To me, it shows my family I love them enough to make something they ALL appreciate.  The fall is a great time to make a few loaves while the kids are at school to have with soup for dinner.  The more I’ve made bread, the easier it gets. Here are a few of my tips for better bread making:

Be sure to check out my first breadmaking post << that one has my full recipe and my basic tips!

Tips For Making Better Bread

1.  Grab your ingredients while it’s mixing.  My recipe calls for mixing the flour, yeast, gluten and water together for a few minutes before I add the other stuff.  To save time, and also make sure I don’t forget something I put them all next to me on the counter so I can add them when it’s time (I am the queen of forgetting to add an ingredient while I’m talking on the phone).

**Btw, don’t miss my comparison Bosch Universal Vs Kitchenaid Vs Nutrimill Artiste post.

2.  To make quick loaves I roll the top into the bottom to make a smooth top. I know a lot of people roll it out and then roll it up cinnamon-roll style but this is much easier and it works just fine.

3.  Smooth down the tops of the loaves so you’re not left with REALLY tall bread in the middle, and really tiny bread on the side.  Leads to less fighting over the deliciousness you made.  Also, if you’re making sandwiches, it’s hard to have a REALLY tall area — they don’t always fit into sandwich bags for school lunch. Don’t worry, the bumps from my knuckles bakes out.

4.  Use a plastic knife and slide it between the bread and the edge of the pan to loosen it all before turning it out.  You don’t want to lose any chunks of bread by it sticking to the sides of the pain (breaks in the crust will also make your bread dry out faster). I just have some baby knives that we used when my kids were little (although, why kids need knives I’ll never know).

5.  I make 4 loaves at a time.  I keep one out, and freeze the others.  I don’t slice it until we eat it.  I think that helps it stay more fresh.

And… {drumroll please} the delicious finished product.  You can se the loaf I didn’t flatten in the background mounding up.  It’s not a catstrophic failure, but this way cooks more evenly and makes better sandwiches.

Grab my favorite bread recipe here, and I’ll send you some more of my favorite baking tips too!

The post Bread Hacks: Tips for better bread making appeared first on Pulling Curls.

We are over 7 years into my bread journey.  I started making it after my last baby because I knew I’d have some spare time while she was napping. I wanted to make something that
1) My family would enjoy.
2) Would save us money.
3) Was healthy.

Seven years later and I really enjoy doing it. Our house smells amazing and my family and friends love it!  Making bread from scratch can be a really rewarding process.  Let’s go!

Making whole wheat bread at Home

When I started making whole wheat bread the recipe that I found worked best was from Deals to Meals (which I was initially using to save money on groceries — it’s an awesome service!), but through trial and error I have made some adjustments to make it work better for myself.  That recipe was a great foundation though!

Mixing Whole Wheat Bread

I do use a mixer to make my bread.  It is tough to really do all the kneading necessary to get 4 full loaves of whole wheat bread made.

Basically, I am lazy — so I use a mixer.

**Update:  Since I wrote this post I have gotten a Bosch.  Learn about Bosch mixer Vs Kitchenaid << right there.

I used to use my 6 qt professional KitchenAid mixer (you can also get a refurb KitchenAid cheaper on Amazon), and I have tailored this recipe to work in the KitchenAid.

However, I was burning out the motor from the very beginning.

Kitchenaid mixers are NOT good at mixing 100% whole wheat bread.

I always had to add some white flour to get it to keep mixing and make the process easier.  Which, I found super frustrating.

SO, I got a Bosch Universal Mixer.  It can do 4 (or more) full 100% whole wheat bread loaves really easily.  The motor doesn’t seem phased at all.

If you plan to do 100% whole wheat bread — I recommend the Bosch  I love my Bosch, I love it so much more for bread — be sure to check out my post about Bosch vs Kitchen Aid to pick the mixer that will work best for you. Also, check out my best Bosch tip (I always thought I’d love it best for bread, but it turns out that I love it even more for batters and cookies).

