Hmm, which Kitchenaid do you have?  The speed you are allowed may depend on the size of your motor.  I don't have  KA, but an ancient (33 years old) Kenwood.  It's a noisy brute, but can take almost anything. 

Sorry David, I didn't see that. That does seem really slow, but you might try really building up the gluten by long, fast beating with your initial cup or two of flour. That is what I do when making a big batch, that my Kenwood can't hold. If I beat the liquid and initial two cups of flour until I can see the strings of gluten, it is much easier for me to incorporate the last couple of cups of flour by hand, and the bread kneads better by hand.

I hope someone who owns the Accolade will come in and give you some advice based on knowledge of the machine.

David: I have made Leader's Pane di Genzano, but I use a DLX to mix bread dough, so cannot speak to whether you can crank up your Kitchen Aid without it rebelling. I know Kitchen Aid manuals are adamant about not mixing bread dough above speed 2.

I can tell you a bit about this bread, however. It's a pagnotta style bread with a very wet dough and since it is made with a high gluten flour (I used King Arthur's Sir Lancelot), it does take a lot of mixing to get proper dough development. As I recall, I gave it all the minutes with my DLX recommended by Leader and think even added some more. The bread has a surprisingly light and open crumb considering its made with such a high gluten flour. I took some to work and people really liked it. And, it really does have incredible keeping qualities.

Zolablue and Bwraith have also made this bread so, hopefully, they will chime in on whether they mixed it in a KA. [I believe they both use a DLX now but am not sure if these were breads were made with a KA or the DLX.] You can read about their experiences at: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4491/pane-casareccio-e-lariano-di-genzano, and http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/4417/genzano-country-bread-local-breads

I hope the KA Forum will get back to you on whether you can really crank up the speed. I believe there are some KA employees who also respond there as well. There is also a Mixers-Owners group on Yahoo.

Good luck!

Liz

I usually put in the dry ingredients, but include only two cups of flour, add all the liquid and beat. Then I add 1/2 cup at a time with the motor stopped, and then started. But I leave the last couple of cups to incorporate by hand. My instructions are long gone and the Kenwood has certainly paid for its keep. If it dies from my mistreatment, I shall just start mixing more by hand.

I don't think there is any doubt that your machine could handle the slack doughs you talk of at higher speed. The rule, I am sure, is to cover their butts.

My husband has been eyeing the KAs with the bigger motors, but if they only work at low speed, then they cannot do anything my old Kenwood can't.

I used the DLX for the Genzano loaves. In fact, wanting to try out Leader's suggested technique for mixing/kneading the Genzano loaves is what pushed me over the top to buy a more heavy duty mixer designed for mixing and kneading dough, like the DLX. Zolablue had recently gotten one and liked it, which is what pushed me in the DLX direction. I've been very happy with the DLX. I also have a KA, and I would be very doubtful about subjecting it to the abuse suggested for the Genzano recipe in Leader's book.

Bill

Ooh, I have been looking at the DLX. I don't know if I will ever feel extravagant enough to buy one, but it sure looks fantastic. If I ever replace my Kenwood, that is what I will be looking at.

If you can afford it, you won't regret the purchase of a DLX, particularly if you are baking bread regularly.

I also have a Kitchen Aid, but when I started to bake bread breads on a weekly basis, I invested in a DLX and am glad I did. It can handle any type of dough (and quantity) that the home baker throws at it. It's a spiral mixer, with a gentler acton, and is the same type of mixer that is used by professionals. It takes a bit getting used to, particularly if you are used to a planetary style mixer like the Kitchen Aid, but once you do, you'll wonder how you got by with your Kitchen Aid. I got mine from Pleasant hill Grains (http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/), and I thought their service was excellent, but there are other distributors. The other bonus is that they are aren't as heavy as the KA, so they are relatively easy to transport. Perhaps you wouldn't have to leave it out on the counter!

One note as to motors.  The wattage they use isn't a reflection of how powerful they are.  I know the horsepower they generate is a good measurement.  Maybe there are others out there.

A couple of people lately have mentioned the smaller Bosch unit.  I don't remember the name, but I've read that it can  handle 3 or 4 loaves of bread in one batch.  At $169, it's not a bad price.  I've never used a Bosch, just know that a lot of people like them.  I love my Kenwood! 

How do you tell whether your KA mixer model has plastic or metal gears? What year/model # did they switch?

I can't quite remember when I got mine -- either the late '80's or early '90's...