PanasonicYR2540 Fully Automatic Breadmaker, with yeast & nut dispensers, Manual Settings for Bread & Rising, Dual Temperature Sensors, 13 Hours Digital Timer, Gunmetal

This machine is an excellent piece of kit, producing pretty much everything “Loaf” and everything “Kneaded and Proved” if you want Rolls or Baguettes, and in doing so this machine pretty much removes all of the hard work in making dough, leaving you just to bake it! It’s a pity it doesn't have a range of trays that you can insert into the machine for other bread shapes, but thats a minor issue as the lack of such trays is really just an inconvenience in the process.It’s central core is the loaf and it does this brilliantly basically add the ingredients set the size, bake colour and timer and abracadabra great tasting breads when you want it; with a cost per loaf of about 50 percent of that of the shop bought loaf. That’s not to say it will save you money as the £200ish price tag will take some time to recover, but warm fresh bread everyday without any preservatives or additives is a compensation that goes a long way in payback for that overhead!It fits into my Kitchen very nicely and is about the same size as a microwave, is easy to maintain and clean. Its digital readout is self explanatory and with menu options printed alongside for reference.So if you like fresh bread and can swallow the machine cost for what is clearly well designed and built and turns out great results you can purchase this with confidence…

This is the 4th Bread Maker I've had in the last 8 years. It is easily the best. It is also the most expensive. I chose a Panasonic because they are regularly rated as Best Buys by Which Magazine, although this model, the SD-YR2540, has not as yet been reviewed by Which. The price quoted by Amazon was the best i could find, being £40 less than the recommended retail price. I took the trouble to ascertain, in advance, with Panasonic UK that spare parts are readily available for this machine. They are, and I ordered a spare bread pan and kneading blade from Panasonic. These are yet to arrive. 11th Jan spare bread pan arrived.The first loaf I baked was the standard white. It was fantastic, easily the best texture and taste of any white loaf i have baked in a machine in the last 8 years. I have subsequently baked another 2 loaves, to test the various functions of this machine. I've not had chance to taste them as yet, but the loaves looked really good with a uniform colour all over and a good shape. I'm sure they will taste good.This machine is very quiet when kneading the dough, unlike the 3 machines I had previously. Also it did not creep around the work surface when kneading, unlike 2 of my past machines.The instruction and recipe book is very detailed, giving the times of each process occurring during the bread making cycle. It is so much better than manuals I have referred to in the past. This makes using the machine very easy.As yet I haven't found any downsides apart from the high purchase costs of the machine itself and the spare bread pan and kneading blade. However this the top of the range Panasonic bread maker comes complete with all the bells and whistles. I suspect there will be some functions that I rarely / never use, but it willl be useful to have those options available to me. The build quality looks to be excellent and spares are readily available. This machine should have a lifespan of much longer than the average 2 years 8 months of my previous 3 machines. in which case it will justify the extra cost. So far I am extremely pleased.

This is the best kitchen gadget I have ever boughtI’ve had it long enough now to write an honest and informed reviewThis bread maker does exactly as it saysThe bread made from the recipes in the little booklet that comes with the machine is truly something special every single timeI’ve made use of it every daySometimes setting it away again no sooner than it’s finished a loafThe basic loaf, the Italian loaf, the bacon and cheese loaf and the French loaf are all amazingThe focaccia and pizza doughs are perfectIt’s an expensive piece of kit but if you buy a loaf almost daily it’s worth itOh I must mention the bread rollsThey were fantastic tooIt’s so easy to use a child could do itEverything you need except for the ingredients and an oven glove is with the machineI’d get a spare set of measuring spoons thoughAnd a cooling rack for coolingIt’s easy to cleanIt’s quite large but with his good the bread is I couldn’t care less if it was twice the sizeThe aroma in my home is like walking into a bakery on steroids I just love that homely vibeIf I could give it 10 stars I wouldThe only downside for me personally is that as with all bread makers it can sometimes be tricky to get the bread out of the pan due to the dough blade (not sharp of course just in the way when removing the loaf)And inherently it leaves a tear in the bottom of each loaf .. that’s unavoidable with bread makers but if I could click my fingers to change something that would be the only thingThis machine has made me incredibly satisfied many times over now and it will continue to do soI have an Italian loaf in right nowSome loaves take a lot longer than othersBut there’s a timer so you can set it away during your sleeping hours ready for when you wakeAnd that’s easy tooI could go on but it’ll turn into a ramble but if you’re thinking of getting a bread maker I truly cannot fault this oneAmazing

Having never made bread before, I thought i would give this a go and I'm super happy. This machine does it all, throw the ingredients in the bowl, then the yeast in the lid, push a couple of buttons and it does the rest. I have cooked 2 loafs so far and both came out perfect. Absolutely amazing, would recommend to anyone who likes the idea of fresh bread but never get round to doing it. It is so simple and no mess, just rinse the bowl at the end.