Which Bosch?
I recently gave my daughter my much-loved Bosch Universal Plus. After researching DLX versus Bosch, and I decided that I want to purchase another Bosch for myself. I've hit the "pause" button because the Bosch Universal, while fabulous, has a rather large footprint on the counter (and counter real estate is dear). I don't anticipate buying the blender or attachments that can go in the tower.
In comparing the two Bosch Mixers, I've read that both models will handle 6 lbs of dough. The Bosch Compact includes a 4 quart mixing bowl, 400 Watt Motor, 4 speeds, and 3 separate drives. (A larger stainless steel bowl is available for purchase.) In comparison, the Bosch Universal has a 6.5 quart mixing bowl, 800 Watt Motor, 4 speeds, 2 separate drives with overload and restart motor protection. Clearly, the most blatant difference is that the Universal has double the watt power, but whether that is significant, I have no idea.
Any advice regarding which one to purchase?
Thanks,
Diane
The Bosch Universal plus will handle up to 15 lbs of whole grain dough. I use it weekly for our farmers' market baking.
I have info here www.organicwheatproducts.com and can also get the Bosch Compact Mixer. It all depends on what you are going to use it for. You can always do small batches of dough in the Universal Plus, but can't increase the amount that the Bosch Compact will hold. The dimensions of the Bosch Compact mixer are 10.5" tall, 11.5" wide and 12" deep while the dimensions of the Universal Plus are 11" deep, 17" wide and 10 3/4 tall. If you would like more information you can call the toll free number on my website and I would be happy to send you information.
The biggest question would be what do you want to do with it? The Compact is a great little machine, and if you only want to make a couple loaves of bread at a time, I think you would be happy with it. It's small and can be easily stored in a cabinet, and it's very light so it is easy to move around. I have made recipes with about 1 kg of flour with no problem. I have heard of people making much bigger batches but since I have the Electrolux, I use the bigger machine when I want to make more.
I have a Compact and an Electrolux and have no experience with the Universal, so I can't comment on that, but you already know that machine. If you need more capacity, go with the Universal, if you just want to make small to medium batches, consider saving some cash by getting a Compact.
Diane, I have the compact and the old Universal. I do mostly pizza dough, but some bread dough - though nearly always whole wheat. The usable capacity of the compact is much less than the universal, and as you approach the upper limits, the Compact seems to struggle. On the other hand, I find the Compact much more forgiving to use - if the dough is extremely wet, it has no problem, while in the old Universal it gets stuck around the central column. If it is too dry, the dough slides around the Universal with no mixing, again not the same problem with the Compact. As would be expected, the compact handles small loaves beatifully, and the Universal struggles with those. The Universal has a more efficient mixing procedure, using the 3 arms, so I would guess it would take a little longer to get the same amount of kneading in the Compact. P. S. If you are concerned with whether the Compact will handle a particular recipe, send me the recipe and I will try it in the Compact and let you know.
Many thanks for everyone's input. I do enjoy reading others opinions based on experience. I've decided to buy the Bosch Universal Plus for those days that I want to make many loaves for many friends ;->
Now I am going to post a question about grain mills. For me at least, there is no end to furnishing and justifying accoutrements for bread baking.
Diane