100 Percent Whole Wheat

It’s much more economical to grind your own wheat.  You can also learn about all the amazing nutritional benefits of processing the wheat yourself.  I decided it was the right plan for us and I’m glad. I haven’t ever looked back.

This video will show the process from beginning to end:

My Wheat Grinder

I do grind my own wheat.  I use wheat berries.  I personally get them from the LDS cannery (which you do not have to be LDS to shop at — this blog explains more about how it works) — but you can get them easily on Amazon.

I use a Nutrimill classic grinder — seven years ago when I bought it was the best I could find for the price I could afford.  Grinding by hand was something I had considered, but I am SO grateful I have this grinder.  It’s a workhorse!

Recently, Nutrimill sent me the Harvest mill — I compare the two here: Grain Mills: Which one is best?

You can buy them here:

• Nutrimill Classic Grinder
• Nutrimill Harvest Grinder

Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

First off, I get my tap running, I use the hottest tap water we have for the recipe.  If you have a tiny water heater and only have lukewarm water, this probably won’t work for you — but it does work for me.  The water should be steaming, if you don’t see steam, it’s probably not hot enough (or, it’s Arizona in the summer, as it’s hard to tell if it’s your skin or your water that is steaming).

This receipe makes 4 loaves of bread.

Obtain 5 cups of steaming hot water.

Pour it into your mixer bowl.  That’s right, water first (this prevents the flour from sticking too much to the bottom of the bowl and being difficult to mix in later)

Then, I dump in 2/3 cup vital wheat gluten (I was just buying the kind from Walmart for a while, but recently a friend gave me a can from Honeyville and I think it’s made my bread THAT much yummier. I will be purchasing it from them all the time now).  You can also grab gluten from Amazon.

Dump in 2.5 T instant yeast (I get mine at Costco, it looks like loaf yeast but it’s actually the little grains, just with all the air removed).

Dump in 7 cups of whole wheat flour.  Mine I usually freshly ground in my Nutri-mill.  Do it all at once, it will still work.

I mix that for one minute, by then it should all be mixed in with maybe a few small patches of flour on the edges (but not much).

Then, it sits like a little bandit on my counter covered with a cloth for 10 minutes.

This technique is called sponging and from what I read it’s extra great for freshly ground whole wheat flour to soak in all that liquid.

During this time, I grab all the ingredients for the next step — the sugar, salt, oil and lemon juice.  I usually also throw in a load of laundry and sometimes grease my pans.

After the 10 minutes (a timer comes in REALLY handy during the bread making process), you pull off the cover and you’ll see this.  The flour, yeast, and gluten mixture will have risen a bit and look all gooey.

Then, it’s time to dump in your sugar (I use brown sugar instead of honey, I heard it freezes better and I think it’s easier to use than honey.  I have tried both and I didn’t notice a difference), lemon juice, salt, and oil.  Mix that all up for about a minute (until it looks pretty well combined).  You may still have a few clumps of brown sugar, that’s alright, it will mix in with the rest of the stuff.

Then, I put on my little mixing collar and slowly add the other 5 cups of whole wheat flour.

I often pre-measure this and have it waiting in a bowl nearby.  I have a really hard time counting out cups of flour while parenting, so if there’s a quiet moment during the 10 minute sponging I try to do this then.  I use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 4 cups of all-purpose, just because this seems to be the mixture that makes it so my mixer doesn’t stop part-way through it. I do this for the KitchenAid – if using a Bosch you can use all whole wheat flour.

**Mixing up whole wheat flour is a lot harder then mixing up regular flour in your mixer, so be sure to check your manual to see how much you can put in. I experimented, and this is what worked for me (again, mostly only important if you have a Kitchenaid)

With my Kitchenaid I 2/3 this recipe, to make sure it can make it through.  Just FYI.

I dump in those 5 cups, one at a time (using the mixing collar, the mixer runs the whole time).  Make sure that the flour gets pretty well incorporated between each dump.  The total mixing time in here, for me, is usually around 8 minutes.  But, it can go as high as 10.

I was actually watching America’s Test Kitchen the other day when they said that you don’t really have to worry about over-mixing bread.  I always had a worry in the back of my head that I would over-mix it and it would be bad. I worry less now and my bread is coming out better.

