Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker with Yeast Dispenser, White

After researching the many available makes/models of breadmakers, we finally ordered the Panasonic SD-YD250 based on product features, longevity of the machine (apparently on the market over 10 years), the price, and the high number/proportion of favorable reviews on Amazon. We received it about three weeks ago and so far have baked three loaves As a starter, we decided to follow the instruction manual's EXACT recipe for whole wheat; in doing so, we could evaluate the machine without confusing matters by using a "non-authorized" recipe. The result was perfect in every way, so we knew the machine did work as advertized. The most pleasant surprise was the absolute ease and simplicity: you just place the ingredients in the pan, shut the lid, add yeast to the little trap door on top, and turn on the machine.... five hours later you have a perfectly baked bread. There is no need to get your hands or cookware dirty, inspect if the dough is rising properly, and all the other little concerns when you bake by hand. And when finished, the cleanup is practically not worth mentioning; It's not much more than rinsing out the pan and takes about 90 seconds! For our second effort we followed my wife's wholewheat recipe. While not radically different from that of the manufacturer, it does exclude certain ingredients while adding others. To our great satisfaction, it came our perfectly. For our third effort, we again baked my wife's recipe; but for this attempt, we decided to try the timer feature. We placed all ingredients into the pan at 10:40 PM and set the timer to finish baking at exactly 9:00 AM the following morning (Saturday... we like to sleep late)! Sure enough, as advertized, by 8:30 or thereabouts we awoke to the mouthwatering fragrance of freshly baking bread. And at exactly 9:00 (to the minute!), the buzzer sounded, indicating that the bread was done. And for the third time, we found ourselves enjoying a PERFECT loaf of bread. I am trying to think of anything that I DISKLIKE about this machine but am unable to come up with a single criticism. I would recommend this breadmaker to anyone, since it has the flexibility to bake not just the manufacturer's recipes but individualized ones as well. For the price, I think it is an amazingly good purchase and look forward to many delicious breads. As an additional benefit, I have estimated a cost savings of $4.00 per loaf as compared to purchasing readymade gourmet loaves from a bakery. Therefore, the machine should pay for itself after about 30 loaves.

