Breville The Gourmet Baker BBM400

Breville Gourmet Baker BBM400 – Glad they have discontinued this one. Paddle always gets stuck in the bread when turned out leaving a hole in the bread. White and Wholemeal never consistant no matter which flour or mix is used. Looking for a better one so can put this in the bin. Show details

Good Baking Device for someone with Diabetes Type 2 – In January this year I discovered that I have Diabetes Type 2 and so I have been adjusting my diet accordingly - One of the "Handbook" recommendations for those who have Diabetes Type 2 is to eat no more than 1 slice of bread a day and I was curious to see if baking my own bread would be of some benefit to me, I'm to lazy at 54 to cook a meal… Read more

every time I want a quick feed - I have stopped eating Take-Away's because when ever I do the next mornings blood glucose reading is 12 or above, however I baked one 1 KG loaf of Laucke Multigrain every day last week which I also ate, by cutting back on normal meals, and the highest blood glucose reading that I had was 7.6 with the lowest being 6.4, this was on my first blood glucose test in the morning just after getting out of bed - Considering how easy the Breville Gourmet Baker Bread Maker is to use with Pre-Mix Products like Laucke Multigrain and the result of doing so when testing my blood glucose after eating a rather large amount of bread each day, as I have in the last week, I can only say "How Good" this device is and "How Easy" to use it is for a 54 year old man with Diabetes Type 2 !

In nearly 12 months this machine has never baked a good loaf – I had a Panasonic machine for years that always baked a beautiful loaf of bread. When it finally gave up the ghost I couldn't find a replacement Panasonic so I purchased the BMM400. I tried all my old recipes, I tried using Laucke pre-mix because in the past it has always been good, I tried varying amounts of water and yeast but it didn't matter… Read more

what I did I couldn't get a nicely risen loaf. Not only that but even on the dark crust setting it would never brown the top (usually it didn't even have a top but was sunken) and the paddle was always caught in the bread and had to be dug out.

Today I had had enough and went and bought a Panasonic SD-2501. I just baked my first loaf with it using exactly the same ingredients and volumes as the last loaf baked in the Breville and it is perfect. I wish I could upload a photo because I have one showing the two loaves side-by-side and there is absolutely no comparison. Maybe I got a dud BMM400 because if they were all like mine surely they would be taken off the market. I will be writing to Breville about it but I'm just glad to have gone back to the Panasonic.

By-the-way, I generally like Breville products and we have a number of them (toaster, kettle etc) which are great but this bread baker was hopeless.

Great – I decided to leave a rating for this product because when I reviewed it on this site I was very confused with all of its mixed reviews. So far I have had it for 2 weeks and I have made 3 loves of 1kg bread, white burger buns, hot cross buns and baguettes. Each recipe I used I followed from the book provided and everything had came out fine. I'm… Read more ·  1

not sure if others had a problem because they used pre mix packets where I brought the ingredients recommended. I found with my old bread maker it could be a bit hit and miss with the pre made packets.

So far the only fault I have with it is the finish beep. The seed and nut beep is very loud and long compared to the very unassuming beep given for the finish cycle. It doesn't really matter when you are baking a loaf because of the keep warm function but I didn't here the finish beep go off for either of my dough's for my buns. Again didn't really matter for the finish product but it would make more sense to me to have maybe three or four beeps letting you know its finished. Reliable, resaonble price and love all the extra features you can do in it like baguettes and jam. Beep at the end of cycle should be longer.

