Rapid White Farmhouse Loaf
Review:
Morphy Richards Breadmaker, Rapid White Farmhouse Loaf
and Cheese on Toast
As part of the Morphy Richards Innovator’s scheme I regularly receive products to test and review, thus far I have received a shiny red little and toaster set as well as a handy slicer, and you can read my reviews by clicking on the links. My latest review product was a Premium Plus Breadmaker, and it arrived at a very timely moment, as my old breadmaker had just developed a fault with hinges on the lid, they broke off, so I was thrilled to receive a new one to take its place. The box was enormous, and it was all very well packed, no worries about breakages in transit, and when I finally prised my new kitchen toy from its wrapping, I was a little stunned; this couldn’t be a breadmaker, it looked like part of a supersonic jet! To say that the design is modern and futuristic is an understatement, but I must admit to admiring its sleek polished lines quite quickly. It is very different to my old boxy breadmaker, and despite the size of the box it came in, it is quite compact as it’s not as big and boxy as some of the older breadmakers can be. I decided that I liked its looks! But, the proof of this machine is in the baking, so I made a cuppa and sat down to read the manual and recipe booklet that came with the machine, in order to bake bread.
I have made TWO loaves in this Morphy Richards breadmaker now, a wholemeal loaf and a rapid white Farmhouse style loaf, as well as using the dough setting to make some bread rolls. The bread rolls and wholemeal recipes are my mine, and I will share them in another post later, but I decided to bake the basic white bread that was in the recipes section of the instruction booklet, and to test the fast bake programme. I am by nature a hands-on kind of bread baker, I LOVE to get up close and personal with bread, but, I did use my old breadmaker for quick loaves when time was at a premium, as well as the dough programme for kneading and proving to the second rise and bake stage. So, the fast bake programme was a good one to test initially.
Rapid White Farmhouse Loaf
The ingredients are measured by cups and spoons, as provided with the breadmaker, I am NOT a lover of the cups method, but I wanted to try them out, and to be fair, the results were great – as you can see from my photos of the finished loaf, it rose well and had a nice crust (I used the medium crust setting) and the crumb and texture was very nice too – it didn’t crumble and sliced well. My wholemeal loaf by comparison, was a little leaden and sank in the middle, I am not sure why, as I am very precise in my measuring, but, I think cups are not a reliable measuring device for different types of flour. I am sure it’s not the fault of the breadmaker, but the measuring system.
Wholemeal Bread
My bread rolls on the other hand, which I started on the dough programme, (from my own recipe with beetroot and walnuts) and therefore using the fruit and nut dispenser, were fabulous – the dough was kneaded and proved to perfection, with the dispenser working just when it should.
Beetroot and Walnut Bread Rolls
I think I have given the Premium Plus Breadmaker a good test run by using three different programmes, and I must say that overall I was impressed with its performance, a more detailed list of pluses and minuses is listed below. I was particularly impressed with the range of programmes – there are 19 in total from basic white and brown to gluten free and French style bread. The LED display and control panel at the front of the machine is a vast improvement, and makes it easy to programme (my old machine had one to the side, and it was awkward to see) and the drop down kneading blade, which worked for me, is a brilliant idea. There is a useful timer delay, so you can load your machine before you go to bed and wake up to fresh bread, as well as a handy keep warm feature, that keeps the bread warm for one hour after baking has ended. I also liked the crust settings, which are usually light, medium and dark – but with this breadmaker, you get five: very light, light, medium, dark and very dark.
I am going to try some of the more complicated programmes next such as sweet doughs and maybe a speciality bread, but for now, I am very content to whip up a rapid white bread loaf in only 80 minutes! Perfect for cheese on toast (with chutney) for tea! I have listed a more detailed list of pluses and minuses below, and as ever, many thanks to Morphy Richards for sending me this breadmaker to test drive! Karen
Cheese and Chutney on Toast
Morphy Richards Premium Plus Breadmaker
£129:99
19 programmes
From Basic Whites to Cakes, Jam and Dough
3 Loaf sizes
Bakes 1lb, 1.5lb, 2lb loaves
5 crust settings
Very light, Light, Medium, Dark, Very dark
Viewing window
To monitor baking process
12 hour delay timer
For over night baking
LCD display
Easy view, front angled digital display
Recipes included
Over 40 recipes included in instruction book
Cool touch
For safe handling
Measuring tools
So there is no need for weighing
Fruit and nut dispenser
To ensure the ingredients are added at the optimum time
Pluses:
1. Produced a nice loaf with a good crumb and also the dough programme worked very well. The nuts dispenser was a nice touch and added the nuts at just the right time.
2. The drop down kneading blade is a nice touch, and worked for me every time I baked a loaf of bread.
3. Easy to set programmes, with ergonomic angled front control panel and LED display. I found it very easy to set my programmes on this machine.
4. The non-stick pan was indeed very non-stick, and I hardly had to clean it after baking my bread, plus, the bread slid out easily.
5. The delay function, for overnight bread, is a winner – most breadmakers have this function but it is easy to set up on this machine.
6. I loved the choice of five crust finishes, it means you can bake a larger variety of breads, with different finishes.
7. 19 programmes with gluten free and bread mixes included is a fabulous range of programmes to work with, I was impressed with the range of what can be baked using any one of these pre-set programmes, and there is also a programme to use for your own home-made recipes too.
8. If you aren’t worried about weighing your ingredients, all the tools you need are included such as cups and spoons, as well as an informative manual and over 40 recipes.
9. The breadmaker comes with a 2 year guarantee.
Minuses:
1. As a British user, I did not like the cups system of measuring, and I will continue to use my machine with weighed ingredients, as I always used for making bread in my old breadmaker.
2. The recipes in the instruction manual are very handy, but I feel that their should be a separate book, as it involves much flipping backwards and forwards to check the instructions whilst following a recipe!
3. It’s BIG! Yes, I know it’s as compact as my old machine but it is BIG and needs a considerable amount of space.
4. The manual is not well printed, and I thought that the black and white innstruction’s were hard to follow.
Conclusion:
A very sleek machine with lots of programmes for extra choice and that saves kneading bread if you are busy in the kitchen – so home-made “shaped” breads and bread rolls can be made as well as the usual “breadmaker” shaped loaves too. If you need or want a breadmaker, this is a good choice, based on the one I had before for ten years. Although I like to weigh my ingredients there is no need for any weighing as the cups and spoons come with this machine, which, I recognise is a plus for some people. All breadmakers are not the same, and as a seasoned breadmaker baker, I would say that this is in the premier league, although at £129:99, it is quite pricey, but I have a 30% off voucher that you can use below, which is a considerable saving.
White Bread Loaf
With Christmas just around the corner – I think this could make an ideal gift for a loved one and the good news is I have a great offer for my readers.
SAVE 30% off this Premium Plus Breadmaker: Using the code BM24BLOG at www.morphyrichards.co.uk to get 30% off the Premium Plus Breadmaker 48324
