ALDI Lumina / Kuchef / Ambiano Bread Maker (2012-2017)

Terrible - 4th loaf all awful – This is my 4th bread maker. Have used the same packet bread for years. Tried tweeting the receipe each time per suggestions in the instruction book, all to no avail. Bread firmly stuck to the paddles, ripped big holes in the loaf when removed. Bread won't rise fully. Actual taste once able to remove from tin ok, but not happy with this machine. Will be returning as an "unmerchantisable peoduct". Does not perform as stated.  Show details

Turned itself off permanently 1/2 hour prior to finishing! – My old aldi breadmaker died after 10 years of great service. The new one cooked beautifully up to 1/2 before finishing and permanently turned itself off. Waited till it cooled, tried again the next day - nothing. Power light wouldn't come back on. Got a replacement which did exactly the same thing on the first loaf of bread. I'll be returning this item this week and won't be going back for a third.  Show details

Average – This product is a average bread maker that comes with with 13 baking programs, a measuring cup and a measuring spoon. This product was purchased for $90 from Aldi. I wanted to give this product five stars however the first machine had issues which it turns itself off during the baking process. This machine also has a flaw which the kneading blades leaves holes in the bread.  Show details

Good for one loaf – Bought it, made one loaf which was pretty much perfect, second loaf the belt shredded. Called customer service who said sorry belts are not available. So it was an expensive loaf of bread !!!!!!! Have been using bread makers for years without serious problems (Sanyo Breville Sunbeam ) all eventually wore out.  Show details

Don’t waste your money – I had a sunbeam for 12 years worked perfect. Until it died. Aldi was selling their bread make for a lot less. So I purchased it. The bread maker is rubbish. The bread hardly ever risers. It’s slways burnt at the bottom and white at the top, yes two shades. It’s always under cooked. I would never recommend aldi’s Bread maker. My ex husband and mother have the same problem.  Show details

Bad machine – I have the same [problem as yours. The blades are not released from the pan therefore the bread has to be squeezed to come out in resulting a ruined, crumbled up wreck. I am going to return to Aldi. This is my second bread maker from Aldi. The first one bought years ago was also returned for the same reason  Show details

Aldi bread maker 104906 – Display and menu user friendly, amazed it has lots of functions. However I could not get the bread out until I broke the bread into pieces as the 2 blades were so stuck with the machine, it took me a long time to pull it out to clean it even without the bread! I used the most basic function for white bread but the bread was rough and dense.  Show details

Aldis disappointment – Really bad product. Has fatal flaws. Mixing blades are the problem. They do not come out with the bread. Therefore bread won't come out; ever. Unless you rip it out. So disappointing. The paddles are maybe too high or too big. Have started spraying oil into them. This helps. Once you have removed blades you are left with two massive… Read more

holes.

Part of problem is that the base develops very heavy crust.

Must bake on light setting or smaller loaf setting.

Smaller he actual to get soft exterior.

Best to buy another brand.

Great for the cost – Easy to use. Good results. Pleasantly surprised with the machine.I used it a few times then put it away. Got it out recently. I'm using the Lauke wholegrain bread mix and the loaves are turning out to be delicious. The only downfall is the holes where the paddles are but all mixers cause them.There is a way around it by timing it right and… Read more

pausing the machine just before it starts to cook then remove dough and paddles replace dough and take it off pause

Proving to be very good. Great value – After many years persisting with my Sunbeam machine, and after some research, I chose this machine from Aldi. I missed out on getting it from an Aldi store but found this one on Gumtree not long after. It had only been used a few times by a self confessed gadget junkie. Much of the programming is similar to the Sunbeam unit I had, which is… Read more ·  1

good.

The pan is oblong and has two mixing paddles which makes a better shape of loaf.

The paddles lift out with the loaf which is a nuisance, but is required as the loaf would not likely tip out otherwise. Unfortunately, the paddles don't fit right down close to the bottom of the pan, they sit about 3mm up. Which means they end up completely inside the loaf. I intend to drill out the holes in the bottom of the paddles so that they will sit right down, which should hopefully make them easier to retrieve from out of the loaf. This is the only 'modification' I see necessary to date.

So far there doesn't seem to be much wear on the shafts and seals so no leaks yet.

Although the motor pauses and restarts at about the same intervals as the Sunbeam, they don't change direction of rotation like the Sunbeam did. However, it still manages to mix the dough well enough. Providing you start by having both paddles pointing towards the same end when you start. This does provide a better mixing action.

It doesn't give much of a beep to let you know it's finished. And there is no delayed start on the dough only setting. Neither are deal breakers by any means.

Like all bread makers you will likely need to experiment a little with your recipe and settings to get your loaves the way you like them. I simply started with the recipe I have used for years in the Sunbeam I had. Set to the light setting it is good, albeit a little collapsed. I could tweak it further if I could be bothered.

So all in all, I am very happy with it so far. And if it lasts longer than the Sunbeam, which it looks like it will, it is a clear winner as far as I'm concerned.

Worst breadmaker I have used, customer service not much better – You will see many reviews on various sites about breadmakers and this version of Lumina. Have to say its priced right at $69 but have rarely had a good loaf from it. Finally I have worked out if I use the 1250g recipe and add 20min to the bake time, set to dark I get an OK loaf, sometimes burnt on the bottom but always light brown pale on top. I… Read more

also use the Laucke crusty loaf mix but again if set to dark add 10 min to the bake menu always just light brown/pale I cannot get a good medium brown loaf on top.

