Bakery – The 3 Best Stand Mixer for Bread Dough, Cakes and More
Do you love baking bread? But are too lazy to do all the hard work it takes to bake a perfect bread? If you said yes, then I have a perfect solution for you. Using one of the best stand mixer for bread dough featured here can really make baking a breeze or at least part of it. I too loved baking bread and cake, and I have to say that my KitchenAid stand mixer has been my best-prized possession thus far.
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What is a Stand Mixer?
Stand mixer is a kitchen machine that is perfect for keen bakers who love baking bread, cakes, pastry, desserts or muffins without spending hours at a stretch in the kitchen. A good stand mixer takes away all the hard work out of kneading the dough or mixing the batter and give perfect results without putting in a ton of effort.
However, while investing in a stand mixer, don’t get surprised that you may come across some mixers that will cost you more than a washing machine or an oven. This is when you may think whether it is worth investing the money or not. So before you make the purchase, make sure you make a comparison and know your requirements in detail.
Types of Mixers
While trying to buy a mixer, it is important to keep your requirements in mind and choose what you actually need. Two of the most common type of mixers available in the market are:
Stand Mixers
Stand mixers make the mixing process a breeze. They are suitable for mixing thick dough for bread or pizza or dough for recipes that require trickier mixing. Stand mixers are more powerful as compared to their counterpart and mix the material faster and efficient. However, in term of space and weight, it can be bulkier and heavier.
The stand mixer is stationary and starts mixing when you flip on the switch. Thus it gives you ample time to indulge in other work while it completes its job. The stand mixer can also come with a number of attachments designed for additional functionality than just simply mixing ingredients. However, the price of a stand mixer is higher compared to hand mixers.
Hand Mixers
If your top priority while shopping for a kitchen mixer is affordability, then hand mixer should be your choice. These are more affordable than stand mixers and take up less counter space. They have a simple design and comes with two options – rotary hand mixers (manually spin by hand) and electrical hand mixers.
The hand mixers are not stationary and thus involves a lot of manual work. For example, you have to hold the mixer for it to work. Moreover, hand mixers tend to be messy, less powerful and takes up a lot of time and energy as compared to stand mixers
Still not convinced on what to choose? Take a look at few more differences between hand mixers and stand mixer to get a clear picture.
How to Pick the Best Stand Mixer for Bread Dough?
If you are like me, who love baking bread, trying to pick one of the best stand mixers for bread is not going to be easy. I spent quite a lot of time in researching and making sure I choose the right one. So, while you are trying to pick the best stand mixer among all the models out there, make sure you look into these considerations:
Your Cooking Needs
This is the first and foremost considerations you need to think while picking up a stand mixer. Think what your baking needs really are – in term of recipe and food quantity. If you deal with big batches of dough, then you should go in with a commercial and heavy duty stand mixer that can help you to complete the job efficiently and quickly.
Price Range
Another important factor that must be considered includes the price range. Are you looking for the best affordable stand mixer or do you want a high-end mixer (more expensive) that comes with ample of functionality?
Make sure you know your requirements and the kind of food you will be preparing with the mixers. Also, try to pick up a heavier stand mixer as it will be sturdier and will mix the ingredients better.
Accessories
The stand mixer you are choosing should be a tool for multi-tasking. The mixer should at least come with different accessories such as dough hook, a beater tool, and a balloon whisk attachment. If it comes with some more accessories, it is always icing on the cake.
Flexi-beater: The flexi-beater have a flexible spatula edge which allows scrapping of ingredients of the bowl while mixing.
Splashguard: It is used to cover the mixing bowl to avoid splashing of the ingredients all around the machine or the person standing next to it.
Food processor attachment: If you are looking for a mixer that will help you save a lot of time in the kitchen, then choose a stand mixer that comes with food processor attachment.
Mixing Size
Another important point to look in for the best stand mixer for bread dough is the size of the mixer. You need to have enough space on your counter shelf to place the hefty mixers. When buying one, think about the cabinet heights where the stand mixer will be put up.
