Folks, I need your help. A little over two years ago I purchased a
KitchenAid 4 1/2 quart mixer for the purpose of dough kneading. I use it
about once a week. This past Tuesday it died and went to mixer heaven. It
appears to have stripped it's gears trying to knead a six cup of flour
recipe for two loaves of plain white bread. The local factory service
center said it would cost $100 dollars to repair it. I now own a very
expensive door stop.
I phoned the customer service people at KA and was told that this unit is
only capable of kneading no more than six cups of flour, at a speed not to
exceed two and for a total kneading duration of not more than four minutes.
Geez, that just takes it right out of the category of being a serious dough
kneading machine. When I asked about their more substantial units, the
limitations were only slightly more generous. It appears that since
Whirlpool purchased the manufacturing rights to the KA mixer line from
Hobart they have successfully taken the workhorse of the mixer world and
reduced it to circus pony status. I refuse to buy another KA.
Anyhow, on to my present dilemma. I want to buy a heavy duty dough
kneading machine. At this time cost is not an issue. I figure buying a
heavy duty unit will be more cost effective in the long run than spending a
hundred bucks every time the KA croaks.
I'm presently considering the Kenwood KM800, the Magic Mill DLX-2000, and
the Bosch. I would like to hear from anyone who has had experience with
these or any other machines that they would recommend for dough
kneading. I normally prepare two loaves at a time. On rare occasions only
one loaf so the machine would have to be able to handle moderate as well as
heavy loads.
Thanks in advance, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Don B
My e-mail address is: TaktEZ@aol.com