Morphy Richards 48268 > Reviews (22)

~The Appliance itself~
This Morphy Richards Bread maker is a bit larger than I expected, but rough measurements are 33cm (height) x 29 cm (deep) x 35cm (wide). It's light enough for me to get it out of the box but too heavy for me to constantly lug around. Therefore I have picked a spot on my kitchen counter where it will stay. It is brushed stainless steel and has a viewing window which is a good size where you can check the progress of your loaf. The right hand side at the top is where the control panel is. It is possibly the easiest type of controls that I have seen on this type of machine. It has a simple number sequence that specifies which number is for which type of bread. Then you select the loaf size (choice of three sizes, 1Ib, 1.5Ib and 2Ib) and then you choose the colour of the crust, light, medium or dark. In addition to these buttons there is a start and stop button. However, although the controls are easy to operate I would still read the instruction manual first. The machine also comes with a measuring cup as well as two measuring spoons. Inside the bread maker is a bread pan with a removable kneading blade at the bottom that sits up and then lays flat to reduce the blade becoming stuck in the bread.

~Capabilities~
This Bread maker has 12 different settings and they are:-

Basic White and Brown Bread as well as flavoured bread
French Light weight bread with crispy crust
Wholewheat Wholewheat bread
Cake Variety of cake mixtures
Sweet Sweet Breads
Fastbake I Shorter cooking time for 1.5Ib loaf
Fastbake II Shorter cooking time for 2Ib loaf
Dough To be used for pizza bases and bread rolls
Jam Jam and marmalades
Speciality
Sandwich
Extra Bake

The manual you receive gives you recipes for various cakes and breads and it is made very clear that when you first try this you must be exact with the ingredients. The other important factor is adding the ingredients as they are listed.

~My experience~
I am a complete Bread maker Virgin and was nervous and excited in equal measures when I received this. I read the instruction manual and excitedly measured out what I needed for a standard 2Ib white loaf and started the machine. Now this normal setting takes around 3 hours, however the Fastbake option will do it in 1 hour 15 minutes. Baking Times vary so you must consult the options or book to see what changes are made to each recipe. The machine itself makes a bit of a racket when it is mixing the ingredients but it is no nosier than my washing machine and doesn't last too long so I don't think this is an issue at all. I checked the viewing window halfway through and I realised that my loaf was only half the size it should have been and was really disappointed. I put this down to lack of experience or not being accurate enough with the ingredients. I didn't give up and after another attempt I decided to add a little extra yeast and lo and behold my loaf looked the right size but had collapsed a little. I have now realised that the ingredients may need to be altered slightly to make the perfect loaf but I am pretty much there now and have managed to produce some lovely loaves of bread.

There is the alternative of the ready made bread mixes which I confess work really well but I wanted to learn to do it the proper way first and I'm glad I now have two options. I am glad that I persevered because now I have been successful in bread, dough and cakes (very yummy indeed) and the only thing that I haven't tried is Jam. Once I have finished making a loaf I tend to grab my oven gloves and open the lid and remove the bread pan (a slight twist to the left using the bread handle on the pan) almost straight away. The good thing about doing this is that the bread just slides out of the pan and can be left to cool. Once the pan has cooled down I just wash the pan with warm soapy water and it's no bother to get clean at all. I don't use anything too hard or abrasive as you wouldn't want to scratch the non-stick surface (none of the parts can be put in the dishwasher). The one thing I do want to cover which may be a sticking point (literally) for people when deciding which bread maker to buy and that is the kneading blade. On this model the kneading blade sits up to mix the ingredients and then drops down, however this doesn't always happen. In my opinion it is hit and miss, but even when it does drop down you will still have a slight indentation on the bottom of the loaf. However, I don't see this as a major issue; I just cut the bottom slice away (maybe 1 inch thick) and then remove the kneading blade and stick in hot soapy water.

~Conclusion~
I think this is a fantastic product but will need time effort and patience for those that have never used them before. Once mastered I think that they can become invaluable and have a feeling this will become a permanent fixture in my kitchen. I think they can be used for so many things and they are a money saver too. Even if you choose to use the bread mixes that do all the ingredient mixing for you, these can be brought at Asda at the moment for £1 for 2 packets. Overall I think this is a great product that is very reasonably priced.