Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker with Yeast Dispenser SD-YD250

Bottom line

The Panasonic SD-YD250 is an excellent choice for home cooks who want to enjoy home-baked bread without a lot of fuss and trouble. Although it doesn't have the range of settings that more expensive models have, it does include a work-saving yeast dispenser, a delay-start feature and consistently great results, according to users. If you are an expert bread maker and want a full-function machine, you may find this one lacking, as it doesn't have a jam cycle or allow custom programming; and if you're a baker who likes to monitor the process, you might miss having a viewing window. Still, some upscale machines can cost more than twice as much as this model. If you want a premium machine but don't need all the bells and whistles, the Panasonic SD-YD250 may fit the bill.

Performance

Delivers consistently excellent results with every loaf. What matters most with a bread maker is the outcome, and according to reviews, the Panasonic SD-YD250 delivers an excellent loaf every time. Mason Currey tested five models for Slate.com and reports that the Panasonic produces one of the best-looking loaves, with a dark, crispy crust and good flavor. Most home bakers posting to Amazon.com agree that the loaves come out evenly baked, evenly risen, evenly textured and flavorful with every slice.

The praise for this model's performance is constant regardless of bread variety. One baker posting to Viewpoints.com, for example, has used the SD-YD250 to bake all kinds of bread, including cinnamon-raisin, beer bread and bacon bread, and has yet to "get a loaf that is less than perfect." Other bakers posting to both Viewpoints.com and Amazon.com echo these sentiments, although with fewer bread varieties. The only performance criticism we found was from one owner at Amazon.com who is disappointed that there is no choice of crust settings for wheat bread.

Ease of use

Makes bread baking a virtual no-brainer. It's not the most full-featured bread maker on the market, but the Panasonic SD-YD250 is widely considered an easy-operating machine. Users say its LED display is clear and allows bakers to easily choose among size, type and crust options. The delay setting allows you to add ingredients and choose what time you'd like the bread to be ready -- a very popular feature among Amazon.com users, many of whom enjoy the ability to wake up to the aroma of freshly made bread. Editors at The Wall Street Journal and owners at Amazon.com praise the yeast slot as a convenience feature because they say it eliminates the need to add yeast manually; a few users, however, report that it's difficult to add yeast without spilling some around the slot. Some reviewers also fault the lack of a viewing window, which would allow them to monitor baking progress. And some complain that if you make a mistake programming the unit, there is no quick way to clear the settings.

Appearance

Sturdy and solid, but size is debatable. Bread makers in general don't garner many comments about their appearance, possibly because many of them are essentially large, white boxes, and the Panasonic SD-YD250 is no exception. Nevertheless, its size is an issue for some users. At over 13 inches wide, 14 inches tall and 9 inches deep, the model is considered compact by Slate.com's reviewer, Mason Currey, who reports that it's the only one he could imagine finding room for in his small kitchen. Some users at Amazon.com, by contrast, find it big and bulky. While editors at The Wall Street Journal report that the machine has a tendency to "levitate" across the counter, many users specifically state that the model is sturdy and stable, and they don't experience this problem.

Noise

A winner in the sound department. If noisy appliances are a pet peeve of yours, the Panasonic SD-YD250 may be your ideal machine. Editors at BreadInfo.com say it has a "reputation for being quiet." Aside from occasional complaints about squeaking or grinding noises, which in some cases signal mechanical problems, and a few "knocks" during the kneading phase, users posting to Amazon.com widely express satisfaction with the model's noise level. Many use terms like "extremely quiet," "quiet as a mouse" and "whisper quiet" to describe it, and some even report that they never hear the machine running.