You should go ahead and fire the engineer who's responsible for design of bm256 breadmaker. My previous breadmaker (other brand) didn't produce bread as dense as kenwood does and i found the reason as well. Kenwood machine forms the dough three times and the previous one did that just once. The yeast is exhausted by the time baking begins and the top of the bread just flattens quite a lot. I'm sure that there's nothing wrong with my recipe - it's kenwood this time - and it cannot produce airy kind of breads - just dense dense dense. The machine just punches down the dough THREE times. Is that really necessary? The machine wasn't supplied with adequate program chart of the procedures it does and at which time and for how long. It'd be so easy to try and find a cycle that doesn't PUNCH the dough down so many times. And on top of that the machine doesn't warm the ingredients enough for the dry yeast to even activate - and for the traditional alive cake yeast the program time is just too long. So it seems that i can never get it right with kenwood. It's a rubbish machine and i'll be replacing it for a better one soon. Its heating element isn't sufficient enough either. If u like eating bread that's halfbaked then alright.. then kenwood is the choice. It's surprising that a brand like Kenwood could produce a bad machine like this. It's just pretty, nothing else. The funny thing is that i had given it as a gift and it was just returned back - because they COULDN'T get a good loaf out of it no matter how many times they tried. Now i do know why - because it's true... And i am not a beginner with breadmakers. I have to say that Kenwood won't be my choice next time.

Viene un ottimo pane ma ho modificato la ricetta, mezzo panetto di lievito di birra sciolto nell'acqua della ricetta, olio extra-vergine di oliva e non ho messo il latte liofilizzato, per il resto ho seguito tutte le dosi e stessa procedure. Provate viene un pane naturale e profumato.

I bought this machine 18 months ago now the spindle in the pan has jammed solid cant move it. Also found as a previous reviewer that the receipe for basic loaf did not work, used the one I had previously used in my Morphy Richards machine which worked well. Had my old machine for 10 years disappointed that I now have to buy a replacement pan or maybe a new machine!!

My Tip:
Before putting everything into the bread maker, use warm water (make sure it is not hot cause yeast will be dead by the time you put the yeast into hot water)(water is the amount stated in the recipe), add in sugar (if receipe does not require sugar, just add a tbsp will do) into warm water, and add in yeast (amount stated in recipe).

Wait till the yeast has bubbles on the surface of the water, only then you put into the breadmaker with the rest of the recipe.

It works everytime with all the recipes supplied by Kenwood.

If I do not disperse the yeast into warm water, my bread will always, yes, always come out hard as a rock or wet in the middle of the bread.

Having read all the reviews on the Kenwood 250 breadmaker I am beginning to wonder if we are all talking about the same machine. Mine has produced excellent bread, no problems with the pan moving, indeed I have trouble in removing it. Only by following, to the letter, the recipes and buying the best ingredients can you expect a good loaf, this is what I do and this is what I get.

Pan moves around so you sometimes get a loaf and sometimes get a brick. Nothing wrong with the bread on the rare occasions when the pan stayed in place. Very costly experiment in terms of waste of ingredients.

My first impressions of the Kenwood BM250 breadmaker was one of concern. I had a Morphy Richards machine for about 3 years and it made amazing bread and as a result felt a lot of pressure when buying a new machine (especially when I only spend £40 on this Kenwood!)

This concern grew to grave disapointment after my first attempt at making a loaf turned out rubbish (a brick - didn't rise). So I tried again and followed the receipe for basic white they supply - the result was even worse than the first attempt.

But reflecting on the receipe they supply and remembering the receipe I used with the Morphy Richards I could see that the Kenwood receipe was clearly wrong (not enough flour, and order of ingredients not right). So I used my old receipe and BINGO a great loaf of bread. Tried it with 750g and 1kg with great results for both.

This seems like a decent breadmaker, as long as you have a receipe that works. So to help all you out there - these is my receipes:

Put these ingredients in the pan in order.

750g (Programme 1 - basic white)
270ml water
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp milk powder
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp salt
690g strong white bread flour (try 2 parts white 1 part wholemeal for nice combo!)
1 1/4 tsp fast action bread yeast

1kg (Programme 1 - basic white)
360ml water
2 1/2 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tbsp milk powder
1 1/3 tbsp sugar
1 1/3 tsp salt
920g strong white bread flour
1 3/4 tsp fast action bread yeast

Good luck.

Received a bm250 as a gift, controls a bit confusing.First loaf ok but quite a lot of flour dry and stuck on the bottom sides (didnt mix fully). Next loaf U/S paddle did not move. Took it for repairs, no information motor had failed and no spare parts. Given a new one. First loaf quite good except for the unmixed flour fault again. Next loaf looked like a brick. Tried again same. Fault in the program. Does not for the mixture to rise. Tried again U/S, another brick. Next stop in the bin with the 'bricks'. The poorest sxcuse for a machine I have ever used.

Bought my Kenwood BM250 in April this year and it failed by tripping the circ breaker. Couldnt find the receipt and s/market wouldnt take it back and I hadnt reg'd it either so its ging in the bin.

I have been very impressed with the Kenwood BM250. Excellent bread using the basic white recipe on the 3 1/2 hour standard setting. Has worked every single time - so so so simple to use - it also makes great jam.