The Verdict
The Breville Custom Loaf is a versatile stainless steel bread maker machine designed to handle everything from standard artisan loaves to specialty recipes with total precision. Offering over 13 automatic programs alongside nine custom settings, it gives you complete control over your home baking without the guesswork.
Why We Love It: Features of This Stainless Steel Bread Maker Machine
- Collapsible Kneading Paddle: Thoroughly mixes your ingredients on a dedicated platform and then collapses flat before the bake cycle begins, allowing dough to expand cleanly.
- Automatic Fruit and Nut Dispenser: Automatically releases your mix-ins at the ideal point in the cycle, making it simple to bake customized loaves with balanced texture and flavor.
- Diverse Manual and Automatic Settings: Features preset options like gluten free, yeast free, crusty loaf, dough/pasta, and jam, plus nine customizable slots to save personal family recipes.
- Smart LCD Display and Power Protection: The clear screen keeps you informed at every baking phase, while a 60-minute backup system ensures unexpected power interruptions do not ruin your loaf.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Accommodates multiple loaf sizes ranging from 1 lb up to 2.5 lbs
- Includes three crust color options for personalized bakes
- Comes with two dedicated paddles (a collapsible paddle for dough/bread and a fixed paddle for jam)
- Brushed stainless steel finish fits naturally into modern kitchen setups
- Operates at an efficient 830 watts on standard 110–120V household power
Cons
- Substantial footprint requires dedicated kitchen counter space
- Higher investment compared to basic, entry-level bread makers
Who Should Buy This?
This appliance is ideal for home cooks, families, and bread enthusiasts who want the flexibility of baking various loaf sizes—from 1 lb to 2.5 lbs—along with specialized dietary options like gluten-free or yeast-free bread. If you appreciate the look of brushed stainless steel on your countertop and want hands-free features like automatic mix-in dispensing, this machine is an excellent match for your kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What loaf sizes can this stainless steel bread maker machine bake?
The machine accommodates multiple sizes ranging from 1-pound loaves up to 2 1/2-pound loaves.
What accessories are included in the box?
The unit includes two paddles: a collapsible paddle engineered for bread and dough cycles, and a fixed paddle specifically for the jam setting.
What happens if there is a brief power outage while baking?
The unit features power interruption protection that provides up to 60 minutes of backup power, preventing your bread-making cycle from stopping if the power momentarily cuts out.
5.0 out of 5 stars Love my new machine! I bought the Breville to replace my Williams Sonoma bread machine that I’d had for years, and I love it! My one complaint with the old machine was that it was impossible to make a crusty loaf–the kind I like the best. This machine has a crusty loaf cycle, and it works perfectly: the bread comes out just the way I like it.The built-in light is a dandy feature, which allows me to check the loaf without opening the lid. The manual that comes with the machine gives clear instructions and contains a number of recipes to get you started. All the ones I’ve tried so far have turned out just right. I can hardly wait for each loaf to be consumed so I can try another of the recipes.I’ve had none of the problems other reviewers have mentioned. The machine is no noisier than any other, and it doesn’t jump around. It sits there and does its job like a champ. It would be nice if there were two pans, one for 2- and 2 ½-pound loaves and another, smaller one for smaller loaves. That’s probably asking too much, though, and I’m delighted with the machine exactly as it is.Edited to add: After maybe a dozen loaves, the collapsible paddle started tearing a pretty big hole in the bottom of the bread because it had stopped collapsing correctly. I’ve found that if I want it to work well it’s necessary to remove every molecule of the last loaf with a toothpick and apply a dab of cooking oil as a lubricant. To get all the old trapped bread out, I have to first soak the paddle for a few minutes and then turn it back and forth on its spindle to bring all the bread particles out of its hidden depths to within reach of the toothpick.
