Panasonic SD-2511WXC Fully Automated Breadmaker with Nut Dispenser, White

This is my first bread maker (I've tried to make it by hand but I don't think I have the patience for all that kneading as it never seems to come out right). Friends who use them all recommended Panasonic so I then narrowed it down to the 2511 as it had the ambient temperature feature (I have the bread maker in a side porch area which is quite cold) and had the nut dispenser (which I admit, I haven't used yet but hope to soon). So far so good! Nice tasty bread, good for 2 days then you could probably get toast from it on the 3rd day though as it's so easy to make, we've just been making the smaller loaf but more often. I've only made basic white or wholemeal loaves but results have been good (no bricks!) and it only takes a few minutes to weigh and measure the ingredients then press start (or set the timer ...I like the timer function a lot). Quite simple to use (excellent step by step booklet with it showing recipes and the order you put them into the machine along with the programme you need to select - hard to go wrong). It's reasonably quiet in operation - you really only hear it when it's kneading and even in our bungalow, as long as the door is closed to the room where it is working we don't hear it running at night. Easy to clean between uses too, which is a novelty with most kitchen gadgets! If I'm being picky, the paddle obviously leaves a little slit in the bottom of the loaf but it is reasonably small and usually restricted to one, maybe two slices so not really an issue as it doesn't stop you using them, they just have a little cut in them. It's a big beast though - unless you've got a big kitchen you'll probably want to stash it away somewhere when not in use as it does take up a fair bit of worktop space. I've no regrets buying it and it's certainly getting plenty of use in the first few weeks - hoping to experiment a bit more with some of the other recipes over the next few months.

I did a TON of research before finalising on this bread machine model and brand. Even within Panasonic, I looked at all the different options and finally zeroed in on the SD 2511. The white was much cheaper than the black so I went with that. Ease of Use: I was mainly after a "set it and forget it option" with a good timer since I work full time and knew I'd be mainly making the bread in the evenings to be ready for next morning. Since a typical loaf takes ~4 hours, I wouldn't be able to wait for it to done. The timer goes up to 13 hours which is perfect. I normally add the ingredient in around 8:30pm and set it to be ready for 6:30am. Fantastic results every single time. It's also very easy to clean. The inner compartment is good quality non stick and I use a soft sponge with soap to clean. The bread normally comes out clean and you don't need to scrub or soak the pan after that. Ingredients: The yeast is important and I got a 1 pound bag of Saf Instant (the red and blue pouch) and store it in the refrigerator. I haven't bothered with warming up water even if the recipe calls for it since this machine has a rest period in the beginning to bring all ingredients to ambient temperature for best results. Also with a timer, warming up water or milk doesn't really matter. I also buy bread flour and whole wheat flour from Bob's Red Mill which has a great nutty flavour. Bread Menu Options: So far I have tried regular white bread, 100% whole what bread and sandwich bread. All have turned out fantastic. I don't intend to just use it for dough but may give it a shot over a weekend. I am waiting for my rye flour to get here so I can try that too. This machine comes with a separate rye dough hook so remember to swap it out if you do try it. I am also hoping to try the scone and maybe sourdough but we are not big fans of the latter. I got a cooling rack, a bread knife, and a bread storer after getting this and we bake a loaf every 3 days. So far our breads have stayed soft up to that point. I also notice the light crust option or the sandwich option keeps bread soft the longest. If you are on the fence or researching, I can highly recommend this bread machine. Go for it!

Had a cheaper breadmaker years ago, but found it tough to get good results and eventually gave up. A friend has one of these and the bread they served up was always really nice so decided to try again.Unboxing is simple, very few extra parts to worry about. there are 2 blades inside for different types of bread, also 2 measuring jugs and a couple of measuring spoons to help with exact ingredient measurement, you will need your own scales to measure flour though. There is also a fairly conclusive set of instructions containing recipes for various types of loaf , cake recipes , jam recipes, and making different types of dough (pizza, rolls, tear n share bread etc). In use, it couldnt be simpler. follow the instructions press the start button and leave it to it. there is a nut/ raisin dispenser so you dont have to stop the machine to add those ingredients. i wanted to give the product 4.5 stars, my only gripe is that when the machine finishes it beeps 8 times but i'm finding those beeps to be quite quiet, as the instructions recommend removing the bread immediately after the machine stops i'm just setting an alarm for the end of baking time. there are 3 bread sizes(the instructions give you altered ingredients accordingly) and you can choose the darkness of your crust . So far i've only baked a couple of loaves, but the results have been impressive and tasty, plus using the on board timer you can have the machine bake while you sleep and wake to that fresh bread smell

