July 29, 2010 - 7:05am
My kitchen Aid mixer leaves unmixed ingredients at bottom.
So I was hoping that some of you might be able to help me out with this problem. I have the Pro 600 6quart mixer. The bottom of the bowl has that little hump in it and it never fails that at the end of mixing, there is still dry ingredients left unmixed. If this is normal then okay but if I can fix it then I want to know how.
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It's easily fixed, cara1983. Check your manual and it will have the instructions. There's a screw on the motor head that needs to be turned (manual will show you where it is located and further details) to lower or raise the beater/hook.
Found this with a quick Google search:
http://forum.kitchenaid.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6355
Hope it helps. This is how I adjusted mine.
This happens to me sometimes, if I'm mixing bread dough, and have added pieces of a soaker and levain as well as salt and a little extra flour (as in Reinhart's WGB).
I originally thought it was a clearance issue, as others have suggested. Follow the instructions for your mixer to set the bowl clearance correctly. But there is no need to drop it for the dough hook.
My problem was that there is dry flour and salt at the bottom, and the dough on top slides over it continually and does not mix in.
One trick I have found to fix this is to slowly slide a tablespoon or so of water down the sides while the mixer is running. I sometimes only have to do that once or twice (at different sides of the bowl). The water gets mixed into the dry ingredients at the bottom and makes them sticky enough to be picked up into the rest of the dough as it mixes. the dough hook should pick it up and clean the bowl after that.
If your dough is now too wet, you can always add a little extra flour after bowl mixing, by kneading by hand a minute or two to finish it off (that last knead is usually a good idea anyway).
Do this earlyish in the mixing process to ensure those ingredients get properly mixed in.
To prevent this from happening, try adding levain and soakers (already dough-like) on the bottom of the bowl, and sprinkle dry ingredients on top.
Mason.
You should put liquid ingredients in first. That will also speed up the mixing.
I have the same problem, but I just poke my rubber spatula around the bottom of the mixer so it gets caught up in the dough mixture.
Most bakers I know (professional) add the liquid ingredients first and then the flour and other dry ingredients. What you're describing happens in commercial mixers too. Wet first, dry second solves the problem.
Larry