Here are two things I watch for when I am making bread dough:

• It usually takes about 2-3 minutes once all the flour is mixed in.
• You will notice the bread is mixed and looks fairly smooth, but a little grainy — don’t stop mixing it at this point, it will be better if you keep going until it looks REALLY smooth.  Honestly, like a baby’s bottom.  If in question, keep going a minute more.  A lot of bread making is experimenting.  You can do it!

Sometimes my mixer (KitchenAid) peters out before the bread is done — in which case I hand knead it for a bit.  It makes me feel all Ma Ingalls and appreciate my mixer more

**Most modern KitchenAid’s seem to be equipped with a stop function when it is getting overheated.  Mine has always re-started after this, but I try not to get it to this point.  Sometimes I smell a little burning and I’ll just stop and hand knead it.  If yours stops, let it cool down for about 1/2 an hour and you can try again.  However, if you are close to the end, I’d just pull the dough out and finish kneading it on your own.

While the mixer is finishing I usually grab and grease my bread pans.  I recently bought four 88 cent pans from Walmart and they cook well and are going strong.  I only cook this type of bread in them, I don’t wash them, and they have done fine.  I don’t see a need for fancy pans here.

Sometimes during the mixing I set my oven to heat to 350 for 2 minutes.  My oven will allow me to only heat it for those 2 minutes, so maybe see if yours can.  It makes it easy in case you get distracted, your oven doesn’t get too warm.

I take my dough scraper and pull the dough out of the bowl.  I use the straight side to cut into four fairly even loaves.  Often, they’re not as even as I’d like — but what can I do?  I certainly can’t lose sleep over it.  I form each one into a loaf, mostly turning the bottom into the middle (using my fingers — does that make sense?).  I plop it into the pre-greased pans (I just use Pam). Then, I push it all down until it is fairly even in the pans, otherwise you end up with HUGE slices in the middle, and sad ones on the end — and no kid wants that.

Then, into the warm oven they go.  The recipe says it should take 10-15 minutes to rise to the top of the pans, but mine takes a bit longer, closer to 30 minutes.  Then, I cook them at 350 for about 40 minutes.  I have had some raw bread in the middle and that’s REALLY no good.  40 minutes tended to be my oven’s sweet spot.

Once they’re done I pull them out of the oven.  I use a plastic knife (the kid kind from Ikea) to go along the edge so you don’t end up with clumps of bread left in the pan (and you don’t cut into the pans with a sharp knife), I dump them onto wire racks and let them cool for about 3 hours.  Then, I put them in sacks (I buy these sacks on Amazon because I think they fit loaves the best) and we’re done!  Easy peasy, right?

These are my loaves here, are they perfect in every way?  No, but they are homemade — I know where all the ingredients came from and that’s more then I can say for perfectly shaped loaves from the store. That’s good enough for me.

Here’s the printable recipe! (Use print friendly to print it easily).

Or, get it sent to your inbox:

Pull Your Bread, Not your Curls Bread Recipe
Makes 4 loaves
(if your mixer is smaller then 6 qt, you will need to reduce)

Add 5 cups steaming hot water in your mixer bowl
then add:
7 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup Vital wheat gluten
2.5 T instant yeast
Mix for 1 minute on speed 2
Allow to sponge for 10 minutes covered.

Then, mix in 2T salt
2/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2.5 Tablespoons lemon juice (bottled is fine)
mix for 1 minute on speed 2 (until combined)

Then add, a cup at a time (mixing well in between each addition)
5 cups of flour (determine the mixture that works best for you — mine is 1 cup whole wheat, 4 cups all purpose).

**So, in total you will have used 12 cups of flour — 7 before sponging, and 5 after, you can use whatever ratio of whole wheat to white you think your mixer can tolerate (now that I use the Bosch, I use 100% whole wheat — but it WILL KILL your Kitchenaid at this size recipe).

Allow to mix until it looks REALLY smooth.  This will take 8-10 minutes from when you started adding the salt etc. all on speed 2.

