Bosch Universal comment
I acquired a used Bosch Universal at a local thrift store for a ridiculously low price. It was a well used machine but worked. I was making my Whole wheat Breakfast bread and thought I'd use the Bosch to see how it worked. This is a Whole wheat loaf with fruit and nuts so I like to mix the dough very well before I add the fruit and nuts. I have been making it so long that I rarely use a recipe and sometimes have to adjust the dough as I go with either a little more water or a little more flour before the final mix/knead. What I learned is that this mixer has some idiosyncracies you have to pay attention to.
1. It really is designed for larger batches or stiffer dough (powerful motor!). My recipe has about 6 cups flour total. With that "small" amount of dough in the large plastic bowl, it tends to swirl rather than knead the dough. There is not enough volume to allow the dough to catch firmly enough on the sides of the slick plastic bowl to tumble over itself. I wonder if the stainless steel bowl would have a different action?
2. If you add water to the already formed dough, it just slides around and around and around and around......etc...etc.... I had to stop it and break up the dough clump so it would mix the added liquid into the dough. Perhaps if there was more dough in the bowl (10-12 cup flour) it would be less likely to perform this way?
3. I added the 2 cups fruit and nuts and it mixed in quickly and finally I seemed to have enough volume and friction that it caught on the bowl side and actually kneaded. The dough felt great when I put it to rise.
4. The bowl is harder to grip and handle when trying to remove the dough.Some of it is just not being used to the bowl and my hands are rather weak since surgery a few years ago. I can use a plastic rectangular dough scraper and remove the dough with a single swipe while holding the handle of the SS kitchenaid bowl. The Bosch bowl has to be gripped by the rim while full of heavy dough or held in the crook of the elbow. Awkward for me and none of my scrapers matched the bowl contour so it was awkward to remove the dough.
I am used to using a K5A that is 30 yrs old and going strong. The 2 machines really do handle dough differently. The K5A does not have as powerful a motor but it does a great job for me. I think for now I will keep the Bosch but I will use it for larger batches or if I ever travel into the bagel world.