Nothin' says lovin' like the smell of fresh bread!

Our Panasonic bread maker was not our first – but it may be our last! The first bread maker was a Christmas present and by the following Christmas we had exchanged it no less than 5 times. Finally the store agreed to refund my money and I went in search of something a little better.

Search Criteria

Based on our experience with the first bread maker I made a list of all the things I was looking for. First, the bread maker should have a durable non-stick pan with some weight to it. If the pan is too thin it may dent but even worse, it will not heat as evenly. We wanted something that was well insulated and had a vent that was far enough from the lid handle that it would not burn us like the last one. It would have to have the usual baking modes for raisin bread and wheat bread and would be required to handle the larger 2 lb loaf size. We wanted something that had a good reputation and it had to be available from a store that would work with us in case there were problems.

Where to buy?

The best thing about the last bread machine was that we bought it at Sears and they eventually refunded our money almost a year after the sale! That kind of customer service is rare these days and deserves loyalty. I recommend to anyone buying a bread machine that the selection of the merchant should weigh heavily in the decision.

Panasonic’s Bread Maker

The Panasonic bread machine met all our criteria and even managed to surprise us with a new feature.

The bread pan - When I looked over the bread machines in the store, some were not on display. I insisted on unpacking several so I could compare. The bread pan in the Panasonic was the heaviest one of the bunch. At the bottom of the bread pan is a shaft assembly that connects the motor to the paddle inside the pan, which in turn kneads the dough. The shaft is a very important part of the pan. It must not leak into the motor, it must withstand the heat of the nearby burner and it cannot jam and overload the motor. The shaft in the Panasonic turned smoothly, did not have any play in it and did not smell of oil. Most of the other pans suffered from at least one of these problems and one actually leaked oil onto my hand. Ewwww! Who would want to make bread in that?

The Control Panel - One cool thing about this machine is that the control panel has great tactile feedback. Sure, it beeps when you push buttons but you can feel the buttons. Most control panels are below a layer of plastic or are conductive touch switches. This way there are no seams to collect flour dust and crumbs. The Panasonic uses a bubble under the plastic skin which is reminiscent of the old toy noisemaker “clicker”. You know where the button is and when you’ve pushed it. I have a little complaint with the LCD screen can be hard to read from a shallow angle. An LED would be bright and viewable from any angle but the LCD will never burn out and I guess that’s what they were going for. If your young children make bread with you, they will just have to stand on a chair to see the readout.

The machine itself - The unit is white plastic on top and has white metal sides. The sides and back of the unit have many small vents which let air in under the exterior skin. The vents allow air to cool the exterior and then flow out the back. This system makes the unit comfortably warm but not too hot to touch while in use. There are also internal vents inside the fitted lip of the lid which trap moisture and route it to the rear of the machine. This minimizes the possibility of burning your hands when opening the lid.

The size of the oven-well is also important. If the oven-well is too small, the bread tends to cook unevenly but if too big, it uses more energy and heats up your kitchen more. Because the Panasonic’s bread pan is so thick, this unit can have a smaller oven-well capable of cooking evenly and efficiently while using less heat.

Surprise feature completes the machine - With most bread machines you have to put the yeast in a little dry indentation in the top of the mound of flour. This keeps the yeast dry and inactive until the paddle starts to turn. This system works well but is not optimal. A better system would hold the yeast separately and release it into the dough at just the right time. Our bread machine has a 13 hour timer and 13 hours is a long time for yeast to grow should you accidentally get it wet. Panasonic avoids this problem by supplying a yeast dispenser in the top of the machine. Once the other ingredients are in the pan and locked in the machine, you close the lid and measure out the yeast into the dispenser. When it’s time, the machine opens a trap door and even raps the dispenser sharply several times to knock out any stubborn yeasts. The dispenser even has a tight fitting snap lid that keeps the yeast dry while it is waiting. These folks think of everything!

So T.Rob, how well does it work?

Most of the time we make a loaf every two days. Sometimes we go through a spell where we make only a loaf a week but during the holidays we make extra loaves as gifts and to bring to office luncheons. We can crank out 2 a day during the holidays. I figure our total averages out to one every other day. In the three years we have had it, (something like 500 loaves!) it has never failed and never needed maintenance. There is some cosmetic evidence of its age. In the back where the vent is, the plastic has turned yellowish-brown from the heat. The pan has browned slightly as well. When you put in raisins or nuts, they have a tendency to hop out of the pan and into the fire…er, burner, so the oven well and shaft linkage tend to accumulate black stains. These are cosmetic however as we have not noticed any change in performance.

I recommend the Panasonic bread machine without reservation for its durability, quality and the yeast dispenser.

Tips

Here are some other things we discovered which may be useful.

The bread has a thicker crust than store-bought bread and is hard to cut when hot. We did not already have an electric knife but we got one just for the bread. It works great.

Portion control is easy if you get a slicing guide. I found one for $12 and when we’re not slicing bread in it, the bread stores in it on the counter. Start at the outside of the slicing guide and work your way back. This way the weight of the bread holds the loaf in the slicing guide for you and you get even slices.

Nothing says “Welcome” like the smell of fresh bread. If you have company, time the bread to come out with dinner and serve it hot.

If you are making bread ahead of time, let it cool completely before bagging it (gallon Ziplocs work great). If not, the steam escaping from the bread will collect in the bag and make it soggy. It’s easier to cut cold, even with an electric knife.

When you put in raisins or nuts, cover the top of the pan with a dry washcloth or dishtowel until the nuts or fruit are mixed in and then remove it. It’s kind of a pain to sit there and watch it for a few minutes but it is more of a pain to clean the burnt bits off the burner when they hop out of the pan.

If the yeast is bad, you get a hockey puck instead a loaf of bread. The good news is that the hockey puck still tastes like bread so you can grate it for breadcrumbs or tear it up for stuffing. Cinnamon Raisin Stuffing is…interesting.

Finally, go to your nearest warehouse club and buy the 25 lb bag of flour. You’ll need it!

-- T.Rob


Write-off Info:
This review is part of the “Gender Bender” write-off hosted by taurusmoon. The idea was to write about a subject of your choice in a category normally associated with the opposite gender. This was an opportunity to generate some quality reviews with fresh or unusual perspectives and sounded like a good idea so, here I am! The other participants include: amykhar, bluehawq, ChrisJarmick, conradd, crazym3, gracef, janesbit, KaraHoo, KateTPZ, KristenNC, MsBayLady, netKat, njymix, prepoia, slick4591, soxfan, tipu, T.Rob, taurusmoon, thinkerlady, VeeZee, white_hat, wivabef and zoey123

Easy-indexed at: http://www.epinionaddicts.com/writeoffs/gbw.html
Thanks, amykhar!