UPDATE March 20th 2019**** It's dead Jim. I was using the "dough" setting for dinner rolls. It spazzed out on the kneading cycle and turned my bread to goo. *sob* It caught my attention when the kneading cycle was very rapid and sounded irregular. When you use the machine for 5 years you know how it sounds. It happened in January 2019, but I thought it was because of a power flicker. I knew it wasn't a recipe flub on my part because I had checked it during the last part of the dough cycle. It was a nice ball. Then it had an irregular kneading cycle after it had it's "punch down" knead cycle. It started kneading really fast. Turned it into a sticky mess. It was such an amazing machine until it wasn't. I thought I'd start over. Unplugged, let it set. Plugged it back in, and it was locked on some random baking setting- different from the one I had used. Hopefully it was just the power flicker. Ugh... this thing was amazing. ********************************************************************************** UPDATE November 2015*** This machine is still going strong. I do oil the bottom shaft on the pan with a 3 in 1 oil every so often(same thing as sewing machine) FYI- this is NOT the oil you use inside the pan.OUTSIDE ONLY. I decided to do some research on bread machines and various features when I decided my home made bread consumption was exceeding the time I was willing to commit. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised when I came across a Panasonic bread machine. We have a lot of Panasonic electronics in our house. My husband is quite loyal to the brand. So while researching- I tried to be unbiased. But with all the reviews and such- it just became very apparent that this was the machine for me. It has lived up to the name of Panasonic. It's a solidly built machine. Now- granted, bread making itself is a subjective art with a bit of science thrown in. Recipes and how one carries them out is strictly operator- not the machine. I will however say this is a quiet machine as far as a bread machine goes. No it's not whisper quiet, but you will appreciate the lack of racket if you've ever been around a machine that sounded like it was going to launch itself into outer space. I use the Rapid Bake feature a majority of the time because I make the basic milk bread recipe from the manual. It serves our needs. I have also used the dough cycle for making cinnamon rolls. (amazing) OH and of course- using it for Pizza dough has been great too. It does exactly what these features allow you to do.The yeast dispenser, although not necessary is very handy. I think it's a great bread machine. I've been experimenting and my use is about 2-3 times a week for loaf bread and a few other times for various mixing and kneading rolls, pizza dough etc. The reason I bought the machine is because I had gotten into bread making and came to the point that we were eating the home made bread more than the store bought loaves. At that point, all the kneading and such takes a toll,(Kudos to our pioneer ancestors) never mind the time it takes to mix and rise, bake, etc. I was hesitant to buy a machine as our counter space is limited and this is not a small machine. However, it's a part of my kitchen now and I look forward to more experimentation. I would say this machine is an excellent bread machine, with probably a few more bells and whistles than a lower priced model. So... Panasonic biased owner or not- It's a good machine so far. I've had it about 2 months? I will try to update as it receives more use. As far as the value- it is a Panasonic- which I rate in the upper middle range of cost for good quality product. Many times I end up over researching and over thinking items like this and end up NOT purchasing it. Because I am biased and love Panasonic, I decided to take the plunge because it was on sale, but I also had a $50 Amazon gift card. Probably not important, but that is my buying logic. lol I guess I am saying that knowing what I know about Panasonic brand and this specific machine- it would have been worth the purchase full price or not. I'm just glad it was on sale, and I had a $50 gift card... I've been buying a lot of flour and yeast lately. lol Update: October 2014- This machine has held up well. I have used several more modes and really have tried to make it a priority to use the longer cycle for basic bread. You just can't deny that the true process of letting the bread fully rise without extra yeast-makes a much better loaf. I've also learned that good quality flour makes a lot of difference. The French Bread from the manual was TO DIE FOR!!! AMAZING! But it's a 6 hour cycle but so worth it! I've also started to weigh out my flour. I've learned it's a bit more accurate- when you don't want to let the weather dictate your baking. It's fascinating. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this machine. It more than meets my needs. It's allowed me to be more experimental in the bread department. I would still recommend this machine. Update: October 2018- Still going strong. I have since acquired a fancy and powerful Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook. It's great for big jobs. But this bread machine I still break it out for dinner rolls, pizza dough and a single lovely loaf of bread. I still highly recommend this product and brand. It's still going strong.

[Between 4 and 4.5 stars] 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.

I've owned this machine for two years now. I use these reviews so heavily that I want to give back. I researched it carefully, reading all the reviews, etc. Was nervous about some problems I'd read about in the reviews but took the plunge as this machine seemed to meet my needs and was cheaper than the Z. The machine I ordered burned the bread. I made bread twice with the same result. I called Amazon and they quickly made an exchange. I LOVE the second Panasonic!! I'm glad I stayed with it. Definitely worth: the trouble with the exchange, the longer wait time (longer time makes a much higher rise = more bread for the same ingredients), the necessary scales. I'd do it all over again without a second thought. The bread is fantastic! You get a choice for two hour bread but it makes an average sized loaf. The four hour bread is huge and wonderful. I love the timer on it -- I bought a slow cooker with a timer at the same time and now have dinner waiting for our family when I walk in the door ;) I have worked out a system of snap lid tubs in which I pre-measure dry ingredients, write the wet ingredients on the lid, and store them in a larger tub on the cold back porch. In the morning, I dump the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and set the timer - five minute process - dinner when I walk in...heaven! -The scales are no biggie and truly do help to get it right. -I don't understand why people complain about the noise...other kitchen appliances are much louder. The yeast dispenser does make a thumping noise but only for four thumps. When I hear a soft whirring sound, I think: I'm not having to kneed bread...I'm reading a book! -The bread pan is easy to clean - I just add hot water to it after I extract the bread (slips right out) and add a bit of dish soap - soak. -Large machine? Well, do you want a large-sized loaf? You gotta have an oven to hold it! It's not THAT large...I have the slow cooker, a toaster, trays, and the bread machine all in one corner at the end of the counter. -The recipes are delicious. I love fixing calzones with it. I know I'm supposed to be able to fix other things in it but can't seem to get past the desire to cook all kinds of breads! Our favorite? Whole wheat cranberry...a loaf doesn't last the meal with my hungry teens and my husband is now a happy man! All this and I didn't have to hang over it. I DON'T work for Panasonic - I teach school (and eat bread). Enjoy! Update: Just went in to make French Bread dough for Christmas meal (2012) and had to say - still working fine after two more years, well used, love, love, love it! Would do it again in a heart-beat! Two more winters and still using it! Left over bread is delicious warmed in the microwave - if any is ever left! 2018 - just cooked a wonderful loaf of bread. Rose high, light, fluffy, husband ate the entire loaf in two days. Bread maker still working great.