5.0 out of 5 stars producing half baked "brick" without possibility to continue baking unless you would wait for Zo would cool down. Besides it bei Let me start with short review of Breville’s competitor I had an opportunity to try before buying this piece of home magic.My dear husband gave me an expensive Zojirushi as a B-day gift. I was exited to test it, but the recipie from the booklet failed immediately – bread was lumpy, tasteless and rock-hard. We’ve gave it another try and tried a cake recipie from the book, and it failed again, producing half baked “brick” without possibility to continue baking unless you would wait for Zo would cool down.Besides it being a lemon made in China (not in Japan, as expected), it also looks and feels like “Hello, housewives from 80-s!” with tiny dark lcd display, bulky body and colorful booklet, which looks more like a childrens book (not just because it is colored, but also by the mentoring tone some adults use with children – many repeats, minimum useful information, colorful simplified schemes and attractive pictures…). My guess, the model was not updated for the last 20-30 years, except the smooth buttons (a la 2000’s) and gluten free option, which probably was an encoding for some other modern trend from the past and now was just renamed for the sake of health consciousness buyers. There is no ways to modify pre-set programs and only three options for custom recipies, where you can choose only order and number of steps, but not the time or temperature. There are no crust settings for Wheat! I guess everybody in Japan like their wheat bread made only one way… I was more than disappointed not only by bad quality, but by Zo’s intend to standartize my baking and limit my creativity, the true essence if cooking. We’ve returned it without regrets.So, now about Breville. Compare to the traktor-like Zo, this is a top notch Rolls Roys. My first try of milk and honey bread from the booklet turned to be amaizing, tasty and exeeded mine and my family expectations (see photo). The bread was soft, spongy inside and with evenly golden artisian crust outside. The machine itself looks modern and stylish, with huge lighted display, easy to read text and icons, intuitive navigation and fancy buttons. The booklet is full of quite useful information, tips, tricks and recipies. Compare to Zo, it has only one paddle for bread, but it is collapsible and there is another paddle for the jam included. Nice feature Zo was missing, is fruts and nuts dispenser, which this machine has on the detachable cover. But most importantly, this beauty has a magic button “Modify”, which can change any pre-set ptogram to your desite for the length of each step and, where applicable, for the temperature as well. There are 9 custom programs you can keep in Breville’s memory for some of your favorite recipies, or your experiments. I have not tried it yet, but I believe it could be programmed to be a yogurt maker or sourdough starter. The pickaboo window is big enough to catch moments where you may want to add liquid or flour during kneeding, and there is a light inside to see how bread is breathing and rising.A few cons, which might be disturbing for some, but does not downgrade my opinion about this breadmaker:1. the signal has a higher pitch, but you can turn it off.2. It moves more and noizier compare to my old Toastmaster or Zojihushi. However, it has rubber pads on the legs, so I doubht it may walk away from my countertop one day.3. Collapsible pad would require better cleaning and some practice to put it in the open position while adding ingredients (mine was collapsing, so I had to hold it with a spoon while adding liquids).4. Stainless steel frame is a fingertip and drops magnet and would require periodic cleaningDespite these minor nuances, the result beats the minor inconveniences. I am happy to have this model as my B-day present and my husband loves it even more!P.S. Accidently found a trick to switch from light to medium crust without restarting the programm – close the dispenser before baking step.
