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Our Verdict

Panasonic's latest bread maker does an excellent job of turning out evenly browned, well-risen loaves, whether your preference is for white, wholemeal or gluten-free. It's expensive, but the automatic raisin/nut and yeast dispensers mean there's no need to stop what you're doing to add ingredients to the machine yourself, which justifies the hefty price tag.

For

Bakes evenly browned, well-risen loaves every time
Raisins/nuts and yeast can be added automatically
Can also make cakes, pizza dough, jams, and chutney

Against

Expensive
Takes up lots of counter space

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

+ Bakes evenly browned, well-risen loaves every time
+ Raisins/nuts and yeast can be added automatically
+ Can also make cakes, pizza dough, jams, and chutney

Cons

- Expensive
- Takes up lots of counter space

There's nothing better than the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house, but baking your own bread can be time-consuming. This is where a bread maker can prove handy, taking the hard work out of baking your own loaf. Panasonic has been one of the more prominent manufacturers of bread-making machines since they first appeared in the 1980s, and the latest addition to its bread-maker range is one of four units that come with a new horizontal design that doesn't take up as much space on the countertop.

The Panasonic SD-YR2540 has a sleek, stainless-steel finish. For the first time the appliance comes with both automatic fruit/nut and yeast dispensers, which will add these ingredients at the appropriate time in the baking process, spreading them evenly throughout the dough, so you don't have to worry about doing it yourself.

It can bake several different types of loaf including white, wholemeal, gluten-free and sourdough. The SD-YR2540 can also make cakes, along with pizza dough, jams, and chutney, making it one of the most versatile bread makers Panasonic has ever produced.

There are 32 presets designed for different types of bread, dough and other items, and the bread maker allows you to select the size of loaf you want to bake (M, L or XL) as well as how dark the crust should be. The Panasonic SD-YR2540 also has a delay timer that can postpone bread-making by up to 13 hours, so you can wake up to a fresh loaf in the morning, providing you've weighed out the ingredients and added them to the bread maker the night before. In addition, there's a 'bread mix' program that can be used with pre-packaged mixes from supermarkets that already contain yeast – a first for Panasonic bread makers.

Panasonic SD-YR2540 bread maker — (Image credit: TechRadar)

Panasonic SD-YR2540 price and availability

RRP: £239.99

The Panasonic SD-YR2540 is available in the UK for £239.99. It's one of two bread makers in the new range that comes with both automatic fruit/nut and yeast dispensers. The other model, the SD-YR2550, is priced at £199.99 and has a dark grey rather than a stainless steel-style finish. The latter model doesn't offer a spelt loaf program, but includes the rest of the presets offered by the SD-YR2540.

Design

Blade replicates hand kneading
Non-stick bread pan can turn out up to 1.1kg loaves
Dual sensors adjust proving time based on surrounding temperature

As we've already mentioned, the SD-YR2540 is one of Panasonic's first 'horizontal' bread makers, meaning it won't take up the whole depth of your countertop. However, measuring 40.8 x 25.2 x 36.2cm (w x d x h), it still requires a fair amount of space. The 4.5cm display on the right-hand side displays the preset selected, chosen using the buttons below it, alongside the remaining time, chosen loaf size and browning level of the crust.

Open the lid of the bread maker to access the non-stick bread pan, which has a handle to make it easier to fit and remove. The fruit/nut and yeast dispensers sit on the top of the bread maker, beneath a thin plastic lid. The SD-YR2540 can make loaves up to 1.1kg, and even comes with two different kneading blades: one for standard bread dough and one for rye breads.

Panasonic says it has redesigned the kneading motion of the bread maker, so it's more akin to hand-kneading. It also includes dual temperature sensors that monitor the temperature of the room and the bread maker itself, adjusting the proving time for each loaf in order to achieve a consistent bake every time.

The Panasonic SD-YR2540 can make several different types of bread, as well as dough, jam and chutneys using the preset programs. There are four gluten-free programs, plus a manual mode that lets you add the yeast yourself if you want more control over your loaf.

Performance

Loaves were evenly browned with a crisp crust
Fruit/nut dispenser evenly distributed fruit through loaf
Exterior casing does become hot during longer programs

We were very impressed with every loaf the Panasonic SD-YR2540 turned out. We made white, fruit, wholemeal and supermarket bread-mix loaves in the appliance, all of which came out with a crisp, evenly browned crust, with the bread itself soft and fluffy. Upon slicing the raisin bread, it was clear that the bread maker had done an excellent job of evenly distributing the fruit into the bread dough.

We also baked a gluten-free loaf in the bread machine, following a recipe included in the instructions. This had a crunchy crust that was well browned, but the bread itself had a cake-like texture – although this is to be expected from a gluten-free bake.

The non-stick bread pan made it easy to remove the loaf once baking was complete, with the bread just sliding out of the pan – we did need to wear oven gloves, however, since both the pan and handle were too hot to hold. We were pleased, too, that the paddle didn't become stuck in the bottom of the loaf. In addition, the Panasonic SD-YR2540 proved easy to clean, with the bread pan simply requiring a wipe down with a damp cloth.

The bread maker provides an audible and visual alert to notify the bread is ready, so you'll know when to open the lid and remove the loaf. As expected, the Panasonic SD-YR2540 does make some noise during baking, particularly when mixing and kneading the dough. These lasted no longer than 30 seconds at a time and measured only 64db on our decibel meter; this is similar to the noise a dishwasher makes mid-cycle, and more than acceptable in our opinion. Note, though, that during longer bakes the casing reached up to 50ºC, which was too hot to touch – worth remembering when positioning the bread maker on the countertop.

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Carrie-Ann Skinner is Smart Home & Appliances Editor at TechRadar, and has more than two decades experience in both online and print journalism, with 13 years of that spent covering all-things tech. Carrie specializes in smart home devices such as smart plugs and smart lights, as well as large and small appliances including vacuum cleaners, air fryers, and blenders. When she's not discovering the next must-have gadget for the home, Carrie can be found cooking up a storm in her kitchen, and is particularly passionate about baking, often rustling up tasty cakes and bread.