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Panasonic invented the first bread maker in 1986, and since then their machines have consistently led the way. The Panasonic SD-BMS105-SW is one of those bread machines that wouldn’t stay on the shelves once it’s restocked. It is only sold in Japan and you might be able to find one in other parts of Asia. We’ve always wanted to try it but couldn’t get our hands on one until we found it on Amazon.com. Put simply, the Panasonic SD-BMS105-SW is a very popular bread machine because it is years ahead of the other bread machines. You won’t find anything similar to it on the market today. If you compare this to most bread machines in the US market, it doesn’t even compare because it’s in a league of its own. What makes it so special?

Our Panasonic SD-BMS105-SW Review

The Panasonic SD-BMS105-SW is not just a bread machine, it’s a bread factory. It can make all the breads, pasta, dough, jam, and cake that regular bread machines can, plus Japanese treats such as “melon bread”, chocolate bread, red bean bread, steamed bread, rice bread, mochi, and udon. It has dedicated settings for these. Panasonic understood that Japanese people wanted to make more than bread with their bread machines, so they created a bread machine that would make familiar Japanese foods that typically use flour. And most Japanese households do not have large ovens like America, so that’s why they created this awesome bread machine.

But we want to caution that because this is a Japanese import, everything about this machine is written in Japanese. So if you don’t know the language, it will take some time to figure everything out. There’s a similar machine that’s sold in Taiwan so you can download a Chinese manual on the Panasonic website. But if you don’t know either of those languages it might be tough to use. Try to get someone to help you translate. It took us a while to figure everything out, but it was only at the beginning. We labeled and documented everything in English.

What’s remarkable about this machine is that it has both a yeast dispenser and a fruit and nut dispenser. Among all the high-end models we’ve seen and reviewed, they either only have a yeast dispenser or a fruit and nut dispenser. Panasonic packed both of these dispensers in the machine. You can insert these items and the machine will release them at the right moment. It’s a really smart machine. We’re really impressed with the precision and attention to detail in the Panasonic SD-BMS105-SW. Plus, you can choose to drop both the yeast and fruit/nut from the dispenser manually or automatically.

Besides the impressive features, the Panasonic SD-BMS105-SW makes perfect bread. Yes, perfect…there’s no other way to describe it. The inside is super soft and the crust is just perfect. The aroma is just heaven. We like it more than bakery bread. If you use the “quick bake” setting it will bake the bread in 54 minutes. We also enjoy making cool items with this bread machine. We’ve made mochi, udon, and “melon pan” or “melon bread” which is this delicious round bread with a sweet (almost like custard) top.

Panasonic SD-BMS105-SW Features At A Glance

• Makes a tall 1-pound loaf
• Bakes bread in 1 to 3 hours, and has a 13-hour delay timer
• Has both a yeast and fruit/nut dispenser
• Has a large LCD display
• Has a plethora of pre-programmed settings: basic bread, French bread, whole wheat bread, rice bread, rye bread, brioche, red bean bread, dough, pizza dough, cake, pasta, udon, mochi, steamed bread, jam, quick bake, and more!
• Comes with instruction manual, recipe book with 30 uniquely Japanese recipes, removable bake pan with two kneading blades (one for bread and one for noodles/mochi), oven mitts, measuring spoon, and measuring cup

Concluding Thoughts

The best thing about this bread machine is the amount and variety of breads and other specialty items it can make. If you want something that makes more than bread, this is absolutely the machine to get. It’s a smart machine and even an inexperienced bread maker will be able to bake delicious, fancy bread. We would buy it simply to make mochi and udon. It’s hands down the coolest bread machine we’ve reviewed. It makes all the other machines look boring. We are more than pleased with the purchase.

Update: Panasonic has made a newer version of this model. Check out our review of the Panasonic SD-BMT1000.

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