06-02-2025
Our Experts Tested 5 Bread Makers for the Perfect Loaf
Panasonic Breadmaker SD-R2550 Knowing that Panasonic brought out the first self-contained bread machine for home use in Japan in 1986, I had high hopes for this machine when making bread in it for the first time. Sadly, my first attempt was a complete flop. I loaded my ingredients and waited patiently for four hours for the basic-bread setting to produce the goods, only to find that it came out uncooked and in much the same form as I had loaded the ingredients. After a bit of troubleshooting, I realized I hadn't put the bread pan in correctly. There's a knack to it whereby you need to push down the bread pan, twist, and lock it into place before turning the machine on. My second attempt was much more successful, as it's easy when you know how. There are 20 preset modes here (the latest SKYR2550 UK version has 31), although I was happy with just four as my go-to, including the basic option, a French, brioche, and the sourdough setting. The set comes with useful accessories such as a specific spoon and cup to make a sourdough starter. With three loaf sizes, three crust color settings, and a fruit-and-nut dispenser, it is flexible. Unlike the shiny LCD display of the Breville (reviewed below), the control panel on this model is basic, and there's no viewing window to snoop in on your bread. But simplicity works well here. The machine is easy to navigate, looks stylish on the countertop, and produces great results. Dimensions: 14.3 x 16 x 9.9 inches Number of settings: 20 Useful extras: 3 crust colors, 3 size options, measuring cup, spoon, sourdough cup and spoon Automatic dispenser (for fruit and nuts?): Yes Bread size: 'medium,' 'large,' and 'extra large' up to 2 lbs Delay start timer: No Wattage: 550 watts
Breville The Custom Loaf Bread Maker
With its signature brushed stainless-steel finish, this Breville bread maker (known as Sage in the UK) looks professional. It comes with a smart LCD display that looks far more high-tech than any of the other bread maker displays we've seen in our roundup and is also easy to navigate. It comes with nine custom settings so you can create and store your favorites, plus 12 preset modes for baking bread such as whole wheat or gluten-free.
It also has an automatic fruit-and-nut dispenser on top and a viewing window complete with light that allows you to easily monitor the bread as the collapsible paddle mixes and kneads and the bread rises. There is a lot of information in the 'quick-start' manual. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I found it gave me far more information than I needed for a quick start. I really enjoyed using this machine, although it did get quite noisy and shook a little while it was ramping up the paddle—measuring 61.6 decibels at one point. Unfortunately, it didn't come with a measuring spoon or cup in the box, so I had to use my own. I found the control panel simple to use and was able to flick between three crust colors and choose from four bread sizes from 1 lb to 2.7 lbs. My white bread, rye, and whole-wheat loaves all came out perfectly square and nicely crusty with light and fluffy centers. Dimensions: 13.3 x 16.4 x 9.6 inches Number of settings: 12 preset modes and 9 custom settings Useful extras: 4 loaf sizes, 3 crust colors Automatic dispenser (for fruit and nuts?): Yes Bread size: Four sizes up to 2.5 lbs Delay start timer: Yes Wattage: 830 watts