Also, make sure you have thought well about the weight of the mixer as the equipment can be rather heavy. It can be a nuisance if you need to shift this heavy equipment around consistently. Whether you are picking up commercial bread mixer or stand mixers for home use, they are hefty machines. So make sure you put some thought into the size before purchasing.
Dishwasher Safe
Washing can be a daunting task. If you do not want to spend a considerable amount of time cleaning the mixer, make sure you pick one up that is dishwasher safe. Washing the attachments by hand can be quite a task and more of a headache, so look for one that can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher.
Moreover, care must be taken as every part that is listed under the dishwasher safe category can get damaged if extremely hot water is used.
Speed Setting and User Friendly
When it comes to picking up the best stand mixers, you need to check the speed options it comes with it. While it does not make a lot of difference if you use the mixer sparingly, but if you use it on a regular basis or for commercial purposes then, it may have an effect on your speed of baking the bread as well.
Also, you have also to consider the user-friendly aspect as well. For example, some mixers can be hard to setup especially when you are trying to install and remove beater blade, etc.
Some highly premium mixer may have this additional helpful functionality and settings. Features that are commonly found in a high-end model are:
- Pause: The pause button allows the user to stop the machine and add ingredients. Afterward, the process starts at the same speed instead of slow speed.
- Soft-start: Even if the mixer is full to its capacity, it will start gently to avoid the ingredients being flung out.
- Fold: Making a cake? If yes, then this setting will gently fold in the mixture rather than beat the air out.
- Timer: The timer allows the user to see how long the mixer has been mixing the ingredients.
- Extensions: Additional accessories that you can purchase separately to turn your stand mixer into a juicer, blender, etc.
KitchenAid Classic, Artisan and Professional Stand Mixers
Our top stand mixer picks go to the KitchenAid. Not only the stand mixers from KitchenAid are excellent, but they are also absolutely gorgeous. Primarily, the popular KitchenAid stand mixer model is the Classic, Artisan, and Professional. The video will show you the differences between these 3 models.
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Top Stand Mixer Picks for Bread Dough
KitchenAid Artisan 5 Quart Stand Mixer
The KitchenAid Artisan comes in 20 different colors to impress you. This 350-watt mixer easily whips, blends and stirs its way through different ingredients.
What we like it...
- Option to choose between 20 different colors
- Tilt-back head
- Offer 10 mixing speed
What we don't like...
- Quality control on the mixing bow is not the best
- Cumbersome pour shield
KitchenAid Professional Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer
The KitchenAid Professional is what every baker dream of. It comes with 10-speed control and 575 watt motor for mixing just about anything. It comes with several attachments such as wire whip, dough hook, and a flat beater.
What we like it...
- Wide mouth mixing bowl
- Powerful motor
- Contoured steel bowl handle
- Shuts down automatically when motor gets warm
What we don't like...
- The beaters are not dishwasher friendly
KitchenAid 4.5-Quart Classic Series Stand Mixer
This fantastic 4.5-quart stand mixer has convenient tilt-head design and comes with multiple mixing speed. The 59-point planetary mixing action helps scrapes up every bit off the bowl.
What we like it...
- Comes with multipurpose attachment hub
- 4.5-quart stainless steel mixing bowl
- Planetary mixing action
What we don't like...
- No handles attached on mixing bowl
Conclusion
There you have it. I hope that this post has managed to give you some useful information on how to choose your next best stand mixer for bread. If possible, always go for a stand mixer as it provides you with more functions and most importantly – flexibility! Leaving the machine run and automatically mixing the ingredients is a big plus considering there are ample of tasks to attend to while baking.
Out of the three, KitchenAid Artisan is my favorite. I have been using it for years, and there has been no day that I have regretted my purchase. It helps me make dough or cake batter with ease, and I am in love with it! Now I believe that you can also easily bake delicious bread if you are using the KitchenAid best stand mixer for bread dough too.
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