The Panasonic SD-B2510WXC is a breadmaker. Panasonic make all sorts of devices, as we're sure you already know, but their breadmakers are very much the market leaders. At the time of writing, they make two breadmakers, and the SD-B2510WXC is their entry-level model. While it doesn't have as many modes as their more expensive ones, it's a bit more user-friendly. But is it any good? We put it to the test in another of our in-depth reviews. Read on to find out what we thought of it!
Related: Top 5 Best Breadmakers of 2024
Design & build
Generally speaking, most breadmakers are fairly similar in design. They all tend to be around the same size- although you can get some smaller ones, the SD-B2510WXC is standard-sized. If space is at a real premium in your kitchen, then a breadmaker likely isn't for you, as they are quite bulky appliances.
However, it's worth noting that it's not as bulky as many other breadmakers. Other brands tend to make their models longer than they are wide, which means they stick out on your countertop. The SD-B2510, though, is landscape, which we found more convenient as it leaves space for prepping and measuring ingredients in front of the breadmaker before popping them in.
On the top, along with the lid, there's an LED screen, with control buttons below. All of the various settings are handily labelled right there on the top, so even if you lose the manual. you'll still know which setting does what kind of bread. While it's running, the screen shows you how long is left on the timer, and what part of the process its currently doing. The screen could be a little higher-contrast to make it easier to read, but we found it perfectly readable anyway.
Finally, it's worth highlighting what's missing from the design of this breadmaker. Unlike its more expensive sibling, there's not fruit and nut dispenser. This means that if you want to make seeded bread, you'll need to add the extra ingredients manually. If you've got it on the seeded setting, it will beep to let you know to add extra ingredients It also lacks a viewing window, although this is becoming increasingly rare to find in breadmakers nowadays anyway.
Performance
The best way to find out about its performance is to just give it a whirl. So that's exactly what we did!
There are 21 different basic options, and a plethora of different breads that can be made within some of these. For our first try, though, we chickened out and just made white bread from a premade bread mix. Unsurprisingly, this was extremely simple- just a case of adding the contents of the packet to the breadmaker, along with water measured out in the included measuring beaker. It wasn't exactly rocket science, but it sure was tasty when it came out. So fluffy and fresh! It's also worth noting that the crust was an even colour all the way around the loaf- which you rarely get with breadmakers, actually.
With our first loaf a success, we then took things up a level by trying something a bit more complex: focaccia, following the recipe included in the manual. As with a few other types of bread, this requires you to add the ingredients to the breadmaker, let it make the dough, and then bake it in the oven. It's not a huge amount of hassle, as really you're just transferring the dough onto a larger, shallower tray than the included bread pan, and the results were delicious. You can also follow a similar process for making pizza dough.
We then tried something completely different- banana bread. While it might be a bread by name, we'd say it's a cake, and true to that we used the SD-B2510WXC's cake setting. As you might expect. there was more prep involved with this recipe since there are more ingredients than with bread. Once they were all measured out, though, it was still just a case of popping them all in the SD-B2510WXC and letting it do its thing- and the end result was just as delicious as banana bread we've made in the oven.
Finally, just because we couldn't believe that it was possible, we made some jam in it as well. Well, actually, we made the jam before making another loaf so we had something to spread it on! Having never made jam before, it's simple enough that even we could do it- just equal amounts of fruit and sugar, along with the juice of a lemon.
Throughout our testing, our experts were surprised at just how quiet the SD-B2510WXC was while running. Really, the only time it makes any noise at all was when kneading dough, and even then it wasn't much above a gentle whirring. If you're in another room, then you won't hear it at all. So, if you take advantage of its overnight function, you'll wake up to the smell of freshly-baked bread- not the sound of clattering from the kitchen.
Panasonic SD-B2510WXC: The Verdict
If you've never had freshly-made bread from a breadmaker, then you don't know what you're missing out on. The Panasonic SD-B2510WXC is a fantastic entry-level breadmaker, and still remarkably versatile. We really can't recommend it enough!
