I didnt think I had time to make bread - then I tried the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker

RRP at time of testing: 100 | Check price at Amazon, Lakeland, Currys or Morphy Richards directly

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My verdict

Ive always filed homemade bread under lovely idea, but not happening. The kind of thing you see on an American homesteading account, where someone calmly kneads dough at 10am while their toddler plays with wooden toys and the kitchen somehow stays spotless.

In my house, its a stark contrast. Theres work, children, dogs and the slow creep of washing that never quite gets finished. So you wouldnt blame me for thinking that baking bread from scratch felt wildly unrealistic.

But after a month with the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker, Ive had to reassess that slightly. Not because Ive suddenly become that person, but because this makes it a lot easier to pretend I am.

It comes in a large box with everything you need inside to get started

This bread maker isnt for someone chasing perfect, artisan loaves or wanting to get deeply into bread-making as a hobby - you'll probably want to look at the Sage Custom Loaf Pro Bread Maker. Its for people who like the idea of homemade bread but dont have the time or inclination to do it the traditional way. Like cooking with your air fryer or multi-cooker: it makes the job a lot easier.

There are a few quirks, though. The lid clearance is slightly annoying and its not the quietest appliance when it gets going. Youll also need a bit of trial and error at the start, or at least I did. But once youve found your rhythm, it slots into a busy week more easily than youd expect. And in a house where most things feel like a juggle, thats probably the most convincing selling point of all.

How Ive tested the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker

Ive been using the bread maker for the past month in our fairly typical, slightly chaotic household. Its been used twice a week, mostly by me, fitting around work, school runs and everything else that comes with family life.

I started with a 1.5lb loaf on a medium crust setting, which didnt go brilliantly. Largely because I didnt put enough water into the mixture. Since then, Ive settled into making 2lb loaves with a dark crust setting, tweaking the water levels to improve the results.

Most of my testing has been with the standard Morphy Richards white bread recipe rather than anything particularly experimental, as thats realistically how Id use it long term. Im not pretending Im about to start whipping up sun-dried tomato loaves on a Wednesday night between homework and bath time.

I've been making a basic white bread recipe that has just four ingredients

I have used the Fastbake setting on a couple of occasions but, to be honest, I prefer the basic white bread programme. Fastbake takes just 58 minutes, which sounds incredibly appealing when youve realised too late that nobody bought bread. In practice, I found the result more crumbly, as though the loaf hadnt had quite enough time to bind properly. The basic programme takes around three hours, but the extra proving time gave me a better loaf.

Every loaf has been a learning curve, but I now feel confident making two loaves a week using the basic recipe. Ive also learned that warm water does, in fact, make a difference. The manual recommends liquids between 21C and 28C, and annoying as it is when instructions are right, this one is worth following.

Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker: whats in the box?

Inside the box, you get the bread maker itself along with the non-stick baking pan and kneading paddle. Thankfully, its not overloaded with extra parts that ultimately get lost in the junk drawer. It does come with some measuring spoons and cup but I already had my own stainless steel ones, so didn't really need these.

The unit is solid and the only extras you get are some measuring tools

Is the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker easy to set up?

Setup is very straightforward. Theres no complicated assembly involved. You slot the baking pan into place, add the kneading blade and youre essentially ready to go.

Morphy Richards advises washing the baking pan and kneading blade before first use, then greasing the pan and running it empty for around 10 minutes on the Extra Bake programme. This helps clear any first-use residue or smell from manufacturing.

Once thats done, the only real setup is getting used to ingredient quantities and order. The manual is quite firm on this: ingredients need to go into the pan in the order listed, and the yeast shouldnt touch the water before mixing starts. This matters more than youd think, particularly if youre using the delay timer.

To prepare the breadmaker, I had to grease the inner pan first

How easy is the Morphy Richards breadmaker to use?

After getting past the initial intimidation factor, its surprisingly very easy to use. You add your ingredients, choose your programme, select the loaf size and crust colour, then leave it alone. Theres no hands-on kneading or constant checking, which is exactly what makes it workable in my home.

Ive ended up doing all the baking myself, mostly because its simple enough to fit into my routine without much thought. As soon as my Big Food Shop arrives on a Monday afternoon, I get a loaf on the go so well have fresh bread by the time our DC get home from school.

My first loaf didn't turn out the best aesthetically - but it tasted good!

There is a bit of trial and error at the start. My first loaf came out with a spiky, uneven top, which turned out to be down to not adding quite enough water. Adding an extra 10ml made a noticeable difference to the next loaves.

After that, its been very straightforward each time. Its one of those appliances where the first go feels like a science experiment, then by week three youre measuring flour while answering a question about PE kit and wondering why you ever thought this was complicated.

Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker: size and worktop fit

Bread makers have a reputation for being bulky, and while this isnt tiny, its not as bad as I expected. Its slimmer than some of the chunkier models Ive seen from Sage and Panasonic, though it is quite deep. It sits on the worktop without taking over completely, which matters if space is already tight.

As you can see, you need good headspace above the bread maker in order to open the lid

The bigger issue is height. You need enough clearance above it to open the lid fully. In my kitchen, that means pulling it right to the edge of the counter to open and close it, then pushing it back under the cupboard once its running.