Pre-heat oven to a low temp for 1-2 minutes and turn off.

Divide dough into 4 loaves, press evenly into the corners so you get a more even loaf.
Place in the warm oven for 30-ish minutes (until the dough reaches the top of the pans).  Then, turn the oven on to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Pull out and place on wire racks to cool.

If you’re into bread — check out my post on bread hacks, and my other post about making a LOT of bread at once.

This post was originally published in 2013, but has been updated.

The post Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe: 100% whole wheat bread for sandwiches appeared first on Pulling Curls.

KitchenAid vs Bosch Universal vs Nutrimill Artiste

Today, we’re going to review three heavy duty mixers (click on the name of the mixer to skip to that review):

Nutrimill Artiste:  Basically the baby sister of the Bosch Universal.  It mixes in a smilar way, motor isn’t quite as robust, but can use a lot of the same accessories.

KitchenAid Pro Stand Mixer:  For most people the gold standard.  It is what most TV shows use and is likely the most popular of the three.

Bosch Universal Mixer:  I believe this to be the powerhouse of the three.  But, not as well known unless you talk to homemakers who love to make bread.  

** Looking for a Bosch Universal Mixer? — I have a great deal to save you a ton (and get you some awesome accessories)**

I have been making bread at home like a pro since 2009.  I initially bought a KitchenAid Professional 4.5 qt mixer (later upgraded to the 6 qt) due to a small kitchen space, but have recently tried the Nutrimill Artiste and the Bosch Universal and wanted to give you a side-by-side of the three.

FYI, I always thought the problem was the “tilt head” of my first mixer (rather than the lifting bar that the 6.5 qt had) but both lasted about the same period of time.

Full Disclosure:  I was sent both the Bosch Universal and the Nutrimill Artiste for my full reviews with no requirements that they be positive.  They were aware I would give my full, valued opinion.  Just so you know.

**I’ve included a photo of each of them in the same spot on my counter to help you get an idea of sizing.**

The Bosch Universal Mixer

The Bosch Universal has an 800 w motor and can mix up to about 15 pounds of bread dough! It also comes in a stainless steel version.

Bosch mixes the bread in a very different way than the KitchenAid or other stand mixers.

It is clearly the workhorse out of these three. The Bosch can handle almost double the amount of flour that my KitchenAid could.

It is a bit bulkier than the Artiste, although not as tall so if the height is an issue that might be a plus for it.

It has 2 drives — a high-speed drive (for use with the optional blender and other attachments) and the high torque drive for the mixing bowl — that’s the thing jutting up to the right.

Here is the Artiste and the Universal side by side:

Keep in mind that both the Bosch AND the NutriMill have LOTS of attachments you can use them.

BTW, want a post that compares JUST the NutriMill vs the Bosch << check out that post.

Bread Kneading Bosch Vs KitchenAid Mixer:

I always knew that the Bosch did a great job on bread — and it does!  There will be no motor burn-out with this one.  No weird burning smell or noticing that I am absolutely KILLING the motor.

I am still having a hard time watching it knead bread, as it does it VERY different than the KitchenAid (that I am used to).  I have just held true to the timing I’d used with the KitchenAid and while I don’t think the dough looks as smooth — it turns out great.

If you’re familiar with the KitchenAid — bread making (the kneading) just looks different.  However, the motor WORKS — and it will work for a lot of bread.  That’s really where the Bosch shines for most bakers (due to the vast quantities). The KitchenAid just has spiral mixers, where the Bosch is doing more circular — if I can describe it. I think they call it more of a planetary mixer — because the whips are rotating in the bowl as the whips are also rotated.

I will say that I feel like the Bosch dough mixer doesn’t do as well with small recipes for loaves of bread (I usually make like 4 — so that isn’t my intended purpose). I prefer the Kitchenaid for that — just be aware your motor has a small life…. If you’re looking for small batches of Sourdough the Kitchenaid might be better?

The Kitchen Aid has a spiral dough hook. The Bosch has a metal bar that bends to push the dough around the bowl. They look VERY different.

