The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

What did I Buy? Thrift store Bosch Universal.

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

What did I Buy? Thrift store Bosch Universal.

I found a Bosch Universal Mixer in the thrift store yesterday. I am in hopes that it is one of the extra heavy duty models that is ideal for kneading bread dough without fear of burning up the mixer. The mixer says "Bosch Universal" on the front. It came with nothing except a bowl, a two piece plastic lid, a dough hook, and a cover for the accessory hub. It has one knob on the front with pulse, one, two, and three. The label on the bottom of the machine says "Robert Bosch Hausgerate GmgH 120volts 700watts Made in Slovenia" The price was US $8.00, which is so cheap that it gave me pause, but it seems to work fine on all speeds. I need to clean it up good and use it to know for sure. Does anyone know where I can download a manual for this machine. Pictures to follow. Thanks for your time and opinion! 

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I LOVE finding this kind of stuff at thrift stores, rummage and estate sales. I believe that particular machine had a blender,food processor and possibly other attachments that the motor could drive. Grain Mill?? I think.

Have fun!

 

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

I will print out the manual, clean the mixer and let you know how it works! Happy bread and happy days!! :)

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

Looks like you have the Bosch Universal, aka  MUM6, the earlier version of what is currently sold as the Bosch Universal Plus ( BUP ) .    Here is a little of the history.   http://healthykitchens.com/bosch_product_brand.html.   I had the earlier model , the UM3, and it worked fine for me.  It works much like the BUP, though not all the accessories will fit, and IIRC, the BUP has 4 speeds, and speed 1 is slower than speed 1 in the Universal, so if you see directions on the Fresh Loaf that say use speed 2 in the BUP, that would be the same as speed 1 in the Universal.    It is a much heavier duty model than most KA's,  and I seriously doubt you will burn out the mixer. The one I had was made probably 20 years before I bought it used, and I sold it many years ago still going strong.  The one downside I experienced is that if you tried to knead doughs of a certain hydration and size, the dough would wrap around the column and not knead.  My recollection was that happened with small batches of fairly high hydration.  It looks like you have all you need to make bread, if you did want to buy accessories or replacement parts,  Pleasanthill Grain has a pretty nice site which tells which parts fit which model  https://pleasanthillgrain.com/bosch-mixer-universal-plus#accessories

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

I still have that exact same model and I used mine every day for many years - it's a really well built piece. It works best when you're making enough dough for 4-6 loaves, something I rarely do. I like to make one or two loaves at a time and that mixer has a little trouble kneading such a small amount of dough. That thing will last forever!

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

Thanks for the links. I too am a small batch baker. I wish there were more "breadaphiles" in my home.

clazar123's picture
clazar123

My daughter has a bosch and I have a Kitchenaid. I just remembered that when I work with her (and her mixer) there is a different approach to mixing bread dough because there is different paddle action. If you are mixing a dough that has pretty much come together and have to add a liquid/oil or other slippery ingredient to the Bosch, the contents swirl and swirl and never mix! I always ended up breaking the dough up by hand and then mixing. I do love her machine for the capacity,especially. She does 3 large (10x5x4) loaves at a time and it mixes like a champ. It handles thick dough better than my old Hobart kitchenaid.

You learn a lot about your baking practices when you bake in someone else's kitchen or with new equipment.

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

I find the best way with the bosch is to start out with the liquid (or very wet dough) and add flour until it starts getting the kneading action. Like Clazar123 said, when you try to add oil or liquid later it stops the kneading action. Though I usually can stop the mixer and work the liquid in with a spatula and then start the mixer again and get it kneading. But best to always start too wet and add dry ingredients last.

I have the blender attachment and it's very handy because you can use the blender at the same time as the dough bowl is in place. So I can crack seeds in the blender and then dump them in the dough without having to rearrange the machine at all.

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

I am sure there will be a learning curve with the Bosch, as there is with all new equipment and recipes. It cleaned up nice, now I just need to find the time to play with my new toy. If only there were more hours in the day!!

Rube Goldberg's picture
Rube Goldberg

It is a hauss of a mixer. I mixed dough for four loafs of ~65% hydration bread and it didn't struggle at all. I have not used it enough to know for certain, but my first impression is that if you find a deal on a used bosh, buy it!! Happy baking.