Panasonic SD-2501WXC Automated 25 Mode Breadmaker with Gluten Free Programme, White

I was born and spent the first 21 years of my life in France. This means I had access to the freshest, most delicious baguettes and loaves of bread. Something I took for granted big time. My boyfriend, who is also French and I moved to the UK about two years ago. As much as we love London, where did all the boulangerie/patisserie go?! I have been fed on bread all my life and now, moving to the UK, the options in bread are limited and the baguettes are pretty grim. I resorted to buy part baked baguettes to make sure I had 'fresh' baked baguettes at home. It was a good replacement but that option did not exist for loaves and wholemeal bread. The only way I could deal with my lack of bread was too cut down on it. Something my boyfriend and I were not happy about. We felt deprived of something we had been fed on all our lives! I am not exaggerating, well, maybe a little. Anyway, my kitchen was too small until I moved to this new flat. The first thing I did was to get a bread machine, flour, salt, sugar, yeast! The process is idiot-proof honestly. You put the pan over a scale and you measure out the ingredients, then you put the pan back in, select the menu and press start, and a few hours later ta da! To be honest, I was a bit nervous about getting this. I had the feeling that the bread would not taste as good as the ones in boulangeries in Paris where I grew up, just because in my mind, these boulangers were a bit like the god of bread, they had a special secret. Boy was I wrong. The first loaf was just perfect! Yes there was a whole in the bottom because of the paddle but I could not care less about that. Since I bought it two weeks ago, I have done close to about 10 loaves and I am addicted. The bread is perfect every time and it is so tender. It beats whatever you can find in store big time! It also keeps much longer because it has not been sitting in a shelf for two days! To me, this bread machine feels like the best investment I've made in 23 years. I can make home-made good, fresh bread that is so easy and simple. I can also control exactly what I put in the bread which is always good. Check the list of ingredients in some of the bread brands, scary isn't it? This contains just five or six simple ingredients! Do make sure you let the bread cool down properly. I know, fresh baked bread is hard to resist but you need to let it cool down for it to harden enough to keep its shape when you cut through it. That's all on my side folks. I am so happy to have a machine like this, especially for us French people living in London, it's been impossible to find good bread. This has solved all of my problems and has gone beyond my expectations. As I am writing right now, I have a wholemeal seeded loaf waiting rising! By the way, the bread machine is generally silent so I do not think it would be a problem to have it on at night. You can always turn it on first thing in the morning and get fresh bread by the time you get home. Final word: instead of spending almost 2 pounds every couple of days going to buy a loaf of bread, get this... It should be reimbursed within a year depending on your bread consumption. UPDATE: More than a month later, I am still using and loving the bread machine. All the loaves come out perfect and the house smells fantastic every time. I have noticed that the bread stays fresher a bit longer than store loaves but it might not be the case. Regardless, the loaves come out soft and delicious. Rye bread comes out perfectly every time but please not that it will not rise as much as you might be used to - which is normal. One last thing, when using nuts: Make sure you chop the nuts a little bit before adding them to the dispenser. If the pieces are too big, they might end up scratching the sides of the bread machine a bit. It happened to me, but it still hasn't made a difference to the way to bread is baked. Huge success every time a loaf is cooked. The house smells incredible and the guests are delighted. My mother and two other friends are already thinking of buying one after they tasted the loaves. FURTHER UPDATE: I've had the bread machine for 8 months now and it's still going strong! I have had no problems at all with the bread machine so far and still love using it. Just made an black olive loaf earlier so the machine is currently doing it's magic. The bread still comes out soft, delicious and tasty every time. I wanted to add one thing: on the long run, this could save you money. I know it's a big investment but currently, I can make a large loaf for about 50p or so... That's a lot less than what you would find for freshly baked loafs.

As always, Amazon's service was first class, and I received this item two days before it was due. I have had two breadmakers in the past (not Panasonic), the last about 12 years ago, and I found the worst thing about them was the fact that the paddles were large and always stuck in the finished loaf. On removal (which was tricky in itself) they left a huge hole. I had decided never to have another one, but then I do love fresh homemade bread, and after reading all the reviews on Amazon and the Panasonic website, decided to try again. I have not been disappointed and am so glad I did. This one just does everything so easily and simply. The paddle has so far never stuck in the loaf, but I give the pan a very good, hard shake when I tip the loaf out, and it stays in the pan. It is very slim, and only leaves a very neat hole which does not affect sandwich making in the slightest. Sometimes it is hard to remove from the pan to clean it, but the excellent instruction book tells you how to overcome this, and a few minutes soaking in warm water in the pan makes it easy to remove. I have used nothing stronger than mild washing up liquid and a sponge to clean the pan, and it is so simple to clean, dries easily and is ready to go again. The loaves, to my amazement, seem to keep fresh for so long, with no trouble at all. I did buy some Debbie Meyer bags for the purpose, but I think they were not really necessary. To date, I have not yet tried the raisin and nut dispenser, but of course I shall be doing so very shortly. The variety of different breads that can be made is astounding, and the knowledge that there are none of those horrid preservative chemicals in it makes it all so much better. I also have not tried the delay timer, but I am sure I shall at some time in the future. The dough option is a good one, and there are many things I want to try using that, but I don't think I shall be making jam or cakes in it. You never know, though! I can't wait to try more and more, and my family is certainly very appreciative of what it turns out. I cannot recommend this product highly enough and plan to be using it for a very long time to come.

This item replaced my previous breadmaker which had expired. I had previously thought that spending this much on a breadmaker seemed extravagent when I have achieved very good results from cheaper models. However, I am absolutely delighted with this machine and do not regret the extra cost. It produces incredibly good bread, easily and I have not bought a loaf since buying it and they are bready, not cakey in texture. 100% wholemeal loaves which are light and fluffy have always seemed a contradiction in terms but this breadmaker produces them; very edible and utterly delicious. The loaves do not dry out as rapidly as with other machines I have had. The instruction book is very clear with an almost inexhaustible number of recipes for each of the programmes. They use very little sugar, 1 tsp as opposed to 2-3 tbsps required by my previous maker. I make my loaves overnight as the average length of time for a loaf (unless you use the rapid programme which will produce a white loaf in 2 hours) is 4 to 5 hours so you do need to bear that time in mind but the delay timer sorts that issue out. As I am used to adding ingredients in the order of liquid first it has taken a little time to adjust to pouring in liquid last but as stated above the end result is great. The nut and raisin dispenser is very useful as it stops all the fruit from being broken down too small by adding it at just the right time. The beep at the end of the programme is quite quiet and as I keep my machine in a pantry I do need to have a rough idea of when the bread will be ready so as not to miss it.

Very good machine. Probably one of the best on the market.