Cooking so much easier – This machine makes my cooking so much easier. Turns out beautiful bread. At this very moment I have a lemon cake ready to come out. Lovely to have fresh bread every day. I turn my cakes into puddings or put them into the freezer along with the extra bread I make  Show details

Absolutely love my Breadmaker – I use it nearly every day, I make bread using "Laucke Bread mix". I've made baguettes, bread rolls, cakes, pizza dough and jams, I have always been very happy with the results. I find it very easy to use. The only negative is some of the coating is coming off the non stick paddle.  Show details

Great Product – My husband and I just love the bread that we make in this machine. Turns out great. If you could make one that beeps loudly before the last rise it would be sensational, I try and catch mine so that I can take the beater out before the last rise. Manage to most times, but a loud alarm would be great.  Show details ·  1

Disappointing results – Despite following recipes supplied exactly and selecting "dark crust" the loaves are always pale, small and stodgy. Then the seal on the spindle deteriorated and oily material leached into the bread. My experience of this machine is that it does not produce acceptable results. It is now in the bin and I'm researching which type to replace it with.  Show details

Never again – I have had three, first had an electrical fault, replaced, second had a problem with the motor, finally a third. Why? Surely the third one will be OK, I couldn't be that unlucky! I have had an early model Breville Breadmaker for many years, loved it. This one fails to cook the top of the loaf. No matter what size or weight or temperature on high.… Read more

I have tried so many variations, changing quantities of yeast, water and flour, Breville recipes too. All results the same, pale top, crusty dry thick sides, soggy, unedibale. The Breville team have been notified again.

Disappointed – Have used a bread machine before always with great results so I'm not a novice I'm making bread as per instructions but I'm getting small loaves without any proper browning of the crust not at all pleased I'm thinking buying another brand because I doubt I would get my money back from Breville such a disappointment after rushing home with the… Read more

machine and out comes this little loaf with a soft pale crust even when I set the crust colour for dark I'm surprised that Breville isn't recalling. this machine going by bulk of the reviews I've read here

Reliable daily bread for last 3 years – We have used this breadmaker every day for the last 3 years and it has been totally reliable. Our original paddle is still fully coated as we take it out of the dough just before baking. We bake wholegrain spelt loaves on the two hour white loaf programme and like the nice square sandwich style that this breadmaker achieves. Unlike the advice in… Read more

the manual we put the yeast in first then the flour and seed mix and the liquid on top. We have never had a failure doing it this way. Love our Breville breadmaker.

So far very happy – Best purchase . Made a small loaf. recipe from manual. As well as a chocolate fudge cake .using aldi packet cake.turned out perfect better then my oven. The trick is place wet ingredients first then dry. As manual instructions. So far very happy with this machine for my first time using a bread maker.  Show details

Won't even start up – Bought the item, it had been in storage and is out of warranty if 12 months is what you get...it is brand new never used...nothing comes up on the display at all...simply don't work at all....it doesn't work.  Show details

Disappointing quality – Have had the bread maker for just over 1 year - conveniently out of warranty. Seal for the pan has broken and can only replace the pan. I think if I pay $200 for a bread maker the main part should last - not break the way it has. Advice to all - BUY A DIFFERENT BREAD MAKER!!!!! This is the email I got below regarding a replacement pan - I… Read more

can't even just replace the part!

"The bread tin (BBM400/51) for your (bbm400) is currently available for $59.28 plus $10.00 Postage & Handling.

The kneading blade for bread bin (BBM400/54) for your (bbm400) is currently available for $9.32

You can purchase this over the phone with either a credit card (Visa or MasterCard only) or by sending in a cheque or money order.."

Good machine shame about the seal – Had the machine for a few years and still works. After about a 1 1/2 years had to replace the pan since the seal had gone, allowing liquid into the machine. Now the replacement pan has also lost it's seal. Machine is still fine but the cost of replacement pans is to much. Going out today to get a new Sunbeam to give that a try.

Not happy with the machine – I bought this machine Feb 2016, does not cater for pre mixes, had trouble getting the mix right, Breville told I have to make the bread from scratch but no shops around, plus other Breville machines I have had always had recipes for pre mixes, this does not, after a few emails they were going to try and send me compatible recipes but never, had to… Read more

contact someone else for , still not happy with the results, i would never have bought it if I had known the problems would never buy another.

