I have a breville still going strong after 12 years, I have heard panasonic are good too
We have a cheapie from Casino (Funix) which happens to look like our old Morphy Richards but with a different label, so our old bread tin and paddle fit it!It gets some hammering as we make loads of bread for our B&B, and has a dozen programmes and more importantly a timer so we can make overnight bread.
Jan
Our Panasonic is still going strong after nearly 20 years. We did treat it to a new paddle a while back as old one went missing. If I had to buy a new one, I would definitely go for another Panasonic.
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I never really got on with our bread machine but I do like the Kitchenaid, we also use it for mincing meat, making cakes, mayonaise and ice cream sometimes. An expensive option but much more versatile and we love it.
well tracy , i got a bread maker for xmas - a panasonic top of the range with 27 different programs ranging from white bread thru brioches and even pizza dough etc.
its the best pressie ever !
Steve
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Weāve just acquired a (Breville) bread maker, with a view to taking it to France for when we canāt get local bread. Who still uses one, and how much do you dare go āoff-pisteā with the recipes? Our first loaf this afternoon looks OK, if a little pale, but I want to experiment.
I didnāt think that your house was so remote that you couldnāt get bread!!! France is the country of breadā¦
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I can well understand someone wanting to bake their own breadā¦
Since our village shop closedā¦ the bakerās van comes once a weekā¦ with his freshly baked bread, cakes, pastries etc ā¦ marvellous.
But, apart from that, the nearest baker is 11km awayā¦ rather a long strollā¦ 
(takes me back to my childhood when Mum would give us a shilling and send us off to buy the breadā¦ phew that was a long walk but probably not 11km 
)
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We use our Panasonic all the time.
It makes good bread.
We are 20 minutes away from any bakery.
Also it stops you buying cakes when you go in.
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I had a Moulinex breadmaker machine as a present about 15years ago now and still use it regularly with never a problem and a good range of settings and recipes plus you can make jam in it as well.
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The village shop is shut on a Monday and the nearest supermarche in 25km away in Autun. France is a land of bread, but with a shelf life generally under 8 hours itās tricky to find something that can be kept overnight.
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Stick it in the freezer. Our boulangerie does 4 for 3 offers, and we freeze them. As long as donāt keep them in freezer too long theyāre fine.
But then I do have the advantage of a bread-maker too - my OH! He makes a range of sourdough products as well as other stuff.
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Interesting. Iād wondered why baguettes were sold in packs of 4 and 10, how a family could eat so much.
We donāt plan a freezer because the longest stay will be 2 weeks and so thereās no long-term shopping going to happen. Otherwise that does make sense.
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A fridge freezer - ie one with a small freezer compartment - was v useful in the years when we were second homers. As well as a baguette, useful in short term for pack of frozen peas, ice cream, ice cubes, cooling down a bottle of beer quickly, etc Nothing stayed in it for more than a day or so.
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Iāve only ever had problems when Iāve forgotten the proportions- our Panasonic is very unforgiving. The bead lasts a good day (toast the following day). Itās a great idea for when your boulangerie is closed (and much better than one of those baguette machines!).
I stick strictly to the recipes, but there is plenty of advice on the web.
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Really loved the bread maker ,it made nice bread ,but as it aged I would spend so much time cleaning it the pleasure of home made bread waned rapidly
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As an emergency item in my larder in case of visitors I keep a couple of packs of those part baked rolls and baguettes that are sealed and have a long life span until opened. Once re-baked for 10 mins they are not too bad and good if you are having soup and have no fresh bread. All the supers sell them.
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Super U sell a very good brown bio part baked bread.
My guests ask where Ibought my bread.
I always make egg mayonnaise and crispy bacon rolls with the pre baked baguettes for the family to eat on their drive home.
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Us too on both counts !
What always puzzles me about breadmakers is why the smell coming from them should be different from bread with the same ingredients baked in an ovenā¦ has anyone else found that? I love the smell of baking bread but when we were in the UK very close to our neighbours who used their breadmaker every day, the smell made me queasy 
Maybe its caused by the heating element in the machine as against a conventional electric or gas oven!
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