July 25, 2012 - 8:18am
dough mixer - +/- 12 cup flour capacity
Can anyone help? I am looking for a dough mixing machine up to 12 cups flour - too much to mix by hand and too much for my KitchenAid to handle. An equivalent of the Bosch Universasl Plus 800W (which is not for sale in Australia). I'm getting pretty desperate as I normally make 3-4 loaves at a time. I would be very grateful for any recommendations or advice anyone can offer. Thank you
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It can be tricky when you first get it. Learning how to use it properly is a challenge. I've found adding the flour to the wet ingredients is best and it took a dozen tries before I finally got the hang of it. I make a Ranch Hand bread from my grandmother and have scaled it back to make three loaves.. it is a huge challenge in a Kitchen Aid and I have the big 600 Watt Professional, not the wimpy Artisan!
Now, for an obvious question to you.. what's wrong with a large metal bowl and a rubber dough scraper? Have you ever watched Richard Bertinet's Slap and Fold method? I realize there is a time and place for the mixer, but sometimes you just want to love the dough mixing process and I have found his methods to be incredibly efficient and has always yielded perfect results.
Here is a video that demonstrates his method.. from the master himself! http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/03/bertinet_sweetdough
Nothing wrong with Richard Bertinet's method - I suffer very badly with arthritis in my hands and I'd prefer to make my lifwe a little easier. :o) I've been making my bread by hnd for over 40 years - I need a break!
I thought I'd ask. I teach basic bread making on occasion and the biggest element of surprise is telling people they can mix dough by hand!
BAHAHAHA!!!! tells you something about the people you're teaching! Nothing surprises me any more.
We all had to learn somewhere! I come from many generations of poverty stricken home bakers who only worked dough by hand. As a result, I resisted buying a machine because I foolishly believed a machine would not net me the same results. In reality, I am just thrilled to see new bakers. Their first couple of loaves are hand kneaded, however. I make sure they can "feel" what a proper dough feels like.
I come from a similar background in Europe - very poor coal miners. everything as made and grown at home - there simply was no money to buy! And it IS lovely to feel the dough and of course there is nothing better than a good artisan loaf. I'm just wondering how I'll go with the sponge method in this machine. Did you say you had one?
I have the Assistent and I just make my sponge right in the bowl. Then I add my liquids and about half my flour, then start incorporating the rest as it is absorbed by the mixer. The only thing I do is let my dough rest while it is still in a bit of a shaggy state for about 10 mins, then I add my salt and start mixing.
Your mixer will come with the dough hook. I have never had a lot of luck with that thing.. I always use the roller and spatula for all my breads. If you watch the video that I posted a couple of times, you'll have it down pat!
Hang on, I"m talking about the video I posted on another subject here.. check out this really great video here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/29559/having-trouble-your-magic-mill-dlx-assistent-video-was-awesome
Hello Claude and BellesAZ,
I'll chime in on the sponge bit. Yes! Especially if you are using wholemeal or (especially) home-milled flour, and it helps a great deal in the Assistent. That hydration balance is just a lot easier to read when using a sponge, and it helps you to get just the right amount of flour as you finish mixing before kneading. But -- you probably knew all that, of course!
I lived in Melbourne for about 2 1/2 years, and dearly loved it. I left with tears streaming down my face (visa was expiring), very much hoping I would return. (Haven't yet, but maybe someday?) I lived a lot closer to the inner city -- Collingwood, though there was time to visit friends in Canberra and Brisbane. I loved walking through Fitzroy Gardens almost daily, circling the MCG, exploring downtown, and taking day trips to interesting places like Hanging Rock and The Great Ocean Road. This is also where I picked up a great fondness for scones! :) I cannot eat a scone without thinking of Australia, even in London!
Claude, I hope you enjoy your Assistant heaps, and what a wise idea to contact the manufacturer! We'll look forward to hearing about your mixing adventures!
- Marguerite
for sure ... I've only ever made my bread this way. where are you now if not living in australia? :o)
Hi Claude,
After a fit of Olympic opening watching, I'm just now returning to TFL. :) If I remember correctly, POM is an acronym for "Prisoner Of Mother England." Apparently it was emblazoned on the shirts of those unwillingly deported from England during those heartrending days of early colonization. Can't remember if I learned that from The Fatal Shore or not?
