Breville The Custom Loaf Pro BBM800

I regularly bake a loaf every 2 days and have done so for the last 14 odd years. I started with Brevilles entry level but it made terrible bread and walked itself off the bench into oblivion. I then switched to Panasonic SD-2501 which was flawless and lasted 7 years before the electronics died. I replaced it with a Panasonic SD-R2530WST which… Read more

although noisy mixing lower hydration dough worked fine for 72% for 6 or so years until the non-stick surface deteriorated.

As the pan and paddle are so expensive I just bought another Panasonic SD-R2530WST but I quickly had to return it within weeks due to extremely high pitched screaming noises when mixing. The replacement Panasonic SD-R2530WST also did the same thing so I ended up returning that as well.

Sick of Panasonics clear poor quality I ended up replacing it with a Breville Custom Loaf Pro which after 4 months of working flawlessly developed a severe loud knocking noise only when mixing anti-clockwise. Still under warranty I got another replacement but that is also knocking badly during mixing anti-clockwise after only 5 months of making 65% hydration bread.

It appears to me that The Breville Custom Loaf Pro has a severe design fault and I think the belt is possibly stretching after 45 odd loaves are made and when spinning anti-clockwise a very loud knocking noise will develop as the belt slips. You can see evidence of this issue on Youtube so its quite common.

Unfortunately I believe this machine is a gimmick and not designed for anyone serious about making lots of loaves. With what I have experienced now I'm convinced a good quality bread machine no longer exists and the discontinued Panasonic SD-2501 was the last good quality one made.

I will inevitably return this one as well and just put the money towards a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer with Lift Bowl then use my oven. Corporate greed has killed the bread machine. RIP bread machine.

Perfect breads 7 days per week – We already made over 1,000 loafs with this machine and it still works like a charm. We are very serious about good bread and grind our flour at home. We bake gluten free bread with lots of seeds. It makes amazing gluten free sourdough bread too. Very quiet and super reliable. We bake 6 loafs each week and even our kids can’t get enough. After… Read more

1,000 loafs the form has some small dots of imperfection on the inner surface, but that is no issue. Otherwise the machine is like new.

Easy to use versatile bread maker – We have been making our own bread for over 30 years now, and this is our fourth Breville bread maker, and the best one so far. We have had it for over four years. We make 3 loaves a week on average. It is easy to use, and easy to set your own program, a must with some mixes. It is reasonably quiet and all features work well. Love it. Show details

It's does GREAT breads...but one small flaw – So this is probably the best breads I've seen come out of one of these machines. It is VERY uniform and tastes fantastic...however, during the kneading process, if you don't get your dough perfect (and I've followed the recipe in the instruction book to a T), the motor will make a grinding noise. It's not the end of the world but it sure does… Read more

make you think about your dough a bit more. Having said that I've had it for a few months now and it's still going strong. You can see the results of me cutting a loaf here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ6469weSoQ&ab_channel=MeettheTings

Wore out too quickly – From the start the loaves were not as good quality as my previous Panasonic. Always too dark despite the ability to adjust the bake temperature. After a lot of experimentation I was able to produce a suitable loaf. At just over 1 year old, the coating in the bottom of the pan has started peeling. Also, the folding paddle seized, no big deal,… Read more

however the coating on the bottom and edges of it has worn off too. Plus there is massive slop in the paddle itself on the drive shaft. I returned it to Myer store and as of 2 weeks now, I have still not received my refund!!

Never mixes properly – I have used breville bread makers in the past and never had any concerns however I had this under a year and it never mixes properly. It must be the shape of the tin but I have tried 5 loafs thinking I must have done something wrong but they have all come out the same. Not impressed for the price and feel like I have wasted my money. Show details

It works, but the recipes are wrong – I replaced a sunbeam unit with this one. The sunbeam worked great but i was not able to replace the paddle when it was lost, as they discontinued replacement parts (all the while still selling machines). This machine has many spare parts available everywhere which was partly the reason i bought it. Now after using it for over a month i can safely… Read more

say that the recipe book is plain wrong. All recipes have the wrong water to flour ratios, so that they make dense "low hydration" loafs or dough. I don't know if they made a mistake in converting units or what but a lot of the complaints on here seem to stem from this fact. A lot of the recipes are near 50% hydration which is just unheard of, 500g flour to 280ml water. Most bread should be 60-70%. Using my old recipe book from the Sunbeam produces perfect loaves with the correct measurements. How did this even happen on a production unit? The recipes are just 100% wrong.