Its not a dealbreaker, but it does add a small layer of faff. Then again, this is probably a my kitchen problem rather than solely an appliance issue, given I had the same head-space problem with the Ninja 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker recently.

What programmes does the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker have?

The Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker has 12 programmes: basic, French, wholewheat, quick, Fastbake I, Fastbake II, dough, jam, cake, sandwich and extra bake.

In reality, I found what worked and stuck with it. The 2lb loaf with a dark crust setting has become the default in our house, giving a firmer, crunchier finish that works well for toast.

There are 12 settings to choose from on the Fastbake Breadmaker

The extra settings are useful if you want to experiment. The dough programme can make dough for rolls, pizza bases and hot cross buns - my husband enjoys this function. The jam setting can be used for marmalade and jam (though Im yet to try this), while the cake setting is there for recipes such as fruit cake and gluten-free cake. Gluten-free bread is made using the basic programme, with a slightly different method.

Still, you dont need to use every setting to get value from it. I suspect most families will be like us: find the loaf everyone actually eats, then make that until someone complains.

Does the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker perform well?

After my slightly dodgy first attempt, performance has been consistent. Once Id figured out the right ingredient quantities (after a quick Amazon Prime next-day purchase of measuring cups), the machine did what it was meant to do. You add everything in, leave it alone and come back to a finished loaf.

My DC love helping me put the ingredients inside - though you do have to be careful what order you dump them in

Theres no need to intervene mid-cycle for a standard loaf. The machine does beep during certain programmes to tell you when to add fruit, nuts or other extras, but for a basic white loaf Ive mostly been able to ignore it until its done.

The basic programme has been the most reliable for me. Fastbake is useful in theory, especially as both Fastbake programmes take under an hour, but I preferred the texture of loaves made on the longer setting.

Bread quality and consistency with Morphy Richards breadmaker

The quality of the bread has been good, particularly after making that small adjustment to water levels.

The crust setting makes a noticeable difference. Switching to a darker crust gave a firmer, more satisfying finish, especially for toast. The bread itself is simple, fresh and very much family loaf rather than artisan bakery, but thats exactly what I wanted from it.

After the first few goes, my bread started to look and taste great

What I liked most is that improvements were easy to achieve. Small tweaks had clear results, rather than feeling like guesswork. Since that first week, the loaves have been consistent enough that Ive kept using it regularly without worrying about wasted ingredients.

Morphy Richards Fastbake: how noisy is it?

This isnt a silent appliance. During the proving stages, its quiet enough that you forget its there. Then the kneading starts, which is noticeably louder. Its not unbearable, but in an open-plan space or during quieter parts of the day, youll definitely notice it. Something to note if you work from home nearby. It wouldnt stop me using it, but I wouldnt set it going in the evening if I was hoping for a peaceful kitchen reset.

One of the many loaves that have turned out perfectly

Cleaning and maintenance of the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker

Cleaning is fairly simple, but it is hand-wash only. The baking pan and kneading blade shouldnt go in the dishwasher, which is worth knowing if youre allergic to washing up by hand.

The non-stick pan has cleaned up easily so far. The kneading blade can stick occasionally, but soaking it in warm water helps loosen it. Youll also need to avoid metal utensils so you dont scratch the coating.

Morphy Richards bread maker: is it good value for money?

Where this bread maker starts to make sense is in how often you use it. Making two loaves a week has reduced how much bread we're buying, particularly packaged supermarket loaves, and has cut down on some of the plastic that comes with them.

Making our own bread has meant were relying less on packaged supermarket loaves, which is something my husband and I were keen to do anyway. I like knowing exactly whats going into it, and its noticeably cut down on how much bread were buying each week.

My DH always says I make too much mess in the kitchen - whoops!

The numbers back it up too. We used to pick up a Warburtons farmhouse loaf for 1.60 at ASDA; now, each homemade loaf costs us around 55p in ingredients - flour, yeast, honey and a splash of olive oil. Thats a saving of just over 1 per loaf, or roughly 100 a year at two loaves a week. At that rate, the bread maker pays for itself within the first year.

Thats where the value is. Like the best slow cookers, its the kind of appliance that earns its keep if it becomes part of your weekly routine. If it doesn't, it's another appliance taking up space.

Comparing bread makers: Morphy Richards vs Sage

Final verdict: should you buy the Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker?

The Morphy Richards Fastbake Breadmaker is a practical, easy-to-use bread maker for families who like the idea of homemade bread but dont want bread-making to become a full personality change.

I've enjoyed making two loaves a week for our family

It isnt perfect. It needs space above it, it makes some noise when kneading and the Fastbake setting didnt give me our preferred results (though you may like it). Theres also a bit of trial and error involved at the start, especially with water quantities and temperature. But once I found the setting that worked for us, it became surprisingly easy to use regularly. The basic white programme has produced consistent 2lb loaves, the dark crust setting gives a good finish and the whole thing now fits neatly into my Monday routine.

Its not for artisan bread purists. Its for busy households that want fresh bread with minimal fuss. On that front, it does the job very nicely IMO.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. Shes equally at home tackling frank, NSFWadjacent topics as she is roadtesting kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the timepoor, sleepdeprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents lives easier.

When shes not at her desk, shes probably producttesting with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

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All prices are correct at the time of writing.

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