Russell Hobbs 23620 Compact Fast Breadmaker, 660 W, Black

This is a fab little bread maker. It's compact and sits neatly on the worktop without taking up loads if space. I found it simple to use. Other reviews mention its noisy, yes there is some sound in the kneading stage but I would expect this given what it's doing. The noise is really just a bit of a whirring sound of the paddle turning and lasts for about 30mins. We didn't find it that intrusive to be honest. The machine can do 3 different size loaves. I have never used a bread maker before, I found this machine easy to use, I only made a 500g (the smallest size) for the first attempt but as there is only 2 of us this is a perfect size. I did the basic white loaf and followed the recipe in the booklet to the letter. I put it on the medium crust setting for first go that way we could decide it needed to go up or down one. The result was fantastic. The flat smelt of warm bread, and in 3hrs I had a loaf that came out looking like bread, smelling like bread and it tasted fantastic, it turned out looking and feeling like a shop bought fresh loaf. I haven't used the delay timer function yet but its pretty straight forward to use. I am really pleased with this machine and the result and can't wait to try the other recipes. I recommend this little machine, you won't be disappointed

I usually make my own bread but during the hot weather, decided to take a break; I bought a good quality loaf but I did not enjoy it and decided a bread maker might be the solution. Having spent some time looking at various models, I went for this one firstly because it would fit on my work top as I did not want a machine that I had to lift in and out of a cupboard and secondly, because I have a Russell Hobbs Slow Cooker which has been used on a regular basis for some three years and is still going strong, being in use several times a week. This bread maker had a number of mainly positive reviews, from beginners and more experienced users; there are a wide range of programmes to choose from and loaves can be made in small, medium sizes. Yes, you are aware of it working at times, but for the most part, it is really quiet and once all the ingredients are weighed out, your time is your own; it would also appear to be cheap to run. So far I have made a basic white loaf and a fruit loaf and both have turned out well and tasted delicious; there is no comparison to shop bought bread, this is so superior. Compared to a hand baked loaf, yes there is a difference in appearance but not in taste.I can see that this going to be a very useful piece of kitchen equipment, as today I was going to be out but I simply measured out the ingredients and came back to fresh bread ready for lunch. The accompanying recipe book is perfectly adequate to start off with. However, do get some measuring spoons as you will need 1/4, 1/2, 1 tsp and 1/2 tbls and 1 tablsp measurements. Could I also recommend Doves Yeast which I have used over a number of years and it has always given outstanding results; their bread making flours are also excellent and look out for Marriages Flours too, they are excellent also. Hope this helps and happy bread making.

This was great , I've tried nearly every Recipe and improvised were I could. functionality was good Recipe book basic. But the whole thing easy to use

I am delighted with this breadmaker! I bought this because I am gluten intolerant and sick of paying €4 or more for a loaf of bread full of rubbish that isn't even particularly nice, but I've struggled making my own GF bread in the past - it's really tricky! My initial thoughts on it were that it IS a big appliance, but it's compact and light enough to tuck away when not in use. Assembly and set up was extremely simple. The maiden voyage was last night, and the results are below. I used Dove's gluten free bread mix and their recipe on the back on the packet, not the one supplied in the booklet with the breadmaker. It came out beautifully - look at that texture! It's soft, it's actually doughy, it's fresh and has no crap ingredients. You wouldn't think this was gluten free bread. And all I had to do was measure some flour and separate some eggs, chuck it all in and push the button. I do wish there was a bit more variety with the settings - you can't select crust settings or use the timer on the gluten free mode, just the first few. It is also a bit loud, but it wouldn't keep you up at night. All in all, I'm delighted with this purchase.

After a diagnosis of coeliac disease in the family we took the plunge and bought this machine to bake our own gluten free bread. This machine has a gluten free setting and it works brilliantly. I can't comment on the timer because I've not used it but the machine is simple and even I manage to produce fantastic bread - following the recipe in the booklet produced a slightly crumbly loaf (using Doves Farm GF Brown Bread flour) so I added 7g of xanthan gum and 10ml of water and bingo! Perfection. (You may have to experiment a little to find what works best for you but the recipe booklet is a good starting point.) It is as simple as adding liquid ingredients, followed by dry ingredients with yeast last of all (if using the timer you must keep the yeast dry so it doesn't activate before the machine starts working), selecting your loaf and menu setting (pressing a button until your option appears on the easy to read screen) then....let the machine get on with it. I don't have room to leave this machine out on my work surface - it is compact enough to put on top of the kitchen cupboard and is light enough that I don't have any trouble lifting it up. I was skeptical about buying this - like many people I have bought brilliant sounding kitchen gadgets only to find they don't actually work as well as I had hoped or they don't fit into our lifestyle and they just end up cluttering the place up before being donated to charity BUT.....this beauty gets used roughly every 5-6 days without fail and does a brilliant job. We've had this for almost 6 months and are still impressed with the results! I highly recommend this machine.

I've been making bread a home for a minimum of 20yrs. My old Hinari Bread maker stood me in really goos stead. Even though it produced a square (cubed) loaf. For the last few years I have used the dough mode and made tin loaves baking in the Aga. During summer when the oven was off I decided I needed a better shaped loaf ... normal rectangular jobbies, and as this Russel Hobbs wasn't too expensive splashed out for it's 3 size loaf facility and longer format loaf. I've used my same recipe but with very small tweaks (amount of yeast, slightly less water) and have found it produces a softer loaf than the Hinari, which my wife likes, but definitely have to let it cool down properly before cutting into it otherwise it becomes a little too soft. The top crust is not convincing ... not strongly baked but adequate. I'm still getting used to the base corners being very rounded ... but I can live with that, I look forward to winter when the cooker is back on and I can do dough mixes and bake properly in the oven. The instructions are simple but adequate, only one dough setting, no Wholemeal dough though it does give wholewheat bake setting ( a longer knead and rise presumably) I have taken to putting in a few grams of Sugar to help browning, seems to work, definitely a tbs of Olive oil helps the texture ... I have still kept my Hinari though I don't envisage resurrecting it. Drawback? well it does sound like the Tardis in the initial stages .. but that's no problem

I don't usually write reviews but the negative reviews being left have prompted a positive review from me. I used to make my own bread but now with arthritis I no longer can, with this machine I can make a tasty, crusty loaf with minimal effort. Yes, the finished loaf does have a small hole in the base but that's the same for all breadmakers. The paddle did get stuck inside the first loaf I made but it was easily removed when the loaf had cooled. I've found it very easy to clean. If any of the dough gets stuck around the spindle in the tin, soaking for ten minutes in cold water and it easily washed off. I can't really think of any negative points. A good value machine.

I bought this and used it about half a dozen times over a 6 month period. Then I didn’t use it again because my health deteriorated and I didn’t have the inclination. I decided I wanted to make a loaf using a pre-made packet from Tesco yesterday and during the last part of the bake cycle, the paddle started churning my loaf and wrecked it. This was on the basic program. I tried again on fast-bake. Same issue. Tonight on Fast-bake 2. Same issue. I have given up. When I tried switching it off, it was reluctant and gave the overheating code E01. Well of course it did! It was trying to mix a half baked loaf! It’s going to overheat! I bet the motor was fighting to turn the paddle! What utter rubbish - and the best bit? When I wanted to use it again after 18 months of sitting idle and only about 6 loaves ever made, finding it was faulty just 7 weeks beyond its 2 year warranty is unbelievable. Very, very little use. I will never buy another Russell Hobbs appliance ever again. The only saving grace is it wasn’t expensive compared to other brands but wow, those 6 loaves weren’t cheap! Do I recommend it? Do I hell.