5.0 out of 5 stars i begin to feel bored and hence would like to leave this boring task ... I have a Breville Espresso machine and so i decided to give their bread machine also a try. I make bread by hand and still do. But my silly husband loves honey wheat so much and wants me to make it so often, i begin to feel bored and hence would like to leave this boring task to ‘Breville’. This is the first time i tried to make Bread with machine and it is a Breville.The machine was delivered last Thursday and arrived in good conditions. The manual is understandable and also writen in a way to be so precise…for a while i doubted if the bread would turn out ok. (In the manual they would tell you all ingredients you put into the machine had to be 80F. You know from actual practices you wont use the thermometer to measure stuff before putting it in).I chose the recipe in the manual (honey wheat raisin). I dont keep any raisin in the house so, i just skipped it. At the same time, i also added an egg and cut butter and salt by half(by adding an egg, i had to use less water). That is to say i didnt follow their recipe very strictly even when it was my first time to use this machine.The function selection is easy to handle. I chose 1.5 pounds, medium crust and whole wheat (not rapid). It took 3:23 hrs(if my memories are not wrong). It was not very lousy and the dough mixing was actually fun to look at. Me and my husband kept looking at it through the glass.(Edited on Sept 2, 2017) i found out i made a mistake in my 3rd trying with the yeast amount. The manual said ‘teaspoon’ but i mistook it as ‘tablespoon’. So i have to come up here to give fairer review. The loaf comes out very nice now. (3rd trial). 1.5lbs, whole wheat(not rapid) and light crust. Pls refer to the photo. I managed also to interact with the machine and was able to take the paddle out when Rise 2 was finished and before Rise 3 started. Also, whether the machine makes a lot a lot noises depends on how dry your dough is. If your dough is too dry, the machine can be very noisy and it is actually a hint to you that you may need to check if you need to add some more water. (This comes with experience especially if you have made bread from scratch before in the oven.)So if you are looking for a bread machine, give this a try. I begin to have Brand loyalty now as my Breville Espresso machine also works very well. will definitely look for Breville if i need other machines for the kitchen.
5.0 out of 5 stars Set it and forget it I love this breadmaker. It is truly set it and forget it. I had a cuisinart bread machine that while it baked bread, would burn it almost even on the lightest setting and I would miss the beep to remove the blade and have a huge hole.This bread maker is so much better. It it completely customizable. You can modify any preprogrammed setting to your liking. I really like making the 2.5 lb honey milk bread recipe from the manual, but I modify it. I change the honey for 2 tbsp of sugar. Then I swap 2 of the cups of bread flour for white whole wheat flour. I select the white bread setting for 2.5 lbs and light crust. I feel the crust is a little too dark for me still, so luckily with this machine I can modify it. So I modify the settings and change the baking temp 4 degrees lower and have it set not to keep warm once it’s finished.The paddle collapses very well, leaving a small hole in the bottom. When making sandwiches, I can’t even tell which slices had the dimple from the paddle.I was baking bread with my oven and kitchenaid to prepare over the summer which was infinitely better than the cuisinart I had. However during the school months, I don’t have time to babysit dough. I was back to buying bread, but missed homemade.I absolutely love that I can literally set this and forget it for roughly 3 hours or so and come back to perfect bread. I love that it is fully customizable and you can save the modifications. My modifications to the white loaf setting is saved as custom loaf 1. You can change anything from temperature of proofing and baking, to how long it spends doing each process. It is totally worth the price. I would recommend this to anyone who loves homemade bread, but doesn’t have the time to keep up with it on a daily basis.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Bread Machine Love, love, love it! Very quiet and stable on kitchen counter. I made two beautiful loaves right out of the box! Whole Wheat and Pizza Bread. I have tried Zorushi, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, KBS, and none of them appealed to me like the Breville Bread Machine. I like the very efficient 1 paddle Breville. . . it has the power to knead the dough at over 800 watts. Breville is quality. . . whatever you buy. In beginning, you’ve got to layer the ingredients. . . wet on bottom, dry on top, and be careful with temp of liquids. . . If you have a problem, it could be you, the recipe, or other factors (such as the yeast you have chosen to use) that can affect the outcome of your baked product. Don’t blame the well-made machine. The book that accompanies it is very informative (small type) with a few recipes. So I used ones that I already had and one off the internet. Wow! I am in love with this machine!Hi! Aug 16. Perfect performance every time. I have not bought a loaf of sandwich bread since I acquired the machine. Not one! I use Bread Dad’s recipes, whole wheat and white buttermilk bread. Note: don’t open lid and rearrange dough. You don’t need to. Just let it do its thing. Perfect every time. Do yourself a favor, read guidebook thoroughly and follow bread recipes for machines weighing ingredients. Have fun!