Panasonic SD-RD250 Bread Maker with Automatic Fruit & Nut Dispenser

by Panasonic

• Power 120AC, 60Hz
• Microprocessor controlled for even baking
• Special dispenser for addition of Fruit or nuts for even mixing in the baking process
• Diamond fluorine non-stick coated pan for easy clean-up
• 5 Baking modes for 2 different loaf sizes (M, XL)
• Large LCD readout, measures 11 1/8-inch (Width) by 12 13/16-inch (Length) by 14 9/16-inch (Height), 15-pound

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 11.1 x 14.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 19 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0044WWC7E
• Item model number: SD-RD250
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,542 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining)
  • #2 in Patio, Lawn & Garden > Grills & Outdoor Cooking > Outdoor Kitchens > Outdoor Kitchen Appliances
  • #9 in Kitchen & Dining > Small Appliances > Bread Machines

Product Description

No need to live above a bakery to enjoy the warm aroma of freshly baked bread on a daily basis. Equipped with an array of user-friendly features, this automatic bread machine by Panasonic makes baking fresh, healthy homemade bread--and much more--easier than ever. Now anyone can enjoy the simple pleasure of freshly baked homemade bread--without the time-consuming efforts normally associated with kneading and baking bread. Just add ingredients, press a few buttons, and it takes care of the rest.

Choose from 2 loaf sizes and light or dark crust colors.

Easily Bake Bread or Create Dough

The bread maker mixes, kneads, rises, and bakes bread in two loaf sizes--medium and extra large, plus offers crust color control with light and dark options to accommodate individual preferences. Its digital control panel with a large easy-to-read LCD display makes it simple to select the loaf size and crust shade, as well as the baking mode. Choose from five different modes: Basic, French, Pasta, Pizza Dough, and Bake Only. The Basic mode works well for a variety of breads, including white and whole wheat; French mode bakes up delicious French bread with a soft interior and crispy exterior--perfect for pasta night. Speaking of, Pasta mode makes several different types of homemade pasta dough--there's nothing quite like homemade pasta. Use the Pizza Dough mode for creating homemade pizza dough in just 45 minutes, or use the Bake Only mode when it's time to bake a cake for a birthday celebration or delectable tea breads to serve with tea when visiting with a friend.

Various modes for baking bread or creating dough.

Even more, the bread maker allows for baking a variety of white or whole-wheat bread for slicing and slathering with butter and jam or for making healthy sandwiches to put in the kids' lunches during the week. Or, make bread dough for shaping by hand and baking in the oven. The versatile machine produces delicious results without the additives and preservatives found in store-bought brands.

Best of all, the bread maker comes with a programmable timer that can be set up to 13 hours in advance, which means it's possible to wake up in the morning to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon-raisin bread. Or set the timer before leaving for work in the morning so that a warm loaf of rosemary bread will be ready and waiting after a long day at the office. Simply slice it up and serve with dinner.

Automatic raisin dispenser removes for easy cleaning.

Unique Raisin & Nuts Dispenser

The bread machine also provides a unique dispenser that automatically drops up to 5.29 ounces (150 grams) of raisins, dried fruits, or nuts into the bread dough at just the right time for thorough, even distribution. When compared to other bread machines, the SD-RD250 turns out loaves with an even scattering of raisins, instead of a clump in one section and bare sections elsewhere. The handy dispenser can also be removed from the machine for convenient washing between uses.

Innovative Design for Professional Results

Unlike other bread machines, the unit does not offer a viewing window. The absence of a viewing window creates a more even reflection of heat inside the unit, which offers the following three advantages: excellent crust, good rising, and even color.

Healthy and Nutritious

Removable nonstick pan with carrying handle. View larger.

Baking bread at home allows for ultimate control over the finished product. By using only the freshest ingredients and making choices from a variety of options, homemade bread can be an important part of a well-balanced diet--for both young and older family members alike. High in fiber and low in fat, bread contains a wealth of beneficial components. It provides complex carbohydrates needed for energy, protein for strong muscles, and vitamins and minerals, including calcium and iron for healthy bones and teeth. Add nutrient-rich eggs to the recipe or choose whole-grain flour for an extra boost of fiber, iron, vitamins, and minerals. Mixing in nuts and dried fruits not only add to the pleasing consistency and taste of the finished product, but they're also another way to add to the overall health factor.

Durably Built with Diamond-Fluorine-Coated Baking Pan

Diamond-fluorine coating on scratch-resistant baking pan for enhanced durability.

The bread maker provides an inner bread pan with a generous loop handle for easy removal (use an oven mitt when hot). The rugged pan also features a diamond-fluorine coating for even heating and scratch-resistant, long-lasting use. In fact, the hard diamond particles, which cover both the surface of the kneading blade and the bread pan, are twice as hard as fluorine resin for unbeatable performance. For added convenience, the pan's nonstick interior ensures effortless food release--dough removes without sticking to the pan and fully cooked cakes and loaves of bread slide out smoothly from the pan and onto a cutting board for slicing and serving. The pan's nonstick coating also makes cleanup a snap.

