Panasonic SD-B2510

How easy is the Panasonic SD-B2510 to use?

One of our favourite things about this breadmaker is its landscape orientation. Many of the other breadmakers we’ve tested are portrait in design, leaving us little workspace. But with this model, we had enough space in front of the breadmaker to weigh out and prep ingredients. Do be aware though, the opening of the lid is high, so we’d recommend setting this model up somewhere with plenty of headspace.

With plenty of settings to play with, you can fully customise your bread. You’ll need to consult the manual to work out what the symbols on the top mean, as it’s not initially obvious. At times – especially when sunlight was shining into the kitchen – we found the display difficult to see and we had to cup our hands around the black-on-grey LCD screen to see what was going on. But, when we could see, the screen displays all the useful information you need, including what stage your bake is at and the time remaining.

Like all of Panasonic’s newest models, this one doesn’t come with a viewing window – a disappointing omission, but we suspect this is to allow for totally even browning on top of the loaves, which indeed it did. This model doesn’t come with an automatic dispenser either.

This model does come with a wealth of useful accessories, including a measuring cup that doubles as a pot for sourdough starter and a good selection of measuring spoons.

Results

We baked BBC Good Food’s easy white bread recipe in this breadmaker using the basic setting and set the browning level to medium. Be warned, this setting takes four hours, the first hour of which is spent “resting”, which we found disconcerting as it seemed like nothing was happening. But we trusted the process and eventually the paddles started to knead the dough.

This model is remarkably quiet, even when it was kneading the dough, all we really heard was a gentle whirring sound. For those who are tempted by the 13-hour delay timer, you can rest assured that you won’t be disturbed by the machine while you sleep.

We took a peek inside while the bread was proving and saw the smoothest dough of all the breadmakers we’ve tested. This resulted in perfectly risen and equally smooth baked bread. The bread had risen evenly, and the top was exactly the colour we were looking for. This was one of the only loaves we’ve baked where the sides and top of the loaf were the same colour. The crust was crisp and inside, the bread had an open and airy texture.

Conclusion

World-renowned for their breadmakers, we expected great things from this model – and it did not disappoint. With a wealth of bread options as well as cakes, preserves and settings for doughs, you’re sure to get good use out of this model. Make the most of the 13-hour delay timer and wake up to the smell of fresh bread. This isn’t the cheapest model we’ve tested, but for brilliantly baked bread, it’s worth every penny.

Specifications

Machine size: 22.5 x 39.5 x 36.2 cm
Power: 550W
Programmes: 21 pre-programmed
Delay function: yes
Viewing window: no
Display: buttons
Crust colour adjustment: yes
Loaf size (s): medium, large, extra large
Guarantee: 1 year

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If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.