I’ve been using this breadmaker around twice a week for 18 months now. I prefer the bread to most of the mass produced stuff you can buy in the supermarkets, though I do still occasionally buy a loaf when I’ve forgotten to make enough for my needs – or just fancy a change. I tend to just make standard white or wholemeal loaves using organic flour and I’m quite happy with the results, though there are one or two things worth pointing out. None of these would stop me from buying this again. As others have mentioned there is a random uneven rise. This occurs with most loaves – other than with rye flour and that’s probably because it’s so heavy doesn’t rise much at either end and emerges with a flat top. You can bake three different loaf sizes, but the only difference is the height of the loaf because they are all baked in the same pan so the only way to get bigger is up. With white loaves I always use the maximum of the three crust browning settings. The crust doesn’t brown the way it does in the oven and seems to be a separate operation – maybe a heat boost at the very end of baking. I love the timer, but I wish it had an internal clock so I could just tell it what time I wanted the bread ready instead of having to figure out how many hours & minutes from when I turn the machine on. So, if you want your loaf ready for 8 o’clock in the morning, and it’s 10:20pm when you turn it on, you have to set the timer for 9h 40m. The timer, by the way, works in ten minute intervals. I did use it to make some sweet buns once. For this you do the initial mix and prove in the breadmaker. Then the dough is tipped out and you shape the bread/buns however you want, but you have to sort the second rise out yourself. They tasted great the day they were baked, but even though I froze what I couldn’t eat, they didn’t taste as good as something similar I made completely by hand. Not sure why there would be any difference. I’ve also used made use of the fruit dispenser on a couple of occasions and that is a very nice addition if you like to make other than basic bread. It does offer the option of cake baking, but I see no advantage here and the cake is going to be an odd shape because the bread pan is not the shape of a standard bread tin. The menu system is based on numbers, The numbers correspond to recipes in the very large instruction booklet. You really need to plan on keeping this safe, because you’ll pretty much need to refer to it every time you bake. I would have liked some easy method of using other bread recipes than those included, because I find it’s really difficult to figure out what menu number to use for a recipe from some other source. I think my main niggle is that, even with the smallest loaf, the bread is too tall to fit in my toaster, so if toast is your thing, then make sure you’ve got one with a slot that will handle tall thick slices. But by far the biggest problem that I’ve had with this breadmaker is that I’ve put on a stone in weight since I bought it. None of this stops me enjoying the basic loaves I regularly bake. The bread is great for sandwiches on the day of baking, and stored in a plastic bag when cold, it does me for toast for three days. There’s just me so I don’t get through a lot of bread, but I’m sure a family would use a loaf or two a day without any problems. Highly recommended.

This is my first bread maker. I have a toddler and a partner who loves bread so we were getting through 3 loaves a week. I hated the idea that if I couldn't get to the bakers ( £2.70 per loaf) that the bread we were buying was full of additives and preservatives. So my review: there there were a couple of things that prevented it from getting 5 stars but it was really close, more like a 4.5!!! Firstly the positives; this is my first introduction to bread making and so far, generally the bread has turned out well and very tasty.easy to set and have bread for when you get up. As others have said, it's easy to clean and use. I've only tried white bread but there are lots of different recipe types. The negatives; there have been some inconsistencies with the rising of the bread and some have turned out more like crumpets! However, as others have suggested I have decreased the amount of water required and that seemed to work. It's a huge machine! Don't buy this model if you are short on space. Mine has to live on my counter top, which does work well as it encourages me to use it. Though as it's white and massive it looks like a chemical toilet! The bread is done when you get 8 beeps and the flashing tab stops flashing, well mine only worked once and then just carried on flashing so now I just take it out on the 8 beeps instead. But I would say for me the most irritating issue is the fact that you have to take the bread out when it is done, so you couldn't cook it when you are out. I would be really interested to hear if others just leave it and if it affects the taste? Overall though, im really pleased with the bread maker and I would definitely recommend to others.