The small appliance comes in a slim, compact design that takes up minimal space on the kitchen countertop. Keep it out for everyday use or store it on a shelf or in the pantry when finished. Awarded the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, the 550-watt automatic bread maker measures 14.6 by 11.1 by 12.8 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty. Accessories include a measuring cup, measuring spoon, and recipe booklet with great tasting ideas for getting started.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 137 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Dough Mode Only I Guess April 3, 2011

By Been there Done that

Amazon Verified Purchase

We had a Panasonic for a little over 20 years and bought this one because the pan on the old one froze up. I didn't know at the time that I could replace the pan so we threw out the machine. BIG MISTAKE!

We baked only 100% whole wheat bread using the sandwich mode on the old machine and it turned out a perfect, soft and delicious bread. I contacted Panasonic after several failures with the new machine and they informed me that it will not do 100% whole wheat bread and does not have the sandwich mode anymore.

So...now we have a $200.00 dough maker that I use and I have to bake the bread in the oven in order to get it to rise properly and bake through. Every loaf I tried in the machine was heavy, wet and fell after rising. No amount of experimentation changed that. VERY DISSAPOINTING!!

Bottom line is if you are going to bake other breads it might be ok, I don't know. However if you prefer whole grains forget this machine.

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice breadmaker but can't handle 100% whole wheat .... August 26, 2011

By yww

Amazon Verified Purchase

Being somewhat big on whole wheat bread, it's disappointing to find out this machine can only handle 30% whole wheat whereas most other competitors have that capability to make 100% whole wheat including gluten free bread. What's really puzzling is the fact that Panasonic UK has 2 breadmakers that were released the past few months in UK to handle 100% whole wheat. Called Panasonic USA customer service about the lack of this 100% whole wheat feature and was told this SD-RD250 machine is several years old and likely a new model may be coming out soon to include the 100% whole wheat capability as well as other features. They said they have received quite a few requests to have this 100% whole wheat feature included. Of course they won't say exactly when the new model with the new added features will be available. Since we are into 100% whole wheat, we've decided to return this product and wait for the new model. The other negative I find is the dispenser is simply too small to hold enough (e.g. raisins or nuts) for a medium size loaf, let alone a large or extra large loaf. Probably fine for a small loaf but there's no setting for a small loaf. It would be nice if the machine would provide a warning beep to allow the adding of raisin, nut or whatever manually. At least that way, you can add as much as you want.

80 of 90 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Homemade goodness on your table every night.... November 27, 2010

By Sofia Hernandez VINE™ VOICE

Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

EDIT UPDATE: an XL loaf weighed 2 lbs 11.5 oz

I never thought that I would be so excited about an item but I truly was. I underestimated our technology because I didn't realize that you could now stick dry ingredients into a machine and a few hours later beautiful crusty soft bread pops out! WOW! Gone are the laborious & boring tasks of kneading, kneading, leaving to rise and eventually kneading again which would take away half of your afternoon. It just isn't great time management in our busy lives this day in age, to spend it preparing and baking a loaf of bread.

Hubby attempted his first loaf (ever!) the moment the box arrived. At first glance, the machine is on the large-ish side as I suspected it would be. You could leave it on a counter but if you are limited on space as we are it just wouldn't be feasible; unless you were truly making a loaf of bread a day.

There is an instructional guide with all the tidbits of info you may need on the machine's settings and problems that may occur with solutions. There are even a variety of recipes to get you started in the bread baking world. The machine's strong points are the fact that it will do all the work and provide you with a loaf of bread after a minimum couple of hours. I am very excited to try the pasta and pizza dough settings. As far as baking, I will leave that to my trusty oven. It is still a wonderfully feature packed machine that also has a fruit/nut dispenser.

We provided pictures of our first attempt at a loaf of Pepperoni and Provolone Cheese bread. The options selected were Bake Rapid, XL loaf & Dark Crust. The selected options took a total of 1 hour & 55 minutes. Preparation was 5 minutes including pressing the selected options mentioned above and the start button.... Once the bread is done, the machine will beep 8 times and you are informed by the guide that it must be removed immediately and placed on a wire rack. We had to wait a bit after removing for our bread to cool down so that removal of the kneading tool would be easy. According to the directions, if your kneading tool is stuck in the bottom of your bread then you may need 20-30 more mLs' of water. We were a bit impatient so that is why we chose the Rapid Bake option lowering the total time to 1.55 opposed to 4 hrs. Next time we will attempt the longer cooking time and see what the difference in taste and quality shall be. The machine does vibrate a bit while it is kneading, but it isn't noisy in the least. At one point I was concerned because I got a hint of "burning motors" smell, but I suspect that it may be because it was the first time it was used.

