With Christmas on the way, I just wondered if anyone had experience of one of these, what the recommendations would be or if the tactile experience of kneading dough proves more important….
Please point me in the direction of an earlier thread if one exists.

Bread Makers

are fantastic. Granted, there is nothing quite like the real thing but, for convenience and the general avoidance of the supermarket pap which masquerades as bread, they are ideal.

Can't remember the name of the one we have, but it does a 2lb loaf in 3 hours max.

One also has the advantage of trying out various recipes.

Trade off is that too much fresh bread brings on the appearance of Bibendum.....

Chris,
is this what you are after? I must have too much time on my hands!

Roy T

The Panasonic one is the best. I've tried one of the cheap ones and the bread just wasn't as good.

Not Great but Good

I bought a Panasonic (model 253), too, as it received the best ratings.

It is not superb, but better than 95% of what passes for bread. It won´t produce a crust to rival a genuine bakery, but I no longer have to cross town to find a decent loaf. It also has the virtues of requiring only 5 minutes to load and turning out a custom product.

What I have learned over the past few months:

1) Find the best yeast and flour possible.
2) Invest in a scale: the end result is sensitive to the right proportions.
3) Buy gluten (for more rise, particularly with whole wheat).
4) Get a machine with a drop-in nut dispenser (way cool - they get evenly distributed).
5) Watch out with dogs - the loaf-ready beeper is cool, but drove my dog nuts for a while!

Over and out,

Steven

No nuts, no dogs - my other half is allergic to both!
Thanks for the ideas; I saw a Panasonic one the other day and though more expensive than the £50 ones it looked more robust (a bit like a bread bin, in fact), and has the nut slot, which can be used for seeds (Ok).
Thanks also Roy for the link - I'd forgotten about Stallion.....