News Beat
The best bread makers for fresh loaves at home, tried and tested
Reviewed by Kerry Law
On first glance, this black, boxy bread maker has the unfortunate air of an office shredder rather than a contemporary kitchen gadget: but get past this and it’s a good compact machine that doesn’t take up too much countertop space. Unfortunately, there is no viewing window which is disappointing for those that like watching, what I call, ‘Bread TV’ for live updates on the loaf situation.
For a basic machine, it has a surprisingly extensive 18-programme menu – seven bread settings (including rapid bake, brioche, French); four dough options (basic, wholewheat, pizza, brioche); four gluten-free options (bread, cake, pasta, pizza); two sweet settings (cake, jam) and a bake only programme.
I tried the basic rapid option, which takes just under two hours, with a medium colour crust (you can choose light, medium or dark which takes 10 minutes longer). It only produces 400g loaves so no size options are available. The button-operated control panel is simple to use and you can hold your finger down to speed through the menu if you want to, say, whizz through to programme 14 to make pizza dough. Once started, a timer counts down to when your bread is ready. The delay timer allows you to programme up to 13 hours ahead, so plenty of time to set it up late afternoon and have the loaf ready for 7am breakfast the next morning.
This small machine made all kinds of loud clacking and buzzing noises during the process, enough to drown out the radio and any conversation. But once finished, I removed one of the cutest, dinkiest little loaves I’ve made. It had a well-risen dome shape and was an even, golden colour. If large loaves go stale before they are finished in your household, this is a great little machine for creating small batches to maintain freshness and minimise waste. It might make a great gift option for someone wanting to start baking bread, as well.
Key specifications
- Loaf size: 0.4kg
- Programmes: 18
- Dimensions: H 30.5cm, W 30.5cm, D 25.5cm
- Power: 340W
- Special features: Dual temperature sensors
