Russell Hobbs 23620 Fast Bake Breadmaker review

Size did not impede any feature of the machine; it has 12 programmes with a choice of three sizes for most of them and for a small machine, it still makes up to a large family-sized 1kg loaf.

Two programmes are fast bakes which will have a loaf of bread out of the pan and cooling in under an hour, which makes this a very appealing machine for families needing bread in a hurry. Other recipes include different bread, doughs, sweet bread, gluten-free and jam.

How was the Russell Hobbs breadmaker to use?

The instruction book is short but has everything you need to get the breadmaker up and running quickly.

There is no fruit or seed dispenser with this machine. Instead, there is a loud audible signal when it is time to add them, so you will need to be around to do this which slightly restricts which breads to make, but with 18 recipes there will be one to use in there.

The control panel on the lid is super simple with just three soft-touch buttons for menu, size and colour and the delay timer. The viewing window on this machine is large and gives a great view of what is happening inside.

With a 660W motor we would have expected the Russell Hobbs to be noisy. It isn't, but neither is it silent, chugging away in the background and only the beeps reminded us we had bread in there.

Our verdict

At the price this machine really does deliver. The bread was excellent, a soft, springy crumb and a well-developed crust though a little light in colour. On taste it was as good as others at a much higher price. The bread came out easily but we did discover some bread stuck under the panel which had baked on, but a five-minute soak sorted that out.

You do not have the freedom of leaving the breadmaker to do its thing if you want to add nuts, seeds or fruit, but that is a small sacrifice to get a product that delivers as well as this at the price.

Russell Hobbs breadmaker specifications:
Machine size: 32.2 x 29 x 30 cm
Power: 660W
Programmes: 12 pre-programmed
Delay function: yes
Viewing window: yes
Display: LED
Crust colour adjustment: yes
Loaf size (s): 500, 750 and 1000g
Keep warm function: yes
Guarantee: two years

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This review was last updated in November 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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