I was totally wrong about using a stand mixer for bread dough

For years I thought my KitchenAid was the only way to get a good gluten structure, especially with high hydration doughs. I'd just let it run on medium for a full 10 minutes until the bowl was clean. My buddy who runs a small bakery in Boise finally called me out on it last fall, saying I was overheating the dough and killing the yeast flavor. He showed me his method: mix on low just until it comes together, maybe 3 minutes, then do the rest by hand with stretch and folds. I tried it with my basic white loaf recipe and the difference was huge. The crumb was more open and the taste was way better, less like store bread. Now I only use the mixer for the initial mix and feel like I actually connect with the dough. Has anyone else made the switch from machine kneading to mostly hand work?

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3 Comments

eva9085mo ago

My mixer basically became a very expensive paperweight.

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mary7765mo ago

Honestly, I just let my mixer do the work. The whole overheating thing feels overblown for a home baker. My bread tastes fine and my time is worth something. If I had to do all that hand work, I'd probably just buy a loaf. Is the difference really that big for a simple sandwich bread?

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william_jackson654mo ago

Go ahead and ask Mary if her mixer is making her bread or if she's just using it to save time. I've been baking for 20 years and I can tell the difference between a hand-kneaded loaf and one that got beat up in a machine. It's like comparing a home-cooked meal to fast food, both fill you up but one tastes better. For a simple sandwich bread, sure, it's fine, but don't pretend you can't taste the difference when you actually pay attention.

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