New Ankarsrum and have a few questions

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dermdoc on 8 May 2020 at 20:32

I started baking bread about two years ago. After a year working by hand I was gifted a KA artisan, which turned out to be pretty terrible for making bread. The gear just busted in it so I just bought myself an Ankarsrum since it seems to be the best home model for making bread. I just have a few questions:

 

1. I see a lot of variations online when to use the roller and when to use the dough hook. Some say by hydration, some say by weight. Are there some general rules to follow as to when to use the dough hook and when to use the roller?

 

2. Hamelman's book has very specific kneading times. I understand in general these things vary, but what is the approximate conversion of kneading with a home planetary mixer vs kneading with the Ankarsrum? For example, if he wants you to mix for 3 minutes and then knead on second speed on a planetary mixer for 5-6 minutes, what would the conversion be to amount of time and speed on the Ankarsrum?

 

Thanks so much!!!!

Congrats on your Ank,  hope you love it as much as I love mine.  I  use the roller for everything.  I have read that the hook is good for low hydration, but I never use it and find the roller and scraper work fine for me.

 

I am a big fan of Hamelman,  but can't help with the timing,   His book is primarily AP flour, and I use 100% home milled wheat, so I don't know what conversion would work.   My understanding is that the newer Ank's ,  like yours,  have a faster speed than the older 450 watt models, and that that high speed is better for whipping egg whites and cream, not for bread.  I would start at the lowest speed and mix for a minute or two,  do a 5 minute rest, then try 5 minutes at medium speed and see what it looks like, and compare it to this.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnxiawZoL4A

 

I really appreciate it! I am excited to use it. When did you get yours?

 

I also love Hamelman's book. All the recipes come out fantastic. Have you not used your dough hook even for some of his stiffer doughs like bagels and challah? 

Forget about time recommendations: do a window pane test (search for a picture/video if you're not familiar); when you can stretch the dough to a translucent sheet, you're done (thought this is more difficult to do with whole-grain doughs). At the least, you have to go by whether your dough is soft and supple, not how much time has passed.

I find the Ank takes longer than a KA, often by quite a bit. I often end up hand-kneading for couple of minutes. I've started to mostly ignore my Ank's timer and just use it so I can walk away and not worry about getting distracted and forgetting how long it's been on.

I can't recall the last time I used the dough hook.

Thanks so much for your response. I got the Ank because my KA artisan just completely busted with a very stiff challah dough. I find though that his times were pretty accurate with the KA planetary motion and for example with his challah recipe it is important to really get that extra time in there to allow good spring when baked. I would be curious if there is an approximate time conversion between time/speed on planetary mixers and the Ank.

A. Roller will be your main tool unless you plan to make 4+ large loaves at a time.

B. Kneading times are somewhat random since there are no defined speeds and arm angles.  My general feeling is that it takes more time than in KA - the same dough that looks sufficiently developed after 5-6 minutes in KA often takes me 10-12 in Ank.

To me, Ank does not have a single, uniform action.  With regular and better developed doughs the idea is to push the dough between the roller and the wall, so you set the roller closer to the wall and find the speed that moves things.  With weaker and more hydrated and enriched dough you set the roller closer to the center and spin the living daylights out of it, hula-hooping the dough around the roller until it comes together.

This is what I’ve been doing. I’ve had my Ankarsrum 6230 for about three weeks. I move the rollers depending on what I’m making. There was a slight learning curve for me, however, I’d read these forums enough to understand what I’d need to do when I finally received my mixer. The information I learned from this forum helped out tremendously. I do find it takes longer than my Kitchen Aid, however, it’s not straining as my Kitchen Aid was doing with some of my heavier doughs. I even use it for pastries, cakes, and cookies. My Ankarsrum is all I use now.         

 

If the Ank sometimes takes considerably longer to knead than a KA is the friction factor (*F) also considerably higher?