I'M NOT A BAD BAKER ANYMORE

There are many bread makers on the market to choose from, and Panasonic make some of the best. Good name and good results and that is what you pay for if you want a first class variety of breads.

However, I concentrate mainly on the basic breads; bread that most of us will eat from day to day. If you are thinking of saving a lot of money by home bread making, then forget it. You are just as well purchasing your favourite loaf from your local store or even supermarkets, by the time you purchase all the necessary ingredients, and the total cost of making the bread; besides, life is so fast today, that it means you have to find time to gather the ingredients together, measure them as accurately as possible, plug in and allow the machine to bake for the time instructed, then after releasing your loaf from the tin....you have a little washing up to do. If you have followed the instructions and bought the right ingredients, then you can produce some of the nicest breads that you will taste anywhere. Panasonic will make you into a Master Baker in no time.

The only real downside with home bread making recipes, they do not include a preservative, and whilst the bread that the machine produces is fresher than fresh, it has to be eaten within the first or second day of making, as it quickly goes stale otherwise.

Of course freshly baked bread has its temptations, just like making cakes and biscuits. You want to get stuck into them before they have time to really cool off. Freshly baked bread is delicious and moreish, so be careful that you do not eat to much of it straight away; it can be heavy on your stomach.

I am a devil for freshly baked bread. I simply cut off the end crust and cover it with lashings of butter which melt into the bread. If you like eating crust of bread, then adjust your machine dial to produce a more golden brown result. I have a hoover cleaner close by to clear up the mess of crumbs that I make when eating it. The results are absolutely delicious, and this is where your desire to eat another slice becomes moreish.

Bread making, even with a bread maker, can be a little time consuming. If you have those extra moments to spare, then yes I would certainly recommend you getting a Panasonic, that's if you want a top of the range one. However, there are bread makers on the market for a much cheaper price, but are not so robust, stylish nor have the ability to bake all the recipes that Panasonic do.

Concentrate on making the basic ingredient loaves of bread first, then choose from a range of various other recipes which include adding fruit, herbs etcetera.

I do not recommend storage or freezing of home made bread. You are better off making it, and then eating it within no more than 36 to 48 hours of making, to enjoy it at its best