Throwing away the recipe book for this unit and using my old one means i can make loaves just fine and the machine works great, but i really shouldn't have to do this. And i also don't know what settings to use for certain things as they aren't interchangeable between machines. So... while i can make simple white loaves and doughs, I cannot make anything more complex as the recipes are just wrong for the machine. They really need to release a new recipe book with the correct measurements included. I still don't know how they could publish such incorrect recipes.

Edit: After some messing around, they've converted US cups to Aus cups for flour but not water. That is the issue. All the recipes make sense if you convert the ml of water (but not flour lol) to US cups, then convert US cups to Aus cups. US cups are 236ml to Aus cups 250ml. I don't understand how this recipe book was printed for Australia without being tested, what the hell.

Good bread maker, but the folding paddle is problematic – I’ve been using my new bread maker for a few weeks with pleasing results. The folding paddle was a feature that attracted me to this particular model, however that has been disappointing. The paddle folds flat but bread gets trapped in the gap underneath it, resulting in a large tear out in the bottom of the loaf. The best solution seems to be… Read more

removing the paddle mid-process. I’ve found this is best done before the final rise so the dough can recover from the impact of digging into it - not immediately before the baking period as some others have suggested.

On the topic of the paddle, a couple of other reviews mentions damage to the baking pan being caused by the paddle. I suspect they mounted the paddle upside down on the shaft. The paddle cannot touch the pan if installed the right way up. It’s a flaw in the design that allows the paddle to go on the shaft the wrong way! Hopefully Breville addresses this in a future model (if they persist with the problematic paddle).

I like the fact that the machine has lots of settings that I can customise when I get more adventurous - but for now I’m happy to just hit ‘Start’ and know I’ll get a consistent result.

Paddle Fix, other than that annoyance its a Great Machine – for the last 2 years the folding paddle has been stuck. After falling off my chair at the cost of a new one $50+ shipping i took a chance someone here may have a fix, and yes i found a thread here and yes it works. If you put it in a saucepan and cover it with olive oil, bring it up to temperature and after a while with the Necessary Heat proof… Read more

safety precautions (silicone gloves ets) put a screwdriver through the hole and you can start to wiggle it, another 5mins simmering, wiggle and Bingo it was freed, put it back in and Let it stand until cool. caution, Given its an alloy with non stick coating don’t use pliers or you will damage it. As the genius who provided this fix suggests, perhaps do it a couple times a year. The Machine, we love it. pre mix the night before, add some chia seeds select crusty loaf, set the time and the house has fresh bread in the morning.

Good but non existent for warranty purposes – Bread maker is good. It works. However the collapsible paddle does not after 6 months use. The only part under warranty is the actual bread motor. Crap customer service really. All parts should work for a suitable amount of time. No wonder they don’t warranty those parts as they just don’t last. I wouldn’t buy it again for the price. You expect some customer service. Show details

Disappointed – Purchased this unit in June 2019 and have used it weekly and always with pleasing results. However, I have noticed that there is a small spot on the inside of the bread pan where I think the non stick coating has peeled or blistered back . On contacting Breville I was informed that this item is not covered by warranty and therefore a replacement… Read more

fee would be charged. For an expensive item that is only approx. 18 months old and which has been cared for meticulously I am extremely disappointed to say the least. Hopefully the "peeling" will not continue and I will have no future problems with the pan but in the event that this does occur I will definately not be purchasing a Breville again nor will I be recommending it to others.

Best BM – I have had this for about 6 weeks and just love it. Had one years ago (not a Breville) that wobbled all over the bench (I could not leave it to bake alone). This one is fantastic. The fold down paddle is not well made but I remove it before the final raise and bake. I discovered that the machine alerts you to this (took a few bakes to figure it out) and gives you time to pause the setting, remove the paddle and restart again. Show details

Garbage quality for price – Sharp edges and ripples around control model metal work. It has 1 screw but was taped on all sides for transit which says it all. Main door out of alignment. I doubt it will hold a seal. Screws don't appear straight at the top of the main body. Side has not been screwed down evenly. Looks like sheet metalwork carried out by high school student and… Read more

even then Ive seen better work from some. Almost most expensive unit on market. Don't buy i expect no two units will be the same in quality. Poor quality control. Extremely lightweight because its sheet metal without insulation unlikely to retain heat. Haven't used it i wonder how well it will work. I could use it as a heater in winter, with the lid closed!!

