> I have an older model Kitchen Aid Mixer (circa 1965 and still running
> perfectly), but this model does not have nor can it accommodate a dough
> hook.
>
> Do any of you make bread in a mixer without a dough hook and what
> advice do you have? How far can you go with it? Mine has the standard
> single large beater than sweeps around the bowl as it mixes.
I found that for mixing and kneading bread, my Kitchen Aid mixer (with
dough hook) had three major drawbacks, and finally opted for a new mixer.
I encountered these problems with the Kitchen Aid: (1) the simple j-shaped
dough hook tends to push the dough out to the sides of the bowl; you must
stop the mixer often to scrape down the sides by hand. (2) The bowl lacks
a secure lid, and the dough ball, once it finally forms, climbs the beater
mechanism and escapes into the kitchen. (3) Motor size limits the mixer
to just a few cups of flour -- six cups, says the Kitchen Aid literature,
but I have found that heavy 6-cup batches overload and overheat the motor.
I now have a Bosch mixer, which solves all the above: the dough hook
includes a sweep arm that cleans the sides; the bowl has a locking lid;
and the mixer will handle 12 pounds (about 24 cups) of flour. I have yet
to overload it even with the heaviest, stickiest dough. If you mix and
knead bread often, I think you need something beyond Kitchen Aid.
Regards
Jay Hosler