With a company history that dates back over 100 years, Delonghi is one of the better know manufacturers of home appliances. They seem to make everything from air conditioners to coffee makers, and they have also released a few bread makers over the years. One of their more recent additions is the DBM450 which is what we will have a look at today. Does this model live up to the Delonghi brand name? Let’s try to answer that in more detail below.
Product Features:
To start with let’s have a look at the design of the DBM450. This is certainly a very modern looking design, and it has a very classy look to it. The bulk of the unit is stainless steel, while the top of the unit black. On the top is a stainless steel handle to open the main compartment, and the viewing window which consists of three glass strips through which you can look. There is also a light built into the lid which makes viewing the cooking progress even easier. Also on top is the automatic dispensing unit which is a great addition. This little compartment will hold any additional ingredients you wish to add to your bread such as nuts or raisins, and will automatically dispense them at the correct time. On the top right are the main controls, and the lcd is on the top right. The lcd screen is a decent size, and the blue font really looks great against the black and stainless steel.
The buttons are all well labelled, and big enough to make them easy to press. They are also completely smooth in line with the lid, so are easy to clean. The Delonghi logo is machined onto the front of the model, and it certainly looks really good without spoiling the design. The size of this machine is quite large, and the dimensions are 17.3″H x 18.2″L x 12.4D”W. Overall it is a really nice looking design, and we feel that it will look fantastic in any kitchen.
Moving on, we look at some of the many features built into this machine. There are 15 recipes built into this model which include basic, white rapid, wholewheat, wholewheat rapid, french, sweet, quick bread, cake, gluten free, dough, artisan dough, jam, pizza dough, bake and rapid bake. There is also an option to program five of your favorite recipes, so if you like your bread done in a particular way then this feature is exactly what you need. That is quite a selection to choose from, so we certainly cannot complain about the lack of variety from this particular model. This model supports three different sizes of bread including the small 1lbs, medium 1.5lbs and the large 2lbs. There are also the standard three crust options including light, medium and dark. Should the machine be unplugged by mistake while it is operation, you have an 8 minute window to plug it back in before the memory “forgets” what is was doing. If you live in an area which has short power cuts, then this is a model to consider.
Cooking in this particular machine is all fan assisted, which helps to ensure that everything is evenly cooked throughout. There is a single kneader in this model, and it is quite small so no need to worry about huge holes in the bottom of the bread. We can’t seem to find out what size motor powers the DBM450, but it seems to be strong enough to power through all kinds of dough. During the kneading phase it is a little noisy, but certainly not enough to complain about. If you are in the next room you won’t be bothered by the noise, so if you like to cook bread overnight then there isn’t too much to worry about. If waking up to a fresh loaf of bread is something you enjoy, then the built in 15 hour timer will be a big benefit to you.
Now the big question at this point is how well does it work. From the many hundreds of user reports we have come across, the vast majority say that it produces a fantastic loaf of bread. The taste, texture and overall quality of the bread is almost all praised with this model. And this praise goes across the entire recipe range on this model. There have only been a handful of complaints about the bread quality, but most of these seem to be related to faulty machine components. If you stick to the recommended means of cooking your bread (liquid ingredients, dry ingredients then yeast) then you should have no issues at all.
The finished bread products has been said to taste great, and this is what we would expect from such a high quality model. If you feel like the bread could have done with a little more kneading time or even cooking time, then these can all be fine tuned exactly to your liking and preference using the above mentioned Favorites button. Once your bread is ready, then it should easily slide out of the nonstick cooking pan. This pan is easy to clean, but should not be put in the dishwasher as this could damage the nonstick coating.
This model was released around late 2011, so it is a few years old now. At that time it had a retail price of around $299, but nowadays you can find it on sale for around $200 or less if you are willing to shop around a bit. At that price point it is certainly worth considering, based on how well it works and the number of features it has. If you are in the market for a quality bread machine, then this one is certainly worth a look.
User Manual: If you are looking for the user manual you can find it over here.
Pros:
- Fantastic design
- 3 loaf sizes
- Automatic dispenser
- Lots of recipes
- 5 Programmable favorite recipes
- 15 hour timer
Cons:
- Bit pricey
Summary:
If you want a modern bread machine that works well and has a range of different options, then the Delonghi bread maker is certainly a fine choice. It may cost a bit, but if you want a quality model then this one is worth considering. You can read some user reviews and find out more about it over at Amazon.
| Our Rating: |
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| 4.5 |