I have an intolerance to gluten, and yet I enjoy bread. Usually the only gluten-free loaves available are from the Genius range which, while lovely and soft and very similar in texture and taste to 'real' bread, come in at £2+ a loaf. I have also experimented with packet mixes, which resolutely fail to rise. I enjoy the process of making bread, and I also make my own pizza dough from scratch. Attaining the final product having spent the last few hours mixing, kneading, leaving, kneading and baking is certainly satisfying, but it is also very time-consuming, to say the least. That is why I thought it might be a good idea to recruit the services of a bread maker, and .  Read the complete review

The rising cost of a loaf of bread was the major reason I decided to get a breadmaker, each time I went shopping it was more and more, you get the picture. The Kenwood machine was £49 at John Lewis, though I now know you can get it direct from Kenwood website for around £45. I couldn't wait to try this out so quickly scanned the recipe book for ingredients I would need. The machine has a non stick breadpan into which you (simply) measure all the ingredients in to. This has to be in a certain order as in the recipe book as the yeast is the last to go in as if you leave it on the timer overnight it could mix and start to ferment if it mixes ...  Read the complete review

For many years I used a Breville bread machine and was entirely happy with it until it wore out due to constant use. I bought a Kenwood from John Lewis, relying on their choice for quality. As an experienced bread maker, I can find nothing positive to say about it. Where to start? The results are unpredictable - often a rock-hard lump of stodge. The hole underneath is unnacceptably large. My previous machine made buns, pizzas, pasta etc. This one, only bread and cakes - the results with basic brown and white are bad enough, I wouldn't try anything else. The rapid loaf requires the heating of fresh milk and an egg, so I consider there is no rapid option. ...  Read the complete review

A neatly designed machine that fits well into my small kitchen and is well priced at just under £40 (from Tesco). The pan needs to be washed up by hand, but is easy to clean so this is not a chore. I haven't experimented with recipes yet and have only used packet mix, but the only problem I've had was when I opened the machine during the proving process and the loaf sank a little. However, it does say not to do this in the instruction booklet, so handy tip - read the instructions! There is a small hole left by the mixing blade, but that doesn't matter. The instruction booklet well laid out and is written in plain English. As I was a ...  Read the complete review

The Kenwood Breadmaker BM250, is really good, it compares well with the panosonic models with equivalent programmes, but is cheaper which is why I bought it. It makes excellent bread, cakes and dough allowing a wide variety of breads to be made. It is really easy to use, the instructions and recipes are easy to follow, and even the first loaf turned out well. Drawbacks to this Kenwood model compared with a panasonic are that it is slightly harder to get the bread pan into the breadmaker and requires a little patience. Also the hook which kneads the dough often gets left in the bread; this is quite annoying but not really a problem. The timer is great as it means that you  Read the complete review