Panasonic SD-253 Bread Machine

One of the main reason for purchasing a bread maker was because of the lack of quality I can get from my local supermarket. I try my best to purchase from local bakers, but with a busy working life, that is hard.

In addition, I have become a little concerned about my diet. Most bread in the UK is made along the lines of a process called the “Chorley Wood” method; a reliable and system method for the mass production of our daily bread. However, the amount of sugar and salt used is enormous, and in addition, the process must use highly refined “steel roller” milled flour, not the healthier “stone ground” flour (some bread may contain a “quantity” of stone ground flour, but it will not be 100% stone ground, even 100% wholemeal has had any goodness beaten out of it by the highly refined steel rollers, which reduce the actual fibre content down to nothing).

I like my bread, but concerns of taste and quality, I bought the bread maker to increase the amount of wholemeal fibre (using stone ground flour) decrease my salt and sugar intake, and to have 100% fresh bread when I needed it.

The Panasonic bread maker copes well with the extra stresses of stone ground flour, but if you are using this machine with REAL stone ground flour, becarefull with the yeast. I would add a little more yeast than the instructions do suggest, and DO NOT use the delay timer; the yeast "goes off" before the bread begins to bake, and you end up with a collapse! And having to scrap you loaf! Have found that using the "RAPID" mode actualy aids and assists the "breadmaker yeast".

It can be a shock to the system how much fibre is packing in to a real wholemeal loaf! I would actually suggest putting in a mix of stone ground white flour, as high as a 50/50 ratio. My favourite mix is 50% stone ground white, with 50% stone ground multi seeded flour.

The raisin / nuts dispenser works well; but I use this machine really just to make healthy loaves. Do not skimp on the quality of flour, it makes an enormous difference to the taste of the bread.

The Panasonic unit is much better than an earlier machine I owned. It is a “premium” product, but copes well with whatever I have thrown in its little tin! It is VERY easy to use, and I have been totally delighted with it, I highly recommend the unit.