BUT, I am in LOVE with creating batters with it.  Because of the angle of the blades, it incorporates air and everything seems to taste better than it did with my KitchenAid.

I was really surprised by how much I liked it.

Bosch vs KitchenAid Attachments

The KitchenAid is always touted because it has all the cool attachments (although I’ve had friends who haven’t had luck with some of them due to the lack of motor on the KitchenAid).

The Bosch has tons of attachments.  I have the blender, the slicer/shredder, and the ice cream maker.

The ice cream maker, I can’t rave enough about it. I tried it and it was AMAZING (it made ice cream in about 15 minutes, which was AMAZING!!!).

I also love the slicer/shredder and the blender. MOSTLY it’s nice to have such a GREAT motor that works so well with each of the attachments (which will save you space in the kitchen vs having each one and their own motor separate).

They also have a meat grinder, large slicer shredder, pasta roller, berry de-seeder etc.  It seems to have all the attachments the KitchenAid touts.  Super handy!

The BEST part of the Bosch is its WORKHORSE of a motor.  It really is the high point.  Keep that in mind as you compare the mixers I’m sharing.

Looking for Bosch Mixer Tips << that post is all about it!

Bosch Universal Mixer Sale & Coupon Code

For so long I had looked for the Bosch mixer at Costco and was so sad when it was never there.  But, no more, I have an awesome deal that’s just as good!

I can give you the Bosch Universal with ALL of my favorite attachments (including a bonus) for just over $400.  You can find it all at this link.  Compare it’s price with the Amazon basic package (without all the bells & whistles) for just under $350. Often, the packages I can offer you (and you can only get them here, not in stores) — include….

• Bosch Universal Plus Stand Mixer (that’s the big one — that handles a LOT of dough)
• Paddles for batters/cookie dough
• Wire whips for whipping
• Bowl scraper that fits over all of the above to keep the ingredients in the mixing area (this is a favorite of mine, makes batters easy)
• Dough hook and dough hook extender for large and small batches of dough (use that extender for small batches like pizza dough).
• Sometimes a special bonus is included, depending on the time of the year.

If that’s still out of your price range a bit — read on for the Artiste.  I think it’s great too!

FAQ’s about the Bosch Universal Mixer:

What’s the Bosch Universal Warranty?

Depending on which mixer package you get (sometimes they throw in an extra year with their warranty) it is 3 years for the motor and transmission, and 1 year on the parts & plastic.

BUT, I have heard that if the mixer poops out of its own accord — and frankly, I think that’s pretty-well unheard of — then I would certainly call them.  They really do stand behind their products!

Honestly, I’ve never had someone have something go wrong with the actual mixer.  I have heard of beaters breaking when you use too cold of butter (I talk about that in this Bosch tips post), but other than that they really are just workhorses!

They also have great customer service — if you have an issue, no matter how old your mixer is, I would contact them.

Also, if you purchase through any links here they will have a record of your purchase — I would always try to purchase through Bosch themselves when possible because if anything were to go wrong they are more likely to work with you!

What are the Bosch Attachments

At this time attachments include:

• Slicer Shredder
• Meat Grinder
• Noodle attachment (goes on the meat grinder)
• Berry Press (juices berries, apples, etc)
• Blender
• Flour Sifter (I just saw this — this sounds HANDY)
• Citrus Juicer
• Food Processor (this is next on my list)

You can also use attachments for the Artiste mixer, as their bowls are the same (they are sister companies)

• Ice Cream Maker

All of those attachments either go in the bowl, on the other attachment area, OR some of them use the mixer placed on its side.  It’s pretty cool!

What Paddles/Mixing Tools are available for the Bosch Universal?

There are a lot of different hooks/blades/paddles available for the Bosch — some may come with your mixer bundle, and some may not.

• Cake Paddles
• Dough Hook
• Dough Hook Extender
• Wire whips
• Batter Whisks
• Cookie paddles (these do break, so make sure your butter is softened!)

And, don’t forget the bowl scraper.  It’s AWESOME!  A huge favorite of mine, really does its job.

