Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker:Will Your Mom Approve?
My mom absolutely loves to bake her own fresh bread and to be quite honest I have to admit that I love the smells when she does.Unfortunately time has taken a toll on her hands and all that kneading of the bread is more than she cares to do.We both figured that the days of fresh baked bread at her house was over.
Panasonic SDYD 250 Automatic Bread Maker
Not being willing to give up on the delicious taste of that warm bread I took it upon myself to do some research on automatic bread makers.I figured that if one of these machines could take the hard work out of baking bread we could have fresh baked bread again!One of the first automatic bread makers that I looked into was the Panasonic SD-YD250.
It didn’t take long to figure out that there are a lot of features and functions with an automatic bread maker to take into consideration.A few of the things that jumped out at me were:
* Physical Features
* Dough Making Options
* Baking Modes
* Size Of The Loaf
* Extras
If you are like me,you don’t want to just jump right in and buy the first thing that comes along.Especially if it is something that you are going to be using daily.So stick with me as I examine each of these things in relation to the Panasonic SD-YD 250 automatic bread maker.
Physical Features
The actual physical size of a small kitchen appliance can sometimes be a consideration when purchasing.This is especially true if you have a small kitchen or are an appliance enthusiast.At approximately 14 inches by 14 inches by 9 inches,the SD-YD250 may not fit into tight places on your counter.On the other hand,when you check other brands you find that they are about the same.
The bake pan is aluminum with a nonstick coating which should make it a lot easier to get the bread out of the pan and make clean up a lot easier too!There is even a handle on the bake pan to help you get the pan out of the machine.I would say that is pretty handy.
The control panel is a soft touch digital display type so that there aren’t any buttons that could potentially get gunked up with dirt.That should make clean up on the outside of the unit easy as well.Just simply wipe down with a damp cloth before putting it away.
The Panasonic SD-YD250 has a locking top loading lid.Now top loading sounds good,but locking?I can only assume that is to keep the lid from opening while the unit is running and sending all your ingredients flying across the room.That may not be such a bad thing after all.
The lid also has a yeast dispenser built into it that dispenses the yeast automatically at the proper time.That is something critical as far as bread making is concerned.Without the yeast you end up with flat bread.
There is a 13 hour timer so that you can put your ingredients in before going to bed or before going to work and wake up or come home to that wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread.That feature alone makes getting an automatic bread maker worth it in my opinion.
One nice feature that it has is an indicator light.This lights up when the cycles are complete so that you don’t necessarily have to sit and stare at the machine to find out when it is done.
Wattage in simple terms is a measure of the rate of energy conversion at least that is what Wikipedia says.The Panasonic automatic bread maker has 550 watts,so I assume that has lots of power.But just so that it doesn’t run away and so that you have peace of mind there is a safety fuse that is designed to blow in the event of a short circuit.
Another nice feature that seems to make sense is a power interruption protection.What this means is that if your home loses power for ten minutes or less during a baking cycle that the unit just picks up where it left off.
Let’s Make Some Dough!
The Panasonic bread maker has 6 basic bread/dough mixing modes.Which is great considering that many people like to try out different combinations and types of bread.Who likes to eat the same old things?
The six are as follows:
Basic:Pretty much what it says,your basic white or wheat bread.A great place to start if you have never used a bread maker before.Also a great way to get bread that is not full of the extra ingredients that you don’t want.
Whole Wheat:For making bread that is a little hardier.Whole wheat bread is of course made with wheat flour,but also parts or even whole wheat kernels.A fantastic addition to you efforts to eat better.
Multi grain:For even more wholesome goodness,multigrain bread combines the wheat flour of whole wheat with other cracked or whole grains like oats,buckwheat,barley and flax.Like whole wheat,a super way to add more of the right things we all should eat.
French:For making an open textured bread with a nice crunchy crust.Perfect compliment to a tasty soup.
Pizza:For the pizza makers out there. Most everyone likes pizza,unfortunately most pizza joints don’t have our health as their first priority.Just think of all the great pizza combinations you can create at home with you own ingredients.Good taste and healthier,what’s not to like?
Cake:Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? With this setting you are able to mix the ingredients to your favorite fruitcakes,gingerbread and teacakes.When you control what goes in,a better product comes out.
wheat bread
Time to Bake
The SD-YD250 has four baking settings for even more control over what comes out of the machine.
Bake:This is the basic setting where the bread maker mixes the ingredients,kneads the dough,rises it and bakes it all in one package.In short this is the setting that takes all the difficult work out of making bread.
Rapid Bake 
retty much the same as above but just faster.
Sandwich:In this setting the Panasonic SD-YD250 will make a medium sized loaf of bread that comes out with a soft crust perfect for slicing to make sandwiches.Just picture all those slices filled with your favorite sandwich fixings.Yum!
Raisin:This setting follows the basic bake program but is different in that a beeper sounds so that you know when to add the extra ingredients that you want such as fruit or nuts.Since the kneading process is completed by this point the extra ingredients won’t get crushed and destroy the taste or texture of the bread.
In addition to the mixing and baking settings you also get to decide which size of loaf that you would like.Whether it is medium,large or extra large the Panasonic has you covered.And if you like a choice of crust color,light,medium or dark you can get that too!
The Cost
The Panasonic SD-YD250 automatic breadmaker normally retails for about $175 .
What Comes With It?
*Measuring Spoon
*Measuring Cup
*Kneading Blade
*Recipe Book With 40 Recipes
What About A Warranty
Yes it does come with a limited warranty.
What Are Other People Saying About It?
This automatic bread maker continues to receive great reviews from most buyers with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars
These Are Some Of The Things They Are Saying.
*”Bread consistency is excellent”
*”A very good machine”
*”Quiet as a mouse”
*”Thoroughly impressed with this machine”
Complaints
The biggest complaint of the Panasonic SD-YD 250 seemed to be a bit of noise and some vibration which could be attributed to not following the instructions and not having enough water in the mix.