I've had this product now for about 10 days, and we all really like the bread it makes! It has a nice crust with a fine crumb. I've made the basic bread recipe and wheat bread. The bread is tender and stays moist for longer than the breads we have made by hand, so we really like that! There are two unexpected benefits of this machine-- First, it only takes about 10 minutes of my time to initiate a batch of bread. Of course, it still takes time to rise and bake (4 hours start to finish)! Second, cleanup is *very* fast-- about 5 minutes to clean out the measuring devices and the bread pan and paddle by rinsing under water with a dish cloth. I used to spend 20 minutes or more washing up after making bread the old way. (Note, you cannot wash this in the dish washer-- the maker does not say why, they just say don't do it.) The loaf produced by the machine is a bit odd-- Not at all like a bread pan, it's quite tall and fairly square in cross section. I think that's a natural consequence of the capacity of the machine and of the dynamics of mixing and kneading the dough. To handle the shape of the large loaf, I do this: Sit the (cooled) loaf on its bottom and cut a couple of slices off the bread top to bottom on the narrow side (around an inch total), then cut these slices in half. They will be about the size of a normal slice of bread. Now, set the loaf on the side you just cut, and cut slices off from the top towards the bottom. This results in all slices of bread being about the right size (for me at least!) I'm sure someone else will have another way to do it. Some reviews have complained about the machine making clanking sounds, and they've assumed it was a mechanical problem. I don't think so-- My machine sometimes makes a sound too and when I investigated it I found that it was the dough being thrown around as it got kneaded! The manual *says* it will make some noise and even warns to put the machine where it won't fall off a counter as it does "walk around" a bit! There have also been mentions of malformed loaves, and I really don't see how that could happen. There is a bit of asymmetry to the loaf because after kneading the dough ball tends to be sitting on top of the mixing paddle (naturally!) As the bread rises it will naturally be higher on that side than on the other side of the shaft. So, while I don't discount other people's problems, I think I understand what could have happened to them. That said, making bread in a machine is not the same as doing it by hand! The ratio of water to flour is critical, so proper measuring technique is a must. When you make bread by hand, the kneading process lets you adjust for the exact amount of flour and water you (should have) used. Not so with the machine. Your measurements have to be precise if you want a consistent result. Also, if you don't use enough water the resulting dough could be too stiff for the machine to mix properly. Maybe you'd get a cannonball loaf then? The one change I would make is to the recipes: As written, you often have to measure amounts like 9/16 of a cup of flour. Why not just adjust the batch size a bit so the flour (or water) measurements come out even? The manual suggest using a scale, but even that is hard-- 12-3/4oz of flour? I'd also like it if the supplied measuring cup had color to its markings-- it's just a plastic cup with raised gradations and numbers; once flour is in the cup, markings and numbers disappear against the white of the flour. That said, this problem I can solve myself with a trip to the local culinary supply. :-) All told, I really like the product as delivered, and I hope to be using it for years to come.