Do you just like the Bosch better because they gave you one?

No, not at all.

In fact, if you watch my videos I mention that I don’t like the kneading of the Bosch as well as I liked the KitchenAid’s.  I think it spins the dough a lot more than it kneads it.

BUT, because it has a freaking WORKHORSE of a motor, it makes up for it.  I’m a huge fan.

If I had to buy a mixer again in my super small kitchen, I may have bought the KitchenAid again.  The footprint is just a lot smaller (there is a Bosch compact mixer, but I haven’t tried it, nor have they mentioned it to me, which makes me think it’s not that awesome).  I’d just know I’d need to either 1) Not mix 100% whole wheat bread dough with it or 2) Buy a new one every 5 years or so.

The key is really that motor.  It’s AMAZING!!!!!

Ok — back to the comparison of the Bosh vs the KitchenAid Mixer

KitchenAid Professional Stand Mixer

The KitchenAid that I had was the 6 qt that says it can do up to 14 cups of flour — but the manual recommends not to use more than 8 cups of whole wheat flour.  I can do two or three loaves of bread in it, and I have to do about 50% white flour in order to get it to finish the load.

When I bought the Kitchenaid I knew that it wasn’t as powerful of a machine, but — at the time — our kitchen was a VERY small galley kitchen with maybe 1 yard of counter space total?  I was looking for the smallest footprint and went with the KitchenAid.

It has served me well and I like it a lot, but it is dying (this one is the 2nd one after my last mixer died).  It’s frustrating to spend so much on something only to have it die — but that’s how the cookie crumbles.  Get it, cookies.  Yum.

It can’t even finish the 3 loaf recipe before it starts to smell and then dies. #sadface

I like the KitchenAid.  It worked well for quite a while.  It comes in many colors and it seems to be the standard on cooking shows.  But, I just don’t know why people keep rating it above the Bosch.

Really.  My KitchenAid (because I actually have all 3 of these mixers) sits in a closet downstairs — and I haven’t looked back.

BUT, the main benefit of the KitchenAid mixer is:

• The price.  A lot of the time, you can get it cheaper than the Bosch (keep in mind the Bosch will last you 3 or 4 times longer, so the KitchenAid price is actually a lot more, but I get wanting to stay in budget).
• The footprint is still smaller.  For smaller kitchens, it’s nice.  If I had to re-do my purchase from 2009, I still don’t know that I’d pick the Bosch vs the KitchenAid mixers, just because it’s still a lot bigger (and I had a very small kitchen at that point in time).
• As a New Mixer it’s a winner — it’s really quite powerful out of the box, just know that with time that powerful-ness will decrease. Your first time mix will be strong and awesome.

**I know you’re thinking this is just an ad for the Bosch, but I searched OUT a deal on the Bosch because I love it THAT much more.  I tell ALL of my friends how much more I love the Bosch vs the KitchenAid.

FAQ’s about the Kitchenaid Mixer

What is the warranty for the Kitchenaid Mixer?

Depending on how you buy it, it’s usually 1-2 years, but as they have more retailers, it can vary quite a bit.

What happens when the KitchenAid motor starts to go?

For me, I start to notice a hot electronics smell  Then, more of a burning, and then it stops. Many have mentioned the plastic gears get stressed and are really problematic.

If I let it rest for 30-40 minutes and plug it in again, it will start back up….

But, by then my dough needs to be done, so I usually just do it by hand.

NutriMill Artiste Mixer Review

The NutriMill Artiste is actually a newer addition to the stand mixer scene.  I initially got a demo model, (which was problematic) but they’ve done a couple of updates lately that have really increased it’s power and ability!

NutriMill is the sister company to Bosch in the US.  They are the distribution arm for Bosch in the US — so the fact that they work together is super cool!

The idea behind it seems to be that it’s a little smaller (it doesn’t have the 2nd drive shaft with the blender area).  It also will only be 650 w but the bowl and attachments fit both the Artiste and the regular Bosch — which is AWESOME! I love using the Ice Cream Maker attachment on my Bosch.