I couldn't believe a machine could make bread but decided to get one and start making it as bought bread all has soya flour in I have just discovered! Why?!!! Horrible. So we are now having home made bread daily and I'm getting great compliments from the family - and it toasts perfectly - just another league. Chose this one from recommendations and the reviews as want something that works well. So we now we have organic bread (virtually organic apart from the salt and yeast) with Doves Farm flour and organic butter - makes me feel good. Anyway - took heed of comments on here. Yes the first couple of loaves did come out with one side a bit higher than the other. This doesn't sound very scientific but I've found that is avoided by making sure everything is "level" - ie shake the pan a bit it a bit so the dry ingredients are levels before adding the water last. We found stoneground wholemeal a bit heavy - but that's par for the course with wholemeal bread - absolutely fine but heavier. So we do half and half stoneground and white now. The white loaves are more popular. I did try using Spelt flour (there is a recipe) but won't do it again. It stuck to the pan too much and in trying to get it out I have now scratched the non stick coating. However it still works fine and normal loaves don't stick. Sizewise - hmm - larger is always going to be just taller as the pan is one size. I have no idea why the sizes are medium, large and extra large. Why not small, medium and larger? Anyway - we tend to do the smallest size (ie medium) with a medium crust and it's just perfect. The Large is just a bit too tall - extra large would be silly tall. So I usually make one a day or every two days. It keeps about 3 days and that's just sitting out on the bread board. After that I like that it goes rock hard and stale (like bread should do) instead of weird and mouldy.

I love it so much. It makes yummy bread. The dough to make in the oven are great, as well. Haven't tried the jam-making yet, but I guess it would be great as well. The only downside is, we have not been able to make yummy sweet breads as of now, no matter if we're following the instructions to the letter. Cakes, or brioches, that sort of thing doesn't really end well. Or don't end up being what you expect. But if you are in for bread making, which is basically what we use it for, it is a brilliant machine. Not noisy, easy to clean up, bread comes off the pod easily (the pad leaves an indentation at the bottom of the bread, but there is no way around it. And it doesn't matter at all to me). IT doesn't heat up terribly, but we make bread on the tiled flooring just in case (since we are renting). The automatic dispenser is very handy to make special breads with seeds and so. It looks like is a silly feature, but this way you can program the bread at night or while you're off with your seeds and stuff and you don't need to worry about anything. I would not buy the one without it. Making bread is much cheaper than buying it, it lasts a lot fresh, it is very yummy, and I cannot think of a reason why not to buy a breadmaker now. I won't be without one ;D Mine is been working strong for a year now, and I hope it will last many years more!

Haven't had this for long but already loving it. It's big and you need room around it and above it (for the lid to fully open) when you're using it. Have baked two loaves so far, one was a half and half using Waitrose Strong Canadian white and wholemeal flours which came out beautifully light and spongey. Second one was a sundried tomato, olive and herb bread (bought the bread making book that was recommended with the machine which is also excellent, plus the Mercer bread knife which someone else kindly recommended on here, which cuts through a soft loaf beautifully). Anyway, back to the machine, it's well worth reading through the instruction booklet first as otherwise it's easy to have a loaf fail but it you follow the instructions and recipe quantities to the letter you can't go wrong. When you first buy it, don't totally submerge the bread bucket to wash it as I almost did before I spotted the instruction not to just in time. Also, for Panasonic machines, you always put the yeast in first and cover it with the dry ingredients so that it doesn't touch the water too soon. So if you follow other recipes, always place the yeast first, dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar, oil/butter) and then the liquid. It'll work well. The machine is a breeze to use and stays very clean as the loaf just slides out. Very easy to pop all the ingredients in last thing at night and wake to beautifully fresh bread and gorgeous aromas (don't leave it in the machine once it's ready but take it out and leave it to rest in the bucket for 10 mins before tipping it out). The bread always freezes well if you freeze on the same day, once it's cooled (I pre sliced it). Cannot recommend this highly enough. Will never buy another loaf in a packet when you see all the additives that are in it compared to a home baked one.