Read First Before Buy Panasonic SD YD250 Automatic Bread Dispenser
We tried the Breadman 555 and we were a bit disappointed. The bread was slightly inconsistent and the crust was very dark and thick, even on the lightest crust setting. I liked the very large observation window on this model, but apparently that may not be a good thing for the bread. There were numerous other small problems and worries that we had with it, so we decided to return it.
After a lot of research and option weighing, we decided to buy the Panasonic 250. The deciding factors were performance, construction and ability to replace parts.
The construction of the Panasonic is outstanding! The sturdy die-cast aluminum bread pan has no rivets to loosen and leak. The non-stick surface on the pan and kneading blade is much stronger than on the Breadman model. The Kneader drive components are also much more sturdy. I could go on and on but I'll just say that the construction on the Panasonic is just far superior.
The operation of the machine is also outstanding. It runs very quietly for a bread maker and the motor seems very strong. I was a little worried about the way that the bread pan locks into place (kind of a twist and turn locking system) as-well-as the effectiveness of the yeast dispensing system. I am very pleased that both work great. With the yeast dispensing system you just need to be certain that there is no moisture in it, and all the yeast is distributed just fine. When you start the machine there is a waiting state at the beginning, before the yeast is dispensed, where the ingredients are warmed to the optimal temperature. This adds about 30-60 minutes to the process but apparently it's important. The dough is kneaded very thoroughly for about 15 minutes then the rise process lasts about 2 hours before the ~50 minute bake cycle. The control panel is fairly simple to use. Just select bake options, loaf size and crust darkness (on certain bake options), and that's it. There is also the ability to use custom bake only and dough only settings. It doesn't have the 300 presets like the Breadman Ultimate, but the final result is what it's all about. The bread comes out beautiful. For white bread on the basic bake with light crust setting, the bread has a very nice consistency with a thin beautiful blonde crust. On the wheat setting (which doesn't have the ability to adjust the crust (this also worried me)), the bread is amazing. The crust is obviously darker than the white bread, but not over cooked like in the breadman. A 2 pound bread loaf is about 5 inches wide, 7 1/2 inches long and 6 1/2 inches tall. The height is a little strange but using smaller recipes can adjust this. I did make a wheat bread recipe that was too thick and although the motor seems strong, the kneading blade could not turn. this could have burned up the motor if I had not been there to add water. So always be watchful when trying a new recipe!
The instruction manual has been revised so the measurements are now in weight and standard volume measurements, which makes it as easy and as accurate as you want to be. This is a great machine, and if you think your going to use it often, it's well worth the extra money.
I want to thank everyone who contributed to this review forum for helping me make the right decision in choosing the Panasonic.
I purchased this machine as a replacement for a Philips bread machine I've had for a couple of years. It's the third bread machine I've purchased for myself, and had bought its predecessor (the SD-250) for my Parents some time ago. My Philips packed up (the bread tin broke away from its base), and they don't make spares, so I have to throw the whole machine in the bin - definitely won't buy another Philips anything. My parents have been most impressed with the Panasonic, and it's been personally recommended to me by other people, so after reading all the reviews on Amazon.com I decided to buy one.So, to the point, I'm thoroughly impressed with this machine. It is solid and quiet. I took the first loaf I made with it and sliced it to find an absolutely even loaf (even from the 1:55 rapid mode). All the other machines I've had have had some level of streaking or unevenness in the bread.As for all the other criticism of the recipe book for its use of weight rather than volume measurements for flour, it is a far more accurate way of measuring flour for any baking. Also the manual has since been updated (no doubt as a result of these criticisms), and now shows the approximate volume equivalents in all the recipes.
BalasHapusThe SD-YD250 does not revolutionize bread makers, but it has significantly better features than most of its competition:
BalasHapus- Thick pan: even rising and baking, good crust
- Thin, flat blade: the loaf slides out and you don't need to fish the blade in it.
- Yeast dispenser: contributes to a very even loaf, and makes timer operation more reliable by preventing early yeast activation
- Whisper quiet operation: even while kneading wholewheat loaves this machine's noise level is amazingly low. The loudest noise you'll hear during the whole process is a few clacks from the yeast dispenser.
- Recipes give volume (easier) and weight (more accurate) amounts for flour.
- Supports slightly larger loaves than most machines (2 1/2 instead of 2 lbs)
Having used other machines before I was surprised how effortlessly baked loaves slide out of the pan, probably because of the flat blade and the good quality pan.