I live in Idaho now, the most mountainous (and one of the most sparsely populated) of the states. There are quite a lot of home bakers here, and definitely a rising artisan community (esp. in the capitol city, Boise). There aren't too many of us registered on TFL, though. Here is a link to one of the favorite bakeries in Boise: http://www.zeppolebakery.com/.
Lots of Bosch users; I haven't heard of many Assistent/DLX owners. However, there are two dealers in eastern Idaho.
But back to Oz, I still dearly miss it. So many great memories there, and I'm sure that's a part of it. :) What a beautiful, amazing country.
- Marguerite
Hi Marguerite - you should be French with a name like that !!! :o)
Boise looks like a good place to be with only 210,145 population. I wouldn't mind living in a small place like that. Bakery looks good and lovely sounding breads reasonably priced. I never bothered researching the POM bit as I used to find it distasteful. I was called a "wog" because of my origin.
I don't know how long ago you left Oz but it's not the same any more. I've been here for 36 years. the changes in this country over that period have been mind boggling! I am very disillusioned with the things which have been allowed to happen here.
I was looking for a Bosch but could not find one, not only in the US, but anywhere else in the world, with appropriate 240V for Oz. So I got a Haussler Alpha. My hands aren't coping very well any longer. Do you have the Assistent or Bosch?
Enjoy the small community of Boise, you never know, you may find yourself in London next...LOL!!! :o)
All the best for now, cheers Claude
video is what sold me on the Assistent. I emailed them and they instantly put on to Magic Mill USA and the rest, as they say, is history :o) The roller is such an unusual piece of equipment and should work beautifully. My hands will be very gratreful for the rest.! cheers
Sausage sizzles, the best coffees and pastries anywhere, amazing Italian food On Lygon Street and of course, those lovely, lighter than air, delicate scones!
is not what it used to be... better pastries in St Kilda and Carnegie and surrounding suburbs...and better coffee too. :o)
and then ... "put another prawn on the barbie". No matter how delightful those bought scones are and the lighter than air breads from Brumby's - they're not as delicious and nutritious as the ones we make at home ourselves. I started making my own over 40 years ago, in South Africa, when I started to notice the effects of mass production. There was this great bakery in Pretoria called "Hatfield Bakery" the best baked cheesecakes and custard doughnuts ever made. My mother and I would go there religiously on Saturdays bringing home the most delectable cakes and breads for my dad. I hear it is no longer... all these good places we lose for the sake of mass production~! Now if I want a delectable cake, I make my own danishes and doughnuts and baked goodies. The Assistent will be great for Danish Pastry. I also ordered a Haussler Alpha from Germany. So now I should be covered for everything. I can make bread in one and Danish in the other. I'm so excited at the prospect of receiving them. I'm like a kid in a lollie shop :o)
cheers Marguerite and Belle AZ
That machine looks a bit like the Kitchen Aid? What makes it so special for pastries? I have made pastries in the Assistent before and they turn out beautifully. I really love making them.. my kitchen is not overly friendly right now for pastries, however. It's far too warm. I will wait until winter. Would love to see some photo's of what you do. I'm very interested in Patisserie baking.
I'm not a big fan of Brumby's.. as a matter of fact, it's awful bread compared to some of the other Mom & Pop bakeries that I've found in Melbourne. However, where my in-laws live in Qld, it's a bit remote and Brumby's is the nearest and best. I just love that high rise, beautiful, light loaf with the shatteringly crisp crust. A big fan!
I visited South Africa for my job a few years back (I work in travel) and I spent 16 days on Safari at some of the most luxurious lodges on the planet. It was a magical place and I have never forgotten my time there. I adore Cape Town and the Franschhoek region. Give me some fresh oysters and a glass of Chardonnay and I'm a happy camper!
Take care!
is hardly a Kitchen Aid. Check it out more thoroughly. It's a small spiral with removable bowl. And two speeds.
See link. http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/haussler_mixer_heavy_duty_kitchen_mixer_spiral_dough_mixers.aspx
Once you use a spiral for mixing bread you can never go back. Oh yes, you can mix by hand or other the device should the occaision arise, but you will always know what you are missing...
Just sayin'...
:>)
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! you can say THAT again! hardly a Kitchen Aid... Haussler is superior German design and manufacture.
:o)