Hubby's first loaf was DIVINE! We love bread in our household to the point of being able to polish off a whole loaf in one sitting. The bread was crusty on the outside and softy/fluffy in the center with little tidbits of spicy pepperoni and herbs sprinkled throughout. While it was baking it smelled very much like a pepperoni roll. Our dogs and kitten stood below the machine sniffing at the air... that is how much the aroma permeated our household. When it was finally removed and cooled we made turkey sandwiches and there are only 3 slices left today. It was that good!! The XL was a great size for our family of 5, but it would be overwhelming for a single person or small family. I am not sure how the bread stores because we don't have any left.

Options for baking bread:
Dough type: Basic or French
Baking speed: Bake or Bake Rapid
Size: Medium or XL
Crust: Light or Dark
Timer: When you want a loaf to be ready at a certain time up to 13 hours later.

Options for making Dough:
Dough Type: Basic, French or Pizza
Option: Dough
If you choose Pizza then you skip Dough type and go straight to start.
No timer because with these options(other than pizza) you must shape the finished dough and allow it to rise and then bake in oven.

Options for making Pasta:
Select: Pasta
Rest dough for 1 hr in the refrigerator before cutting.
No timer option

Option for Baking Cakes:
Select: Bake Only
Select: Baking Time
No timer option
Total baking time cannot exceed 90 minutes.

Highly recommend for bread lovers that would like to have control of what goes in their bread. Also recommended for families/individuals that like fresh bread daily. It is wonderful to be able to make a loaf and not have to go through all of the babysitting and effort that accompanies making fresh bread. True time saver with wonderful results.

INCLUDED IS A 1 year warranty... wish it was longer! Read more ›

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars They're keeping the better machine in Europe... July 22, 2011

By Magi

My research on the internet leads me to believe the Panasonic bread maker is the better, if not the best, machine... I really want one, but recently, I let Panasonic know my money may be going to the competition unless they start offering a North American version of the SD-257WXC:

[...]

The SD-RD250 is good but can't deal with whole (100%) grains and is a lesser machine when compared to the SD-257WXC; I find it perplexing Panasonic would offer the better machine in Europe and Australia but not in North America????

Read the reviews on Panasonic's European machines, the SD-255 and the newer SD-257, and I think you'll agree we're getting the lesser machine.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars July 2012 update--Twice a week for 1 year (over 100 loaves)...Wonderful machine! September 23, 2011

By J. Egeland

Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been making bread twice a week since I bought this bread maker six months ago. It's effortless compared to my previous bread maker. I bought this newer version of their popular bread maker, even though it had fewer reviews because it seemed to be just a newer versiondate and because I felt Panasonic probably tweaked their older model to improve the quality. Even though there weren't a lot of recipes that came with the bread maker, I've found that once I have made one type of bread successfully a few times, I could vary the basic recipe and still come out with quality loaves of bread.
With my machine, I found that I had to drop the amount of water by 3/4 of an ounce for a perfect loaf. I also altered the amount a yeast very slightly because I dropped the amount of salt in recipe (to decrease our salt intake in our diet). This is what I do to make sure I have a good loaf of bread:
Weigh, don't measure ingredients.
Use bulk white and wheat flour made for breadmakers...it seems to be fresher.
I melt my butter prior to measuring the amount.
I flour all dried fruits that I cut up to place in the dispenser so that the fruit doesn't clump up in the bread or stick to the dispenser lid.
Since I enjoy fruit/nut bread, I have increased the amount of dried fruit/nuts that I add for a loaf of bread. I can put up to 5 1/2ounces in a loaf without affecting the amount of rise in the loaf. Usually, I am only limited by the amount of space in the dispenser.
I always set an alarm to remind me to take the loaf out when it's done. Using the "light" bread setting, I often take the bread out five minutes early to get the lighter crust that I enjoy.
When baking a loaf, don't ever open the bread maker top to take a peak. The bread will be fine....

July 2012 Update
It's hard for me to even eat store-bought bread anymore because of the great loaves this machine makes. I am experimenting with various recipes with my machine. I have made various fruit breads, as well as walnut, sliced almond, peanut, and pumpkin seed bread. For fruit bread, try a raisin and dried pineapple. Walnut bread is wonderful. I just stick to the basic bread loaf (I use the whole wheat recipe which is 1/3 whole wheat flour but I've made a 50/50 blend as well). I also make an oat bread by adding 1 cup of quick oats and increasing the water content to 14 ounces. I tend to take my bread out about 5 minutes early for a light moist loaf. I don't like to use sugar so have found that using molasses creates a better loaf than honey. I wish that there was a more extensive recipe list for this machine but it's easy to experiment successfully just altering the basic recipes. Read more ›