Recommended Mixer size?

Profile picture for user Bread obsessed
Bread obsessed on 22 Feb 2020 at 06:08

I've kneaded by hand so far but difficult to knead large batches.

The most I would make is enough dough for approximately 4-5 average-sized loaves of bread?

Mixers seem to have 4.5 to 6 quart bowls... any recommendations from experience? (any other advice also welcomed!)

Is the mixer I have. It can handle a large amount and it seems to be powerful and well made. If I could do it all over again and money was no object I may have gotten the Ankarsrum. Though I have not seen one perform I believe it would handle higher hydration doughs better than the Bosch. The Wonder Mixer looks like an older model of the Bosch at a much cheaper price. I started with a Kitchen Aide which is a popular mixer but it was straining too much to do bread dough.

I read negative comments about mixing smaller dough batches of hydration dough, but they dated back many years, how long have you had yours, do you know if that's been resolved in recent models?

I have been using it a lot more recently and like any mixer there is a learning curve. I have no issues with smaller batches (single loaf) of dough and have learned to mix high hydration dough better by withholding some water and slowly adding it as the dough develops. The newer models have a stainless steel bowl but the plastic one seems fine to me. If bread is your main objective it is a very good mixer.

I have a (now) older Bosh Universal myself that I bought more than ten years ago.  I was making six loaves of 100% home-milled whole wheat at a time for quite a while.  The Bosch never struggled. 

I'm sure models have changed since I bought mine, but I am well pleased with it for bread making.  I now also have a KA Pro600, but it's primarily for other mixer duties than mixing and kneading bread dough.

Profile picture for user Bread obsessed

Bread obsessed on 22 Feb 2020 at 15:16

Thank you! I do have a budget unfortunately ?

And as a very new bread maker, I wouldn't invest in a pro mixer at this point.  So I'm looking for a home mixer that won't die after 3 month because I mainly mix bread dough.

I have had great experience with my KitchenAid so far (5 qt.). If I wanted to make larger amounts, I would just mix multiple batches. Since it's consistent mixing, I can just time it and have same results with every batch.

You should be able to pick it up for 300$ online, it can be used for other mixing tasks too and they are known to last a lifetime.

But mine is the 7 qt pro line. Unfortunately it’s not cheap but it was a gift thank goodness. I never mix dough at a speed higher than 2. If you go higher, it’s a sure way of killing your machine. Watch the max dough amount recommended and never exceed it. I make 12 loaves in mine but not all at once. I make 4 batches of dough that are around 2 to 2 and a half kilos ~(5 lbs) each. My machine apparently can handle 8 lbs but I’ve never pushed it to that. 
Looking at a Bosch or an Anksarum might be a good idea too. Good luck. 

Hello, I was wondering, how is your mixer still doing? I'm interested in getting the 7 qt pro line to make bread. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Avantco mixer..jpg

 

I'm through messing around with Ebay! The n-50 mixers are way to expensive & they don't come with any beaters or bowls. I'm gonna get the one pictured above that comes with the beaters & bowl, then I'll be finished. It is brand spanking new & comes with everything!!!

It comes with a flat beater, wire whip & a spiral dough hook, plus it has a 10-qt stainless steel bowl. it's very heavy though. But it will last a lifetime.

Profile picture for user Alex_Dew

Alex_Dew on 10 Mar 2020 at 18:32

If you are looking at KitchenAid, the sizes are:

  •  Tilt-Head Mixers: 3.4-, 4.5- & 5-quart capacities
  • Bowl-Lift Mixers: 4.5- and 8-quart capacities
  • Artisan Mini: 3.5-quart capacity

I saw a Globe SP08 Mixer on Ebay that I bought. The bowl & beaters have to be bought separately. This is the last time that I buy a mixer from there without the bowl & beaters.

Kitchenaid is off the list for me. They are no good now, since Hobart is not making them!!

Thank you all for the input!  Commercial 10 qt++ are too much for my needs and space.  In the end my family and friends are getting together for an Ankarsrum, since I'm having a party for a milestone bday in April, very excited!

I have the Nutrimill Artiste and it will make two loaves easily (800-900 g flour) however the engine has overheated and stopped when I tried four loaves. It is not a lack of power of the mixer. The torque is excellent. It is just that the engine won't evacuate all of the internal heat efficiently enough. That was with a brioche type bread. Just wait 10 mn for the motor to cool and continue mixing. Maybe I was mixing too long since I was going for 600 turns, that is 5 min at speed 3. This is a good machine but I understand I might need a spiral mixer to handle more dough. I am not sure though.

I have an old, Hobart manufactured, KA K4B.  I have retrofitted a 5 qt bowl.  It will mix two loaves of bread, but it presses the limits of the bowl--hard.  I'm curious how someone makes four loaves (other than mini) in a six quart bowl.  I made four loaves, one after the other, a couple of days ago.  The mixer wasn't smoking, or seeming to strain, at all, but it did get hot, so I let it cool, as a matter of prudence.  I have never owned one of the foreign mixers.  They seem to have their following, just not me.

Speeds 1 or 2 should be enough to make bread dough. Anything over that puts the mixer in a terrible strain! Usually, ALL mixer manuals tell you to do it this way. Anything higher could cause the machine to "walk off the countertop or table & fall to the floor!

I use those 2 speeds often. They work for me The motor won't overheat & you should be fine using them. The slower the speed, the more torqe you'd get & the machine will do a much better job of keading the dough.