Worked perfecr for 6 months but now just beeps at me – I have been using mine for 6 months with no problems, but now i am geeting woken up by it beeping half way through the cycle. When i check the machine the timer has restarted & the bread is not cooked. There are no error codes showing, Is there a way to look up past codes on the machine? The shop i purchased this from has closed down since buying, who could i get to fix it? Thanks

What was I thinking – First loaf in the bin and not even good enough to make breadcrumbs. Dismal failure, but had perfect loaf every time on my old toastmaster/breadmaker/toasteroven. Purchased the Breville Gourmet Breadmaker from good guys yesterday and now wondering why I bothered if it can't make an edible loaf of bread. Seems others have the same issue. It's 2016 and it seems like Breville can't make a product that does what it says.

Make perfect loaf BUT – This product is easy to use and I am happy with the result it produces. However, there was one occasion when I tried to look through the baker's glass window and accidentally touched the "start/cancle" button. The whole baking process was reset. I couldn't get it back to where it was before and have to start the whole process all over again. I… Read more

wish there is a preset setting where touching the button would not reset the process. e.g request reset confirmation before reset the baking process.

Poor quality parts – We used a Breville for about 15 years without too many problems, so when it needed replacing, we bought another Breville, bbm400. The first surprise was having to buy a new pan when it needed a new seal an spindle. (Parts were available for the old one that didn't require replacing the pan.) Anyway, we had been using the new one for about a year… Read more

and a half and it started making a scraping noise. When I took out the pan, I could see that the two pieces of protruding metal on top the motor that turn the paddle had snapped off. It looked to me to be a cheap alloy, but at any rate, it must be under engineered to break like that.

Bravo Breville – I am VERY happy with this machine. I currently have fresh bagettes baking for lunch and have made a small multigrain loaf as I am a single person household. I also made a "to die for" carrot cake and was extremely impressed. Two thumbs up yet again Breville!! I can't wait to make more delights from the cook book.  Show reply

Problem with NO ERROR MESSAGE! – I bought this for my wife and we're yet to get a good loaf out of it. The issue now is that it the bread maker starts it's cycle and then within a minute, beeps, simply returns to the start (timer resets and it stops making the bread!). No error message is displayed!!! I've removed the paddle to reduce resistance (in case that was causing it… Read more

to reset for some reason), I've run it empty, and I've kneaded the bread myself and tried 'bake only'. All result in this same problem.

I've videod what I mean here: https://youtu.be/yJ5iQDyLtJk and sent the video to the breville support mail address, but haven't had a response. Pretty frustrating - in wasted ingredients alone!

Disappointed – I received one for my birthday in November. I had a breadmaker years ago and always had lovely loaves of bread with beautiful crusts. So far this has failed to produce one loaf of bread that I have been happy with despite using a variety of flours and bread mixes. The bread is always "doughy" and does not rise.

breville gourmet bread machine – Couldnt wait to get home and unpack my new bread machine..first thing i noticed and struggled to read the operating panel.dosnt light up and is light in colour making it impossible to read...so far made the rolls they were good. But .dough was sticky and tad runny.had to hand knead in flour .. made frittata in the cake pan...awsum really… Read more ·  2

really good stil gotta try loaf and a cake..but do like this lil machine shame the panel is hard to read.

Display hard to read – I have to use a torch to read the display panel. A backlight would be most helpful. Despite this inconvenience every loaf has turned out beautifully and we are researching recipes for a heavy German style pumpernickel and dark rye and caraway bread. It is our most used kitchen appliance  Show reply

Be Wary - Replacement Pan Seals Are Not Available – We've been using Breville breadmakers for 10+ years at a loaf a day. They tend to last a 3-4 years before something serious fails but we usually have to replace the pan seal a few times during that time. It's not that hard and they cost about $8 at a service centre BUT our BBM400 seal has gone and seals are not available as a replacement part -… Read more

you have to buy an entire replacement pan at around $95 [link removed]. To me that's making the unit disposable and not repairable. The pan is fine, the coating is in good condition, etc. Breville could do a lot better in this instance.