For just over a year now, this little wonder has been cranking out loaf after loaf of perfect bread. Great instructions, easy to use, perfect bread every time. Bought on Amazon after reading dozens of glowing reviews. Then a dud... We were totally shocked, because this little baby had never made a loaf of "bad bread." Upon closer inspection, I found that the white insulator that supports the free end of the heater element in the bread baking chamber had cracked in half, and the element was hanging down, unsupported! No worries (I thought) as I had seen folks raving about the availability of parts for this machine. That was what really hooked me! If I can get the parts, I can fix anything manmade. This is where the story changes from a love story to a horror story... You see, Panasonic (in an effort to promote and build owner loyalty) has decided to build this little wonder in China - the rising manufacturing power of our planet that can literally screw up any product man can design. Not only has the quality of this unit dropped to sub-par, but now I find out that Panasonic doesn't provide parts diagrams for their customers on their website (you have to guess at the part based on a brief description - like "bobbin") and when you call for assistance, the part center representative has even less information to help you with than the parts website. Actually, the day I called the parts center rep told me to call the local service center (in NJ) for additional assistance. This service "professional" told me they don't work on this device any longer (the unit just went out of warranty a month ago) and that he had no further information. He did say that they had been replacing a lot of circuit boards until just recently, and he also "thought" that the heater element came with the support insulator that I needed. Well, today the heater element arrived, and guess what - no insulator in the package! So, what you get with this Chinese "wonder" is about a year of great bread, and then a big metal brick to tack to your landfill. I am sure that some bean counter at Panasonic convinced management that this was the new world, efficient service model - enough good service to clear the warranty date, then bust. Mr. No Brain consumer will look at his wife and say "No parts available, so shucks baby.. guess we is just gonna hav' ta buy a new one!" Panasonic can close down the parts and service centers in this country, lay off a few more Americans and wait for the orders for the replacement machines to roll in. Lower overhead, no union labor or factory headaches, unit cost per loaf of great bread is about right (if you use it all the time), so where's the beef? Here's the beef: My recommendation is to avoid this company and their job robbing, landfill stuffing, "Made in China" junk, and look elsewhere. We are going back to making our bread the old fashion way until someone wants to make an old fashion machine to do the job for us. You know, one that works well for many years, has parts available for purchase, and that you can be confident about recommending to your friends and neighbors! Way to go, Panasonic!

