Russell Hobbs 23620 compact bread maker
Buy now £60, Dunelm.com
- Power: 600W
- Dimensions: 29cm x 32cm x 30cm
- Capacity: Up to 2.2lb loaf
- Settings: 12
As the name suggests, it is one of the most compact models on the market – small enough to keep on the work surface and to pop into a corner, while the lightness also means you can move it around with ease.
Its sleek black design includes a curved top with a viewing window – we loved the large window which allowed us to look at our bread or dough rising, a great add on, especially when we were worried our loaf wasn’t rising. The top of the bread maker, just in front of the lid, also displays the 12 settings and has a small LCD display. Easy to use, the settings are clearly set out, while the lid, with a small side handle, opens easily when you’re done cooking.
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Inside you’ll find an easy to lift out pan, which cleverly clicks in and out. You’ll also find a paddle, which we found stress-free to attach to the bottom of the pan and pull out once we were ready to clean it. The non-slip feet at the bottom of the machine also keep it steady, while the convenient pictures on the model, which indicated bread and crust size, lit up on the LCD screen. We also found the timer useful – which indicated cooking time and stages of bread making.
PerformanceThe one key trait, which makes this bread maker stand out is the fast bake settings – two in total. Sometimes it’s great to pop the ingredients in and watch as it slowly gets mixed, kneaded and baked – but other times you just want a quick loaf of bread with your lunch. We did exactly that when we realised we’d forgotten to buy some bread and were impressed with the results – well risen bread in under an hour.
The other 10 settings allow you to cook whole wheat or gluten-free bread, cakes and even jam. We did find the instruction manual a little hit and miss, but once we tried some of the breads with our own measurements, we got better results.
The first attempt, basic white bread, failed to rise properly, but as we could check it through the window, we adapted the ingredients slightly for our second try and after four hours we had well-risen, soft and tasty bread. When it was mixing and kneading, we did find the model slightly loud, but nothing that disrupted us for too long. Our next attempt was on the cake setting – we made a lemon cake, which was slightly flat on the top, but tasted just like being cooked in the oven.
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We went on to use the wholemeal setting too, with a darker crust and on the largest loaf setting – and although it did rise slightly over the tin it was well cooked and soft in the middle. We also got creative and made some jam, and we loved watching it whizz our fruit around while it created an amazing smell. However, we didn’t like the mess it made – it splattered jam all over the lid and inside of the bread maker, which was quite hard to clean.
Unlike some of the other models on the market it has no nut and seed dispenser – but with the 12 settings we didn’t really think it was needed. The delayed timer gives you up to 13 hours, meaning you can pop all the ingredients into the bread maker before you go to bed. We timed it so it was ready to eat just as we work up on a Sunday morning – you can’t beat that fresh bread smell.
Lastly, we loved how easy it was to clean (apart from when you make jam) with some soapy water and a rinse. The paddle took a bit more scrubbing, but it came out shiny too – ready for the next loaf or cake.