Morphy Richards 502001 Homebake breadmaker review

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What were our first impressions of the Morphy Richards breadmaker?

The tall, gently curving, white and grey sides with stainless steel make the Morphy Richards breadmaker an attractive machine. The shape helps to slightly reduce the overall footprint, handy for those where space is at a premium.

It has a clear viewing window and 14 programmes to choose between. Bake a classic white loaf, or experiment with making yogurt or jam.

The accessories were less impressive, with a hard-to-read measuring cup, a tablespoon/teaspoon measure and a hook for fishing the paddle out of the bread at the end.

The paddle for the machine folds over so it is less intrusive in the finished loaf, but it does need to be upright to start with and we struggled to keep it in place as we added the ingredients. We managed after several goes, but it was fiddly. Hopefully with time this will become less of a problem, because the idea is good.

How was the Morphy Richards breadmaker to use?

The large instruction book is excellent and the best we tested for a beginner – it guides the user through the process with sound advice on choosing the right ingredients, with a good selection of recipes.

We found the touchscreen easy to see and use, and a there’s a handy programme index too. From unpacking to using this machine, the process is very straightforward.

Once going, there were various whirring and clicking noises, but nothing intrusive – the bleeps to add further ingredients or signify the end were just enough to catch our attention without making us jump.

This machine could be good for overnight baking. Once the noisy kneading function is complete, we hardly knew it was there.

Our verdict

There’s a lot to like about this breadmaker. Given its price, the few niggles such as the paddle and measuring cup can be overcome. We tested the basic white loaf setting, as well as the fast bake programme, and were pleased with the results of both, though the full bake was better tasting with a good texture.

The crust had good colour but was a little pale on the surface, interestingly right where the viewing window is, so maybe this is related. This is an excellent machine, and a great place to start for beginners.

Morphy Richards Homebake breadmaker specifications
Machine size: 36 x 26.5 x 28.5 cm
Power: 600W
Programmes: 14 pre-programmed
Delay function: yes
Viewing window: yes
Display: Touchscreen
Crust colour adjustment: yes
Loaf size (s): small, medium and large
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.

Do you have a breadmaker or do you prefer to bake by hand? We’d like to hear your thoughts…