Any ABers any recommendations for a breadmaking machine?

[chappie]

I like the sound of one that bakes a traditional shaped loaf, anyone any tips/comments please?

[damajowi]

tesco will give you free yeast at the bakery dept.

[loopey]

i have one with a blade in middle (dont know if they all do) but you end up with a huge hole in your loaf.

[Narolines]

I've never come across one that doesn't, loopey; the paddle in the middle is how it kneads the dough, so I can't see how it could work without one. I tend to use ours on the dough cycle a lot, and oven-bake the bread conventionally. I do sometimes make a loaf entirely in the bread-maker, especially if I want to do it overnight; the results can be a bit variable - I find I have to experiment a little with the proportions given in recipes to find the mix that works with our particular machine to give me the result I'm after, and you just have to live with the hole in the bottom (if you'll pardon the expression)! Going back to the original question, I suppose it depends on what you mean by "traditional" - you'll probably get one that will make a passable tin, but I think you'd struggle getting a breadmaker that will knock out a cottage!

[woofgang]

I have a panasonic breadmaker, second one cos the first one died (after 10 years hard use!). Its excellent, you do get a hole in the bottom of the loaf but it is so cheap and easy to make more that losing that slice doesn't matter

[Denise S.]

I too have a Panasonic and I use it every other day - it is great. I find that mixing the flours is best. I use 300 gr. of Hovis bread flour and 100 gr. of Wrights bread flour. I also use Hovis dried yeast. Perfect every time !