I have a Kitchen Aid mixer, professional model, which is the largest they
make for the home kitchen, and it handles most of what I want it to do. I
was a bit disappointed because there were some recipes that it had to
struggle with. I had heard that the Bosch was a heavier mixer, but when I
read their ad, I wondered if it was a good machine to use for artisan
breads. The ad boasted about how the Bosch dough hooks incorporated lots
of air into the dough. My understanding is that with artisan breads, you
have to be careful to not oxidize the dough. Incorporating air seems to
work against that. Some bakers us the autolyse (rest period) to cut down
on the mixing. Using a food processor also cuts down the mixing time. I
haven't done any comparisons to see if it makes a difference. I'm just
going by what I've read in the books.
Cheers, Dave Glaze,
Powell River, BC, Canada