Serious question, why does everyone think you need a fancy stand mixer for bread dough?

I spent $30 on a thrift store hand mixer and knead by hand for 10 minutes, and my loaves come out better than my neighbor's $400 KitchenAid ones, so what am I missing here?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesleyjohnson12d ago

I read this article once that said most commercial bakeries don't even use stand mixers, they just mix and knead by hand for larger batches. So yeah, you're probably right that a fancy mixer is just a convenience thing, not a must.

dianab6812d ago

That whole "they mix by hand" thing reminds me of when I tried to make bread during the lockdown and ended up with dough stuck to my ceiling fan. (Don't ask how, it was a whole thing.) I guess the pros really do save more than just money with that method.

spencer_johnson226d ago

A word of advice, never ask Diana how the dough got on the ceiling fan. I laughed so hard at that I almost choked on my coffee. But seriously, Diana, you have my DEEPEST respect for tackling bread during lockdown. I tried sourdough starter back then and ended up with a jar of something that looked like it was from a horror movie. At least your dough had ambition, mine just sat there and glowered at me. Hand kneading is definitely the way to go, you get a feel for the dough that no machine can replicate.