too is of modest proportions, with a footprint of less than one foot (30cm) square, although fairly tall at about 40cm. It is extremely easy to operate, simply put the ingredients into the metal bread-pan, first making sure the rotating kneading paddle/blade is in place at the bottom, lift open the lid of the bread-maker drop the baking pan in, twisting slightly to engage the motor, close the lid then choose the loaf size and baking options specified in the recipe and set the timer if you want the bread later e.g. for breakfast. The controls are simple buttons on the top panel which allow you to cycle through each option. The bread needs to be removed fairly quickly on completion to prevent overcooking. Cookbooks
Easy Breadmaking for Special Diets: Use Your Bread Machine, Food Processor, Mixer, or Tortilla Maker to Make the Bread YOU Need Quickly and Easily
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 12/12/2009)
Hot and Fresh Bread Maker
Amazon Price: (as of 12/12/2009)
Delux Bread & Dough Maker
Amazon Price: (as of 12/12/2009)
Instructions and Recipes
The instruction manual/recipe book is a thin A4 paper booklet, with just 35 pages, but has good operating instructions, trouble-shooting for when it doesn't quite go as planned and a very good range of recipes. The machine does all the work for you, so knowing how it is doing it is irrelevant. All you need to know is the ingredients and quantities and the options to set. There are also many books on the subject for further recipes. The main problem I found was in determining quantities. The bread-maker comes with a measuring jug and spoons, but the recipes use weights for all dry ingredients, and I have no scales so I had to convert the recipes to volumes. CafePress
Baking Options
The Panasonic has three loaf-size options for many recipes M, L and XL (varying in height only, and approximately corresponding to the range of sizes found in a supermarket) and many baking options including whole wheat (5 hours), rye (3.5 hours) basic white and brown loaves (4 hours), sandwich (crustless, 5 hours), French (6 hours) and Italian (4.5 hours) gluten-free (2 hours) and also a dough only setting so you can cook rolls or loaves in the oven or the fantastic 45 minute pizza mode. There are quick loaf modes too, which can be finished in under 2 hour buts require slightly different recipes and are perhaps less consistent in quality. Bread makers (on eBay)
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
More Bread Recipe Lenses (Please add your own and vote)
Bread Machine Recipes
Making bread from scratch is incredibly easy. Why more...0 points
Best Web Info for Bread Bakers
Much of my work involves writing. I was quite inte more...0 points
Oat Bread Recipes for Bread Machines
Old-fashioned oat bread is both delicious and good more...0 points
The Results
The results are good. Not perhaps the best bread I have ever eaten, but certainly very good and the freshest. It really doesn't cut easily straight from the machine unless you give it a chance to cool down a little, which can be frustrating. The basic white or brown loaves are the easiest, but you can automatically add dry ingredients such as nuts and seeds and dried-fruit after the kneading stage with the nut-dispenser, a little trap-door in the lid, that opens if you set the correct option. You can also do some complex recipes that require extra wet ingredients by listening out for the beeping noise at the appropriate time. There are so many permutations that I have only tried a small fraction and of course it can also be used for a huge variety of your own cake recipes. The bread only stays fresh for a very short time so it really is worth making small loaves regularly. More breadmakers
Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker
Amazon Price: $129.99 (as of 12/12/2009)
Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker Outfit with Polder Traffic Light Timer White
Amazon Price: $179.00 (as of 12/12/2009)
Maintenance/Cleaning
The machine is also very easy to keep clean. The only small complaint is that it is a bit noisy. Loud enough to be heard in another room, but not enough to keep you awake, so it is certainly not a problem. Cake Recipes
Gluten-Free Bread & Cakes from Your Breadmaker (Real Food)
Amazon Price: $11.66 (as of 12/12/2009)
Gluten-free Bread and Cakes from Your Breadmaker: With Full Details for Dairy or Lactose Intolerance (Real Food)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/12/2009)
Amazing Gluten-Free Breads and Cakes From Your Breadmaker (Real Food)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/12/2009)
Conclusion
Its a very good machine, well worth the money, and it it good to know what is actually in the food you are eating. It is worth buying just for the pleasure of waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread. Apparently, if you're trying to sell your house the smell of freshly baked bread and coffee will help, so buy one of these.Advantages: small footprint, easy to clean, wide range of bread and cake recipes
Disadvantages: slightly noisy
Summary:
Wake up to smell of freshly baked bread
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Reader Feedback
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Reply
- AndyPo AndyPo May 2, 2009 @ 4:30 am
- Hi Brenda,
Thanks very much for the suggestions. I did forget to mention that the bread actually tastes good, didn't I. I shall change the wording and add "bread machine" to the key-words and title so people can find the lens.
I shall also give your recipes a try too. They sound wonderful.
Thanks,
Andy
[in reply to Treasures-By-Brenda]
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Reply
- Treasures-By-Brenda Treasures-By-Brenda May 1, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
- Andy, you forgot to say in the first paragraph how yummy homemade bread is. And I disagree with you in the results section -- our country seed bread recipe is amongst the best bread I have ever eaten. I'm going to lensroll your lens to my Best-Ever Country Seed Bread one.
By the way, in Canada we call them Bread Machines. It might be useful to use that on your lens to. I'll have to add breadmaker to mine.
Blessed.
Brenda
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Reply
- OhMe OhMe Apr 21, 2009 @ 7:22 pm
- Yummy. Fresh baked bread smells so good. I have never used a bread maker but might have to try this. Sounds wonderful.
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Reply
- alteredkat alteredkat Jan 18, 2009 @ 7:38 am
- I'm an occasional user of my machine too....but when I do make a loaf they all go nuts for it...so handy! I'd have never made a good housewife in the early 1900's. Thanks Andy for popping in to visit my "reuse toothbrushes" lens...I appreciate your comments.
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Reply
- Jan 5, 2009 @ 3:59 pm
- We use our bread maker to make bread occassionally. What we use it all the time for is pizza dough. It works great.
Great lens
LizzyJean
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