Almost perfect! – Love love love my bread maker. It is SO easy to use. I love all the different options to personalise the loaves. My one complaint is with the collapsible dough hook. Mine seized up very early on, unfortunately. I'd rather have a hole in the bottom of the loaf then have to purchase new dough hooks every time they break. I'd still probably buy this again, despite this issue!

This is the best thing I’ve ever spent money on! – It makes excellent bread but only in the smaller two sizes. When I try to make a loaf bigger than a kilo the flour doesn’t get mixed in properly. Also the “Collapsible” paddle doesn’t actually Collapse. But the small loaves come out excellent! And the time delay feature is inexplicably useful. Show details

Best bread machine to date, not perfect – UPDATE 19 Apr '22 Originally gave this 5 stars (original review below), but after approx 2 and a half years' use, it's started banging. Suspect that it's some play in the spindle at the base of the bin. Breville were kind enough to send me a new bin, but still experiencing the same problem. The banging has got so bad that, after almost 3 years use… Read more

(not heavy, once or twice a week), I'm going to retire it and buy a different brand.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: A great breadmaker, easy to operate, versatile and efficient. The manual is pretty good, Contents are listed on p.3, but an index would have been handy, have to flip through the manual to find specific recipes. The Select control is dialled and pushed to give you your optimum setting, LCD screen is well set out and easy to read, the beeper Mute function is a godsend, and like most breadmakers you can delay start if you wish. It's quieter than our previous breadmaker. Unlike another popular brand, many bread recipes are ready in 3-3.5 hours (the other brand seems to have 4 hours as an average).

Made several successful loaves already, there are 4 different-sized loaves, ranging from 500grams to 1.25kg. 1kg works the best so far. The 1.25kg loaf is very high, and thus needs to be cut in half horizontally to make more manageable bread slices. Have had success with the olive bread, French bread, fruit loaf, rye and caraway bread, and pumpkin bread, although the pumpkin bread was very crumbly. I think it may have been due to reducing the amount of salt (used half a teaspoon instead of recommended 1.5 teaspoons for 1kg loaf), which may have weakened the gluten bonding.

The BBM800 is pretty pricey, worth it if you get it on sale, recommended.

Great Bread Machine – From the delighted calls of wow! and yum! I'd say that the taste and textures of the bread produced is top of the line. I've owned three bread makers now since c1995. This is the best so far mainly because of the collapsible paddle. It works like a dream. The machine itself is clean and sleek, the instruction manual well laid out and very well written albeit for a couple of spelling mistakes. Show details

Good Bread maker, with loads of features but not the best – This bread maker is pretty good, the metal exterior fits well with the stainless steel look in my kitchen, however is too large to be left on the counter top. The sheer size makes it that little bit heavier to move in and out of the cupboard so this is definitely a drawback. Pros: Has a great recipe book, digital display (with a delay timer for… Read more

most settings/breads) and can make four different size loafs, nuts and fruit auto dispenser. It comes with a substantial recipe book and also has a holder at the back of the machine for the giant recipe and instruction booklet.

Cons: The biggest drawback other than the weight, is that due to the shape of the bread pan being so wide, I often find on certain cycles it doesn't mix properly in the the kneeding stage. You either end up with a loaf not fully cooked in the corner or you have to manually mix it a bit. The other aspect of this bread maker I don't like is that when making a nut or fruit loaf the size of the auto dispenser isn't always large enough for the recipe mixture (i.e. you will put the nuts in, and because it is too many they fall straight into the mixture rather than when they are supposed to). It's also too noisy to leave on a timer to have fresh bread in the morning, both the needing and the buzzer for the nut dispenser being activated will wake you up. I have not been able to find a way to turn this off.

Overall a nice machine, but probably too expensive for what you actually get.

Almost perfect – Well made machine that almost gets it right. The "modify" function involves replacing the whole program not just modifying the section that needs changing, and trust me they need changing. So you need to write down or remember ever step so you can improve it for next time. If you notice the dough is mixed early, you can't end the mixing cycle… Read more

early and move on. Or visa versa you can't mix it longer if it's not quite ready. You have to note it down and reprogram the whole recipe for next time. No steam feature leaves it dry when proofing so an occasional spray is needed. Also could be improved by allowing a custom name to be put in like "500 gm white" or whatever so you know what each custom setting is for. Good machine though , happy I bought it

Sticking, hard to move collapsible paddle – I make bread almost every day. I have always cleaned the paddle with a toothbrush to remove all bread I could see. It eventually became very stiff. The only way I resolved this was by unscrewing the 1.5mm hex screw on the paddle end manually cleaning the bar and the hole it went into. Now it’s as good as new again Show details