Judge Electricals Digital Bread Maker – Review

By Steve Crabtree, November 2024

As a family of three, each with a preference for different kinds of bread, we seem to buy at least one new loaf on every visit to the shop or supermarket. However, due to our three-loaf requirements, none of us usually finishes a loaf before its best-before date.

Recently, a family friend gave us a loaf she’d baked in her oven (she’s been baking bread for the 40+ years I’ve known her, and probably longer!), and a colleague also brought a loaf she’d made with a new bread maker into the office. Both loaves were far superior to anything you can get in a shop or supermarket – they were bakery quality.

So, I decided to jump on the bread-making bandwagon… but via a bread maker rather than an oven. With that in mind, let me introduce you to the Electricals Digital Bread Maker from Judge…

What’s in the Box

• Electricals Digital Bread Maker
• Non-stick bread pan and kneading blade
• Measuring cup and measuring spoons
• Blade hook
• Recipe booklet (included in the usage instructions)

First Impressions

Firstly, the box is very large, and when it arrived, I wondered where on earth we’d be able to put this bread maker. However, my fears quickly disappeared after opening it up and finding plenty of protective packaging, with a compact-sized unit nestled within it all.

Measuring 29cm x 28cm x 33cm and weighing around 5kg, it’s easy to set up and place in your kitchen.

In terms of appearance, it doesn’t immediately grab your attention. It gave me office-printer vibes at first glance. However, once positioned in your kitchen, it blends subtly into its surroundings. It’s very fuss-free and has a neat, understated look.

Moving from first impressions to practicalities, I opened the lid and initially wondered if the bread pan inside the machine was a little on the small side. I later realised my inexperience with this kind of equipment had led me to overestimate what was necessary! The pan is perfectly capable of baking a good-sized small loaf (650g) as well as a larger one (800g).

After a quick look at the instructions, I washed the pan, blade, measuring spoons, and cup – all in the name of good hygiene! And that was it. That was the setup. If the concept of “plug-and-play” could be applied to a bread maker, this would be a prime example.

Performance

With various ingredients in the house, I was itching to give the machine a go. One of the things I like about the bread machine is that it has a few recipes in the instruction book to try, letting you master the machine before first, before getting a bit more creative.

Amongst the small selection of recipes are an everyday sandwich loaf, a gluten-free loaf, a crusty white farm loaf, and a quick white loaf. (You also get options to make doughs for pizza, bread rolls, as well as a setting to make marmalade!)

For my first attempt, I decided to try the Ultra Fast White loaf – the 650g version, which should take around 1 hour and 28 minutes to bake.

For those of you who haven’t used a bread maker before, this is where the genius of it really shines.

You simply place the ingredients into the Electricals Digital Bread Maker bread pan (in a specific order), close the lid, select the settings using three buttons, and press start.

“It bakes and it does its thing”

The recipe booklet instructed me to add 280ml of warm water to the pan, followed by 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of caster sugar. Next, I carefully poured 420g of strong white flour over the liquid at the bottom and made a well in the flour to add a sachet (7g) of fast-action dried yeast.

After closing the lid, the instructions asked me to press the menu button until option seven appeared on the screen (Ultra Fast), then press the loaf button to select the size of loaf I wanted, and the colour button to choose whether I wanted a light, medium, or dark crust. Finally, you press start… and walk away.

The machine takes over, handling all the mixing, kneading, and any other technical processes involved in making bread – without you having to lift a finger. How good is that? It even beeps for ten seconds at the point where you can add extra ingredients, such as fruit or seeds, to the dough. But that’s it.

The machine stirs, mixes, and kneads for a while – you can hear it working for about 20 minutes or so. It’s not particularly noisy, and you quickly get used to the gentle whirring. Then, it stops, bakes, and completes the process.

What Judge Say

“Enjoy fresh bread at the touch of a button with the Electrical Digital Bread Maker from Judge. Bake 650g or 800g loaves using the easy 12 pre-set programmes from quick to gluten-free, kneading to cakes and jam settings. Featuring a 13-hour programmable timer and keep warm setting this bread maker is easy to use and perfect for busy bakers.”

“Nicely tanned crust”

After less than an hour and a half, the Electricals Digital Bread Maker signalled that it had finished.

That was my cue to head straight over with the oven gloves. As per the booklet, I twisted the bread pan slightly, and it popped out of the bread maker. I turned the pan upside down onto a cooling rack, and with a few taps, the loaf slid out.

And there it was. Staring back at me was something resembling a loaf of bread. Perhaps not a masterpiece, but certainly the creation of an enthusiastic beginner. The nicely tanned crust looked gorgeous, and the shape was decent – although there was a bit of sinkage on the top.

You usually have to remove the small mixing blade (don’t worry – it’s not sharp) from the loaf using the hook provided. After doing this, I let the loaf cool down before slicing and tasting it.

I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to eating a slice of bread so much. After about an hour, we took out the bread knife and cut a few slices. I have to say, although the shape of the loaf was a bit questionable, the taste was pretty good. It was light and almost as good as a shop-bought loaf. A decent first attempt, but I could imagine my Home Economics teacher writing something like, “A good effort. With practice, you’ll improve! Keep at it!”

Still, it made for a lovely bacon sandwich. And in the end, that’s what really matters, right?

“That baking bread smell…”

After the first attempt, I stocked up on a variety of flours, more olive oil, and more yeast, and decided to try again. The gluten-free loaf was a disaster, but the granary and crusty white farmhouse loaves turned out much better – and even began to taste better than what we usually buy from the shop.

I then moved on to trying different recipes I found online for bread makers, and my success grew even more. By loaf number five, I was producing bread with no flaws in shape that tasted as if it had come straight from the oven of a local bakery.

Some recipes suggest adding the yeast to the water before adding the flour. I’ve tried that, and I believe it’s a key factor in the success of the loaves. It’s certainly helped me make great strides towards bread-making perfection!

Oh – one important thing to mention: after about an hour of baking, that glorious smell of freshly baked bread fills your house, and it’s utterly delightful!

The verdict

As with anything in life, practice makes perfect – and that rule certainly applies to cooking and baking. While I was hoping this machine would magically produce the perfect loaf on the first attempt, perhaps my eagerness to use it meant I was slightly off with a few measurements in my initial attempts.

However, when you get it right, and especially when you try recipes beyond those supplied, you feel as proud as punch about the work you (or the machine!) have done.

I love how you simply add the ingredients. The hardest part is measuring them out – and even that’s straightforward. The 12 pre-set programmes are excellent, and the step-by-step process for baking is fantastic. The machine is an absolute breeze to use, and it’s easy to clean too!

One feature I’ve yet to try is the 13-hour programmable timer – that’s something for another day. But overall, I’m really happy with this new addition to the kitchen. I know it’ll get plenty of use from the whole family!

The Electricals Digital Bread Maker from Judge Cookware is available at judge.co.uk. RRP £157.00