Also, the crust color is perfectly even from top to bottom, whereas on most other machines I've used the crust is darker at the bottom near the heating element and lighter at the top, another benefit of the thicker, better quality pan.
Finally, Panasonic makes spare parts available.
This is a well-rounded, high quality machine at a very reasonable price. You will not be disappointed.
After killing two cheaper bread machines, I found the Panasonic here on Amazon, with its very positive reviews. We bought it in 2002, and we've been making 3 to 4 loaves per week with it since. I can't believe how well it has lasted, and the bread we make is still excellent.
BalasHapusWe took it with us to France when we moved here in 2003, and we regularly amaze French guests who can't believe our delicious bread didn't come from a nearby boulangerie. It even still looks like new. I add various whole grains (including wheat berries, quinoa, sunflower seeds), which have somewhat marred the non-stick surface around the paddle and on the paddle edges, but there's no problem with bread sticking. It's always easy to clean the tub.
It was a quiet machine in 2002, and it's still a quiet machine today, after making us nearly 1000 loaves of bread. The only thing that might wake you up about it doing its job is the smell of hot fresh bed wafting into the bedrooms. Yum.
As with any bread machine, small variations in leavening, flour types, and water can make a big difference in how well it rises. To experiment with different mixes, don't stray far off your beaten path of success. That's worked for me. My only big flop was trying to make my own sourdough leavening the old-fashioned way. I got extremely tasty sourdough that was only 3 inches tall. LOL.
There's only one additional feature I would like to have, and that would be to be able to make that dark, heavy, dense German "Roggenvollkornbrot" with it. Whenever I drive to Germany I buy a dozen and toss them in the freezer. If anybody knows how I can make German bread in a Panasonic, please send me email.
I still hear horror stories from friends about fickle, fragile, noisy bread machines, especially here in France. But our Panasonic just keeps going like an Eveready Bunny. I don't know if Panasonic sells a 220v version here in Europe yet, but they should !
UPDATE January 2008: The Panasonic is still going and going ... no problems!
This is our second bread machine. The first was from American Harvest (two-loaf machine). Our first one was a real struggle to get to work, even though when it did the loaves came out shaped like traditional bread loaves thanks to the shaped bread pans (albeit unevenly baked). With that one my wife always had to play with the recipes, perform trial-and-error breads, besides the downtime we put up with for repairs. As it turned up we ended up using the machine very rarely. Finally when a paddle gave out for one of the pans we decided enough was enough and decided to get a new one. I did a lot of research and this Panasonic seemed to have the best reviews.We were not disappointed. Our very first loaf was an XL 100% Whole Wheat made with our own home-milled wheat. We used their recipe from the Panasonic book. Thanks to another reviewer we used the formula noted in that review (DRY OUNCES multiplied by .2184) and, just to make sure it was on target, we referenced another chart we found on the internet ... to come up with the dry weights to cups conversion (that's the only complaint I have is their using dry weights, instead of cups in the accompanying cookbook). As it turned out, we erred on the side of the first formula (DRY OUNCES multiplied by .2184). Furthermore, we even dared -- our first time using this machine -- to modify slightly the Panasonic recipe for the 100% Whole Wheat bread by replacing molasses with honey and by adding 1 TBSP of wheat gluten (will try 2 TPSP's next time to try to get it to rise more, however, it still rose good for such a heavy bread... about 1.25 - 1.5 times the height of an oven-baked loaf). We even put the ingredients in last night and ran the timer to the 13 hour limit and the next morning at the appointed time we were blessed with fresh-baked Whole Wheat bread and honey for breakfast. (Egg bread is on its way as of this writing...)This machine works so great and makes such great bread you can't keep it coming fast enough. It is extremely quiet and the yeast dispenser is I believe part of the secret for its accuracy in breadmaking. If you are thinking of getting a bread machine you can't go wrong with this one. It is fantastic and so easy to use. Our first machine seemed such a challenge to get to work that I spent little time helping my wife with the breadmaking (unless it was to repair the machine when it was broke). With this one, we both love to use it. Panasonic really takes the trophy for this truly CHAMPION bread machine!
BalasHapusThis is my second bread maker. I bought Cuisinart's one last year and had used it for about a year. I had no idea how different each bread maker was at that point.
BalasHapusCuisinart's one has obviously some problems:
1. Bread tends to be darker so quickly and becomes hard.
2. It is very noisy during kneading cycle as I can not hear the music from the audio.
3. Paddle is caught in the bread and hard to remove it if you do not remove it before baking cycle starts.
4. Some basic cycle have no "Pre-heat" cycle. It means I need to prepare exactly appropriate temperature water to make yeast work nicely. But it is very hard and sometimes I fail.
