Gastroback breadmaker review

• Read our round-up of the best breadmakers

What were our first impressions of the Gastroback breadmaker?

The Gastroback breadmaker is an impressive, robustly built machine. The shiny stainless steel and black casing will look good in any kitchen. The viewing window is a good size and alongside it is a built-in, automatic fruit and seed dispenser, with a sliding panel to open and add ingredients, plus a simple touch control panel with LED backlit display which requires just the lightest of touches.

With 18 pre-programmed recipes, there are all the usual suspects – whites, wholemeal and gluten-free bakes. There's also yogurt, jam and some even more surprising settings. The Gastroback is the only maker we tested to offer a defrost programme, a rice bread recipe and an ice cream making function.

On reading, we discover that we need a pre-freeze ice cream bowl accessory for this to happen, but it is an interesting concept for those who want to combine appliances to save space.

The machine starts and ends with a resounding beep and otherwise works away very quietly, making it a good machine for overnight bread-making.

How was the Gastroback breadmaker to use?

This is a very straightforward machine, with soft-touch buttons and the programme numbers printed on the lid.

The instruction book is simple enough, but the translating takes a little figuring out. The English instructions are hard to follow, and the ingredient measures are a little difficult, asking for 18ml volumes – almost impossible to measure accurately without special equipment. This could be off-putting to an inexperienced baker.

Our verdict

The Gastroback is a straightforward, functional machine. It produced excellent crusty, white bread with a good colouring and tight crumb (as long as you can calculate the measures and follow the recipe meticulously).

Annoyingly, the paddle stuck in the loaf and took some digging to get it out, leaving a bit of a hole in the bottom of the bread.

The price of the machine is a little higher than most, but it does offer a wide range of functions. It is well made, we predict it could last for many years with careful use. The possibility of the ice cream and other interesting functions make it well worth considering.

Available from Amazon (£119.90)

Gastroback bread maker specifications
Machine size: 35.3 x 27.4 x 33.4 cm
Power: 500W
Programmes: 18
Delay function: yes
Viewing window: yes
Display: LED
Crust colour adjustment: yes
Loaf size (s): 1000, 750 and 500g
Keep warm function: yes
Guarantee: 2 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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