Everyone knows that making good bread is as much an art as it is a science. You MUST be exact in your measurements if you want to be able to make good bread, repeatably, with good results, but a machine. When making the dough by hand, most bakers learn the "feel" of when the dough is ready and the proportions are right. This is hard do if using any bread machine, and most novice bakers haven't developed this skill. With this being known, ANY AND ALL bread maker is fully capable of making poor loaves. I have found this to be an excellent bread maker (so far) for what it does. If you measure your ingredients exactly, and run the machine as designed, it will consistently, do a great job. I have some worries about the warranty, as there doesn't seem to be any positive reviews of Panasonic warranty support. All I can go on is the people who have had to use it. If I have to, I will report back. But so far, no problems. Common complaints about this machine can almost all be attributed to operator error. In my opinion however, this is panasonic's fault for not having the clearest manual and software in the world. Common complaints: 1. Bread too dark or burnt. I'll bet that most people are using the wrong settings with the wrong ingredient amounts. This is a common mistake on this machine. Make sure you are using the correct recipe (M, L, XL) for the setting you choose the machine: 2. Poorly risen loafs. You cannot use common break recipes in any bread maker. The bread maker only knows how much yeast, gluten and sugar is in the mix if you use one the manual's recipes. If you plan on trying out your own recipes, there WILL be a lot of trial and error. You made need more yeast, gluten...etc, for the timed rise the machine uses. Also, the yeast must be COMPLETELY DRY. When you add the yeast to the dispenser, close it tight. Make sure ALL the yeast gets dispensed. If the dispenser is even remotely damp, the yeast may stick and not drop right, and my activate too soon. 3. Paddle sits lose on the spindle. This is by DESIGN. If you read the instructions, you will know this. This actually allows it to knead BETTER. 4. Machine does nothing for first 30 minutes or so: the machine is doing this on purpose to bring all temps of all ingredients to room temperature, to get a good baseline to start the dough. THIS IS REQUIRED for good bread. While I would always like the option to disable this, the truth is, very few average people will know to do this, and some ingredients always come from the fridge or the stove (yeast, butter). I find this is one less thing for me to worry about. It may take a little longer, but its less fuss. Some other tips. For ALL BREAD MACHINES measure dry ingredients by weight only. The machine cannot "judge" the quality of the dough like a human can (maybe some day, but not yet). I like to make "Packets" of dry ingredients, and store them in the freezer. Makes the process even quicker and more repeatable. I suggest melting your butter before you add it to the mix for better mixing. I am not a fan of molasses in breads...the taste is too strong...i use brown sugar instead...much better flavor. Also, Its always a good idea to give the machine an 'extra hand' with the mixing. Simply, mix the dry ingredients in the machine before adding the wet. This eliminates the possibility of poor mixing. Lastly, READ THE MANUAL entirely before you start. The machine is NOT fool proof. If you follow the manual correctly, you will have incredible bread. If you don't or if you are trying your own recipes...EXPECT trial and error failures until you find the right mix. This is true of all bread machines.

I've had my Panasonic SD-YD250 for about 2 months now and have used it many times to make various breads and doughs. I have to say that I love this machine. I got it from Amazon- delivered for about $114. So it was considerably cheaper than most of the other similar machines. I'm not sure what would make the others worth so much more, because this one does everything it sets out to do very well. I've had a few loaves come out less than perfect, but that's mostly because I've experimented with ingredients. Most loaves have been great. I also feel good about using all natural, mostly organically grown flours and ingredients, and glad to have left behind breads with preservatives and chemical additives. And of course, there are few things better than fresh, warm breads and their fragrances! If you follow the recipes that came with it, you'll get good results. Some other recipes, especially those for denser breads, like Ryes, are trickier. While you can make basic beads easily and time them to bake at night while you sleep, when baking denser, multi-grain or rye loaves, it pays to be around during the initial part of the kneading cycle to ensure that the dough is the right consistency. One of my Rye loaves was very dense and too dry, which gave the kneading paddle a hard time. Fortunately, being around during kneading and ready to add a bit more water or flour to get the right consistency will save the day (and the machine's motor). If you do add liquids like milk while the machine is kneading, do it VERY slowly in VERY small amounts- once I poured too much in, too fast, and it got splashed inside the unit, which then made a difficult to clean, baked-on mess. Overall, if there have been issues, it's because of my measurements or the ingredients. I have come to add gluten to some recipes to get the bread to stick together better- but gluten can affect the liquid ratio. Some flours are thicker/grainier and have different moisture contents than others. So, getting a feel for what combination of things work best can take a little time. But for those less adventurous, if you stick to the basic recipes, it's a breeze to make good, wholesome bread with this machine. And it's just as easy to clean the pan- I rarely even use detergent- just some hot water and a sponge and it's ready to go again! My favorite tip from others so far: put a little cooking spray or oil on the paddle before adding ingredients to make the paddle easy to remove from the finished loaf (usually, if the paddle is greased, the loaf slides right off the paddle and out of the hot pan with no effort). So, if you are considering a bread maker, (and are willing to devote a good-sized chunk of counter or cabinet space to another appliance) look no further- this machine does a range of types and sizes of breads and doughs and does them all well. It's a pleasure to encounter an appliance that actually performs (maybe even out-performs) it's claims. And it's fun! Eliminate additives, preservatives, colorings, and chemicals of any kind from your daily intake. Bake bread with just the stuff you like and the stuff that is good for you and the clan- that's what home bread making makes possible. Use a machine or not. Get great results, save money, get compliments, have fun and feel personal satisfaction- it's easy and it does not take that much time. ***Update***: Breadmaker now in use for about six months. Still works great! I have made many great pizza doughs with it, in addition to a great variety of breads. The results have been very good, using recipes with varying ingredients from a wide variety of sources. To get crustier "artisan"-type breads, I have lately taken to using the machine only for mixing/kneading and a short first rise. If I want to do it quickly, then I actually use the pizza dough setting, which does not have an initial "Rest" period. It just starts immediately mixing and kneading, then adds the yeast. I can get a better grip on the consistency by popping the lid and checking after about 10-15 minutes. If needed, I add more flour, but more often, more liquids (milk/water/oil) to get a dough ball that is smooth and rounded and sticking mostly to the bottom of the pan only. I take the bread dough out of the machine at the end of the "pizza" cycle and then let it rise (sometimes for 3-4 hours, especially for sourdoughs and "heavy" multi-grain breads) in a covered, lightly oiled mixing bowl. After the rise, I "punch it down" and then shape it and let it rise a bit more while I heat-up the oven. Then I bake the shaped dough (with egg/water glaze, a shallow pattern cut on the top and a topping like wheat germ or cornmeal)in the oven on a pizza/bread stone for 35 minutes (the first 10 minutes at 450 and then the rest at 375). People swear it looks/tastes as if it came from the bakery! The Panasonic does all the hard work, and then is easy to clean-up while I bake in the oven. This machine is very versatile. I can do things with it that usually require an expensive stand mixer, OR, I can bake right in it when I don't feel like oven baking. It's great, and I still highly recommend it- even more than when it was new!