This breadmaker is now about 18 months old, frustratingly never had a single good loaf for the first six months, put it away for another six months as always thought it was my recipe or yeast failing, then started to add time to the menu and started to at least get an ok baked loaf but always very light brown/pale crust.

I contacted Lumina support but they said they charge $40 if they find nothing is wrong with the appliance. I did not follow through as thought as I thought it must be me, the way I was using it.

Now wish I had kept my last breadmaker a Tefal, the bowl was non stick but starting to show its age and difficult to get bread out sometimes but it did make a good loaf for sure!

Overall I rate this 2 stars, 1 more than my original thought of 1 star mainly as I can actually get a loaf of bread from it, just not nicely baked as I expect!

Would advise one of the more well known brands and plenty of research first if looking for a bread maker!

Easy to use but could improve – Very easy to use. Baked bread, makes dough, cooks pre-prepared dough, makes jam & does gluten free breads. BUT, I lost the instructions & there is no online help. There is no lumina website. Also, after baking the bread I have to put it in the hot oven to brown the outside.

like it – Always wanted to buy a breadmaker and so I finally did a month ago. The first Batch was ok, I made the wholemeal loaf, one of the paddles got stuck and was a bit hard to loosen after the baking time. The second Batch was not good at all, only half side of the loaf was baked, the other one still powdery. This, because one paddle came off during the… Read more

baking time. I had to return the machine but will buy another one as soon as they are on sale again at Aldi. Hopefully the paddles then do not come off again. good price paddle could not be fixed properlz

I am very happy with my breadmaker – I purchased this item yesterday and began investigating the Internet for tips in bread making. I was shattered to read the negative reviews on this machine. I was disappointed with the purchase. Today I made my first loaf of bread. It was easy, and came out perfect. The texture was amazing, the colour golden and the crust perfect. The loaf tasted amazing. I am so happy with the purchase. Inexpensive, easy to clean  Show reply

Best I've had so far – I've had two bread machines prior to this one, both big name brands and both of them always over cooked the sides of the bread and undercooked the top. Not so the Lumina. The bread came out perfect. I followed the recipe for basic bread as given in the instruction manual with no problems. I didn't use a bread mix (cheaper to buy a 10 kg bag… Read more

of baker's flour for around $12).

Yes, the blade did get stuck in the bread but all my machines had this happen, it's normal and not a design fault.

I've just made a cake by throwing in the raw ingredients and the machine mixed them in the pan (so I don't understand the reviews talking about having to pre-mix the ingredients, perhaps a different model?).

No complaints so far. Perfect cooking A little large

Still going – Bought this exact machine early september 2012 and it's still going. I see it's just been for sale for 10 bucks cheaper than when I bought it :( So 7 months later and using it twice per week, it's a great machine. I stuffed up plenty of loaves initially and found a good water to flour ratio is approx 70 mls of water to 100 gms of flour and about 1… Read more ·  2

and a half teaspoons of dried yeast. In this machine, I tend to use 450 gms of flour to 300-315 mls of water, which usually stops the top caving in (generally caused by too much water to flour). Also the 750 gm loaf size, basic and light crust settings seem to do the trick, but that's my preference anyway for fruit bread loaf and laucke bread mix.

Sometimes the mixing blades don't come out with the loaf and tear a hole in the bottom.

Good machine for the money – Very good for the price. Try putting some tinfoil inside the top to cover the window - this will keep the heat in and avoid the top from sagging. After tuning my reciepe, this thing bakes a great loaf every time! I would highly recommend it for those on a budget who want great fresh bread. Cheap, quiet, reliable Instructions were rubbish

Great product for the price! – Just bought the latest machine from Aldi which is slightly different from the one pictured. It has a large viewing window, twin kneading blades which are removable and a large baking pan. The pan accommodates a 750 gm, 1kg and 1.2kg loaves. There are 11 programs- Basic, French, Wholemeal, Sweet, Super rapid, Dough, Pasta, Buttermilk, Jam, Bake and… Read more ·  2

Gluten free. For the price, it's an absolute bargain. Happy baking! Features, large bread pan, twin kneading blades.

Easy Bread – I just made my first loaf of bread (Gluten Free). I used a Laucke bread mix and just dumped it in with water, on completion it was brilliant. I can now eat bread again as the commercial Gluten free breads are foul and too expensive. I am now baking a loaf of french bread for my wife. Easy to use. Good Bread. Low cost.  Show reply

A Great Introduction to Breadmaking – Insructions manual adquate for using the machine, but recipes in manual not inspiring, however first loaf turned out OK, (good enough to spark my enthusiasm). I found that using the 750g setting prevents paddles from sticking in bread. I went online and found heaps of very instructional videos for all types of bread. Here's a great one for… Read more

fruit bread: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FxBPpLFldA.

Now you can't stop me! I use the machine every day and have had no problems with it at all.

For a budget machine it does the job very well!

We made pizza dough last night very successfully.

Recipe for 2 30cm pizza bases:

300ml tepid water

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

500g bakers flour

2 tsp yeast

Use Dough setting

When finished put dough in an oiled basin, rolling it around so the dough has a light coating of oil. Cover, set in a warm spot and allow to rise 20 mins. Using fist punch dough down.

Divide into 2 and lightly kneed each piece.

Dust a board and rolling pin with flour.

Roll each piece to fit a 30 cm pizza tray.

Top with favorite pizza toppings and bake at 200 deg for about 20 mins.

Yummo!! Makes a good family sized loaf Insruction manual not very good