5. The design of the case is not great. Some unmixed ingredients are left on the corners and baked as it is if I do not mix it using a spatula.
One of my friends owns Panasonic bread maker and showed it to me. I was so surprised at it as the thickness of the case is very different. She has never had such a problem which I have had. Then I decided to get Panasonic one although my first one is still working. The bread maker was delivered in 2 days. I tried same recipe which I often used for Cuisinart's. The bread came out amazingly nice and much nicer than the one from Cuisinart. Bread is nicely blown, crispy outside and soft, fluffy inside. It is just perfect. I guess these difference come from mainly these things:
1. The case is very thick so that bread can not be brown so quickly and keep the inside of bread soft and flavorful.
2. "Pre heat" cycle adjust the temperature of water well. I do not have to make appropriate temperature's water any more.
3. This machine has the special room for yeast. It works very well to keep yeast away from the water particularly using the timer.
I think I never back to Cuisinart although I miss some points (Sophisticated design or the window on the rid which I can see inside of the case through) of Cuisinart a little bit. I highly recommend this bread maker.
You get what you pay for in this world and the Panasonic SD-YD250 is a perfect example. Quiet as a mouse. No jumping around the counter and whining and improperly mixing as a Breadman we purchased (and returned) did. Had another Panasonic for 8 years. Decided to replace it when the pan seal failed and we checked out the cost of a replacemtnt pan (not realizing we could replace just the paddle mechanism/seal.) Thought we could get by on the cheap with the Breadman. Wrong. If you are looking for a rock solid, flexible unit that turns out a perfect loaf time after time (up to 2.5 lbs), this is your bread machine. The automatic yeast dispenser is a great feature, particulary if you use the timer. Spend the [money].
BalasHapusWe tried the Breadman 555 and we were a bit disappointed. The bread was slightly inconsistent and the crust was very dark and thick, even on the lightest crust setting. I liked the very large observation window on this model, but apparently that may not be a good thing for the bread. There were numerous other small problems and worries that we had with it, so we decided to return it.
BalasHapusAfter a lot of research and option weighing, we decided to buy the Panasonic 250. The deciding factors were performance, construction and ability to replace parts.
The construction of the Panasonic is outstanding! The sturdy die-cast aluminum bread pan has no rivets to loosen and leak. The non-stick surface on the pan and kneading blade is much stronger than on the Breadman model. The Kneader drive components are also much more sturdy. I could go on and on but I'll just say that the construction on the Panasonic is just far superior.
The operation of the machine is also outstanding. It runs very quietly for a bread maker and the motor seems very strong. I was a little worried about the way that the bread pan locks into place (kind of a twist and turn locking system) as-well-as the effectiveness of the yeast dispensing system. I am very pleased that both work great. With the yeast dispensing system you just need to be certain that there is no moisture in it, and all the yeast is distributed just fine. When you start the machine there is a waiting state at the beginning, before the yeast is dispensed, where the ingredients are warmed to the optimal temperature. This adds about 30-60 minutes to the process but apparently it's important. The dough is kneaded very thoroughly for about 15 minutes then the rise process lasts about 2 hours before the ~50 minute bake cycle. The control panel is fairly simple to use. Just select bake options, loaf size and crust darkness (on certain bake options), and that's it. There is also the ability to use custom bake only and dough only settings. It doesn't have the 300 presets like the Breadman Ultimate, but the final result is what it's all about. The bread comes out beautiful. For white bread on the basic bake with light crust setting, the bread has a very nice consistency with a thin beautiful blonde crust. On the wheat setting (which doesn't have the ability to adjust the crust (this also worried me)), the bread is amazing. The crust is obviously darker than the white bread, but not over cooked like in the breadman. A 2 pound bread loaf is about 5 inches wide, 7 1/2 inches long and 6 1/2 inches tall. The height is a little strange but using smaller recipes can adjust this. I did make a wheat bread recipe that was too thick and although the motor seems strong, the kneading blade could not turn. this could have burned up the motor if I had not been there to add water. So always be watchful when trying a new recipe!
The instruction manual has been revised so the measurements are now in weight and standard volume measurements, which makes it as easy and as accurate as you want to be. This is a great machine, and if you think your going to use it often, it's well worth the extra money.
I want to thank everyone who contributed to this review forum for helping me make the right decision in choosing the Panasonic.
BalasHapus