The Fresh Loaf

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Ankarsrum Mixer Help!

Luvtobake's picture
Luvtobake

Ankarsrum Mixer Help!

Please help. I just purchased a new Ankarsrum 6230 mixer.  I just tried to make a stiff starter and a full batch of my 65% sourdough recipe.  1000g of flour 65g water and 220g of my stiff starter.  No luck.  My stiff starter just sat in the bowl and stuck on the roller and sat there.  I had to take it out and knead by hand.  My actual dough mixed ok but when it was fully incorporated (which would have happened if I hadn’t moved the dough around manually) it wrapped around the dough hook and stayed there. 30 minutes in the mixer the dough was still not extensible, couldn’t come close to pulling a window pain.  Worried about ruining my dough, at 30 minutes I took it out of the mixer.  I tried both the roller and the dough hook. I did watch several videos before I used the mixer.  Can someone who owns an Ankarsrum 6230 give me hope that I didn’t just make an expensive mistake? Am I doing something wrong?  Can it really take over 30  minutes to mix dough?  Help!

MontBaybaker's picture
MontBaybaker

After 30 years with 2 Kitchen Aids it took awhile to get the hang of Ankarsrum.  For me, it works best to put the liquid in the bowl and gradually incorporate chunks of firm starter or biga, swinging the arm back and forth a little to get things going.   Poolish or looser starter can in with the water.  Then you can start adding flour and should be fine.   I have a 4-year-old 6220 and love it, except for the inability to use cold/cool butter unless grated.  With covid I don't know customer service availability, but go to the Ankarsrum site and call.  Ashley has always been a great help to me.

Luvtobake's picture
Luvtobake

Thank you for your response.  Do you find that it takes quite a long time to mix your doughs?  I did 30 minutes and my dough still hadn’t developed fully?  My current Bosch mixer takes 8-10 minutes to fully mix. 

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

I've had the 6228 (N28) Assistent going on ten years. 65% hydration is my everyday level for both lean and enriched breads. I'd say it falls in the range of moderate hydration, i.e. 62 to 67%.

My  mixing, combining of dry and wet components, seldom takes more than three minutes. I follow that with a rest, covered with a damp towel over the bowl to ensure a thorough  wetting of everything.

Then knead for about 3-5 minutes for lean doughs and up to 10-15 minutes for enriched doughs. Remember that gluten continues to develop throughout the bulk and final rises.

If the roller thumps with each pass of the dough, your speed is too high or the roller is not properly spaced from the rim. I have found that the speed control pointed to about 2:30 of the clock is about right for all kneading.  Spacing is dependent on the amount and hydration of the dough.  The manual has a chart of recommended values.

Also, stick with the roller and scraper for all but very stiff doughs, say less than 60% hydration, e.g. bagels and pretzels.

g

AustinT's picture
AustinT

Gary. i have a question about your comment. After the initial mixing, you let the mix rest/ autolyse before further mixing, you covered with a damp towel over the bowl, did you take the roller/scraper out before you cover it? I tried to do the 30-minutes autolyse that the sourdough recipe required, after the 30 minutes autolyse/rest, I had a hard time putting the roller back in because the dough was just a rough mix (or because my arthritis hands couldn't move the dough out of the way. ) I just wondering if you left everything as is and just cover it up and continue to the further mixing later on.

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

I simply leave the roller on the machine. I've never considered whether to leave the roller in place while resting the dough, I just do.  Don't overthink  the kneading, have fun and you'll have a good dough in spite of what you do wrong. :-) The Ankarsrum is noticeably more efficient than the KA type mixers, so your hands will thank you.

 

g

MontBaybaker's picture
MontBaybaker

I don't really pay attention to time, and go by how it looks & feels.  I often autolyse for a bit (sometimes unplanned if I'm interrupted), and find that helps.  Also shorter kneading plus stretch and folds.  Depends on the flour, the day, and the bread gods.  I've never used a Bosch, but the batter bowl on the Ankarsrum seems to function like one from the videos I've seen.  Give it a little more time, and hopefully you'll come to like the mixer.  It's well-built.  

GrainBrain's picture
GrainBrain

A 6220 has been in my kitchen for many years. I have greater respect for its design the longer I own it. Your 6230 is no less capable. There is no one product that is perfect for everything. If you put 4 different mixers in your kitchen, you will discover that making the best use of each requires adapting your methods slightly for each machine. 
In your case, I would try using time for the flour to absorb the water and starter. There is no instant integration for such a stiff dough. Instead of mixing continuously with any mixer, try integrating by hand to start, give it a rest and a short five to 10 minute rest between bouts of mixing. You can reduce the overall time for mechanical mixing this way. 
Much of the issue here seems to be about the rate at which flour can absorb water and subsequently swell to become workable, and not at all about which mixer is better.
When you have worked with doughs of various hydration in your Anakrsum, and used it for other purposes in addition to bread making, you may find yourself here recommending what you bought to others who need just a few suggestions to become satisfied owners. Enjoy your purchase, it can't be beat without spending twice the money.