I have never used a bread machine before. I always made bread by hand. I have used a dough mixer, but I still had to put the dough in pans to rise and then put it in the oven. It took lots of work, and the machine was very hard to clean. With this machine, you just put all the ingredients in it and choose your settings and wait. Perfect bread comes out every time! The machine is so easy to clean too. I love it so much! If I had any negative input about this machine, it would be that it only makes one loaf. The bread is so good that it goes faster than I can make it. I have only had it for a short time, so I haven't tried making different things in it, but I am excited to try! I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who loves fresh homemade bread, made so easily.

Panasonic has the best bread maker that I have found. This is my third Panasonic bread maker. My first one was too small for my growing family, but still works even though, it is now more than 20 years old. My son now uses it at university. My second one lasted almost 9 years and was used extensively,at least 6 whole wheat loaves a week and sometimes more including pizza dough etc. When I had difficulty finding a Panasonic dealer in my area I bought 2 machines in less than one year that didn't last. I love Panasonic and know that this bread maker will last more than a few months. We love fresh wholesome bread and this bread maker fits our needs!

The performance of the machine is quite remarkable however the resetting - when you made a programming error - of the commands required I do a research to take back control. The bread produced is very good and the overall usefulness of the manual is adequate when compared to other company models. Cleaning is a breeze in the three months I have used it. The intriguing top yeast dispenser does help a better distribution but seems a bit gimmicky as I used to mix yeast with the flour while sifting.

Cart2India buys defective products abroad and dumps it at 3 times the price on unsuspecting customers like us who have seen the product and think we are getting the same. Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker with YeastPro Yeast Dispenser - SD-YD250 by Panasonic

We bought an earlier version of this Panasonic Breadmaker about 5 years ago after rave reviews by Which? and Good Housekeeping magazines, describing it as the best on the market. Ours is still going strong and makes fantastic bread, even when using the timer. I bought this one as a present for my daughter who has just moved to BC and she loves it. When it comes to making delicious, fresh, crisp and healthy home made bread, you can buy Panasonic with confidence.