Kneading paddle – A little disappointed that the non-stick coating has been coming off. Just peeling away. Not due to rough handling or cleaning. It has simply been wiping off even when using soft cloth. This means that it is difficult to remove the blade from the loaf of bread as it sticks.

Consistently producing tasty loaves – Having used the breville gourmet baker 2yrs+, and always using laucke bread Soy & multi grain mix I am most satisfied with my results - nice tasting loaves for family and friends. Just recently thd machine has developed a broken fruit & nut dispenser (this has occurred due to the heat encountered when the machine is in the baking heat mode. I have… Read more

been unable to fix this facility so am unable to use this for dispensing fruit into a loaf. I would suggest this device needs investigating and improving. Also a back light on the front control panel to illuminate the settings would greatly assist use of the machine. An additional method to gain more top heat so as to give a better top crust is required - overall a good mixer. RT

Love my Breadmaker – I have made a lot of bread now on this machine. Have also made Jam from our own feijoas which was a little runny, but in hindsight I think I should have mashed them first. I use spelt flour in my Breadmaker and because of the different qualities in spelt, eg the rising time is faster, I find it works better on the Rapid cycles. My loaves are… Read more

perfect. The cakes are quick and easy and have made crumble for dessert which is also very nice.

Thanks Breville.

So far so good! – I have made several different loaves, bread rolls, carrot cake and chocolate cake. All were fantastic. I do have to select dark each time or the loaf is quite pale. Like others have commented, the beeps and initial mixing are loud so I put it on a small table in the garage overnight, but the end result is really worth it.

Love it – I read some bad reviews of this bread maker after I purchased it but before I used it.... I have cataracts so I can't read the instructions (I had to photograph them and enlarge them on my ipad, then had to scroll and read word by word)... I made mistakes with my first loaf of bread because of this, and you know what? IT STILL TURNED OUT… Read more

PERFECT... I don't know what people are complaining about.

Today I'm making a balsamic caramelised onion and cheese loaf of bread - not following any recipe (other than the basic white bread base recipe), and my house smells awesome.

Gotta thank my husband for picking this breadmaker... love love love it

Really Happy – I was apprehensive about buying this bread maker due to some of the bad reviews, but the cake tin/bake options won me over. I came straight home and baked a cake in it out of the book and it worked perfectly and the cake was really yummy. I've also baked breads in it and they have worked every time. I've made sure I follow the directions from the… Read more

book to the letter. That's really the same with all baking though - little room for error. I've not tried packet mix breads yet, but will reduce the water as suggested.

Love it Love it – I purchased the machine 2 months ago and have made a large loaf of bread for my family every day. Best advice I can give - make sure your yeast is well in date, and for me, I keep it in the refrigerator. I prefer the 2nd setting for bread. Several times we found the bread went stale quickly, but this was due to my husband adding olive oil … Read more ·  1

Regular vegetable oil works fine.

I use the same measuring cups for flour, and the same measuring cup for water each time, making sure temp is right for yeast. If you want the loaf to be a little darker, a little sweeter then double the sugar. The bread improver is a must and so is the milk powder. Sooo nice to wake up in the morning to the aroma of fresh baked bread. I am now going to make pizza dough. I love this thing!

Same bad reviews on other bread maker brands – This site really needs to start monitoring pay bloggers. Look up sunbeam and other brands of bread makers and the bad reviews are almost identical in wording. Works Well looks great, think the lid could of been designed better to flush fit the bottom half. Makes perfect bread if u know how to make bread.

Not good for Gluten Free Options – I am disappointed in my expensive bread maker, I have made 4 different batches of Gluten free bread, using 2 different recipes (both from Breville bread maker manuals) and all have turned out incredibly stodgy and dense. I don't know what to do, I'm tempted to try and sell my expensive one to buy the cheaper model that a friend has, which is doing a better job :(.