When a Hobart engineer came up with an idea for the orbital mixer nearly a
century ago, commercial bakers were ecstatic. A couple of decades later when
Hobart had their executive's wives try out a home version of the orbital
mixer, it was a smashing success. One of the wives commented that it was the
best aide she ever had in the kitchen... and, thus, the product was named
KitchenAid. The strength of the mixer is in the hub rotating one way and the
beater rotating in the opposite direction creating the fastest and most
efficient mixing action the last century has seen in a stand mixer. Of
course, KitchenAid got its "name" as a tough, hard working Hobart product
line for homemakers. Whirlpool bought the line and redesigned the unit to
make it profitable at a lower price to the consumer.
Now, the top-of-the-line KitchenAid Professional (KSM59P) is the only
model with a reset button that is triggered by the heat of the motor. All of
the other models have sacrificial gears that will fail under loads that may
cause the motor to fail. The result is that KitchenAid (Whirlpool) will send
you a newly refurbished unit if your KitchenAid Stand Mixer fails in the
first year... or if you have bought an extended warranty, other solutions
are available. For bread bakers, I strongly recommend, from personal
experience, that you only buy a KitchenAid Stand Mixer that has the reset
button... to date, that is the KSM59P. It is a 5 quart model rated at 350
watts and the most pricey of the line... but it is head and shoulders above
the rest of the line when it comes to making bread... a conclusion I reached
the hard way by having the less expensive models fail and being allowed to
upgrade to the KSM59P as a replacement unit. Another pricey addition that
does a good job is the "commercial grade" heavy duty 5 quart mixing bowl
that will take the beating of heavy dough kneading in stride... although I
have yet to have a standard mixing bowl fail.
If you are really into making bread, there is nothing quite like using
your own fresh ground flour. You will find that the KSM59P with a KitchenAid
grain mill attachment will make short work and give excellent results. So
far, I have found Fry's Electronics Stores, to have the best price on this
attachment. Make no mistake, this robust, cast iron, burr flour mill is made
in the old fashioned tradition of simple but elegant products that get the
job done.
Most of my baking is done with wild yeasts (various sourdough starters)
and natural grains ground into the appropriate grade flour... which is the
only way one can have a reasonable idea of what is in the flour. Flour mills
mix and match their flour blends to create a profitable flour with minimal
characteristics. Grinding ones own flour from the wheatberrys not only
allows you to know what went in to the flour but also gives the tremendous
advantage of using freshly milled flour. A robust grain mill also allows you
to make fresh polenta and add a wide variety of dried beans, legumes, etc.
to add interest and protein to your artisan loaves.
For those looking for more expensive solutions, the Bosch mixer and
Whispermill grain mill are two outstanding products. Of course, having a
Blodgett Steam Injected Oven in one's home, as does Andie Paysinger, brings
bread baking to a height that few attain at home. But, then, Andie is a
professionally trained baker, innovative artist and Basenji fancier par
excellence... and one of the best and most sharing givers of sound advice
any home baker is likely to encounter.
Some final tips for those using the KitchenAid by Whirlpool. Sourdough
breads benefit from a full 15 minutes of kneading in a stand mixer... heavy
doughs of 6 cups of flour or more will challenge the sacrificial gears of
the models below the KSM59P. At the worst, the KSM59P will just pop its
reset button. Just let it cool a few minutes, push in the reset and continue
on. If I am making several batches of bread, I let the KSM59P cool for about
30 minutes between kneadings. The KitchenAid food grinder attachment and
pasta maker plate inserts are also worthwhile. The grinder not only makes
short work of fresh ground meat but also does a good job of preparing
veggies for specialty breads. The pasta maker plates are relatively
inexpensive (for KitchenAid) and when used in conjunction with the grain
mill attachment will turn out truly fresh pasta that is sure to delight the
"al dente" crowd in your home. Enjoy! -Ed Dennis