I did test the Artiste.  I will say that the motor isn’t quite as strong still.  Truly a story of “you get what you pay for”.  BUT, it IS good.  Probably as good/better than the the KitchenAid.  I love the price point and I think it’s a great option for someone who wants a mixer but isn’t ready to invest in the Universal.

They just made an update to the Artiste where they made the motor more powerful, upgraded the drivetrain, improved the center column, better bowls and circuits. It can now handle up to 6 lbs of dough (the Unviersal can handle 14).

If you’re just looking to do cookies (be sure to soften your butter first either way), and matters, the Artiste would be fine. However, if you’re looking to do large amounts of bread dough (especially with whole wheat) I’d recommend the Universal.

BTW, it’s bowl is interchangeable with the Universal (as are all the attachments) — that makes it SUPER handy if you have both!

Bosch Universal vs KitchenAid Mixer

The Bosch Universal powered through my bread dough recipe like a boss.  In fact, I think I’m going to do the math to make 2 more loaves (for a total of 6) the next time I try it in this.

The “kneading” does look very different with the Bosch.  If you’re looking at the two, just keep that in mind.

Yes, the Bosch and the KitchenAid have similar bowl sizes per capacity (6qt vs 6.5 qt in the Bosch) but because the Bosh’s dough hook is much more compact, coming from the bottom — it works better.

Keep in mind the Bosch just holds more because that lid can enclose it, whereas the KitchenAid can still fling dough around your kitchen.

The Bosch is also completely contained with its lid, vs the KitchenAid that just gives you a funnel to add flour to, and that splash ring type apparatus.

Also, I constantly had dough “climbing” my KitchenAid dough hook.  That won’t be a problem in the Bosch.

My bread recipe has an initial sponging period after adding the flour, gluten, water and yeast.

The KitchenAid took about a full minute to combine those ingredients, and the Bosch took about 20 seconds.  The Bosch does seem to combine things faster.  I love that.

Whipped cream happens in seconds, not minutes.

The Bosch also combined the full ingredients much quicker than my KitchenAid.

The Bosch does have a different pattern to kneading.  In total it probably kneaded for a similar amount of time for double the amount of dough.  The bread turned out great — all four loaves (my KitchenAid would’ve only done 2-3 loaves).

It did a great job, I’m thrilled — just like ALL my friends said I would be.

The other thing I like is Bosch’s integrated cord storage (although you could set-up command hooks to wrap the cord on the kitchenaid). It’s nice not have cords all over the counter (I’m looking at you Mr Toaster).

Mixing Batters – Bosch Universal vs Kitchenaid Pro

As far as mixing other items I had always heard the Bosch Universal wasn’t great at making things like cookies/batters etc.

They were wrong.  With the new bowl scraper attachment, it is AMAZING!

I actually think the Bosch mixes cookies, cake batter, etc BETTER.  Also, because the beaters are close to the bottom of the bowl — even when I’m just doing 2 egg whites it does a great job (the KitchenAid would barely even touch 2 egg whites, so I was really happy with that).

It’s hard to envision it (or video it — because it goes so fast) but the mixer blades go around the bowl, plus they spin on their own, and they’re also spinning at an angle, so gravity plays into it.

I think of it as to how the moon spins around the earth and the earth is spinning around the sun.  Just sped up a lot to beat your egg whites in an insanely short period of time.

I’m sure that’s why it goes so much faster.  I made cream one night and it made it just in a few minutes.

Also, I found that the KitchnAid 6qt was hard with smaller batches of cream or egg whites.  The Bosch does fine with small or large quantities, again — because of how the blades work.

Comparing Bosch Universal Mixer Vs KitchenAid Clean-Up

All metal parts do have to be hand washed.  On all mixers — except stainless steel bowls can be put in the dishwasher (both the Bosch and the KitchenAid can have a stainless steel bowl).

The KitchenAid dough hook seems to be a little easier to clean than the Bosch, but not a whole lot easier (just more surfaces to clean on the Bosch).

The bowl seems a bit easier to clean on the Bosh/Nutrimill.  I find that the stainless easily gets stuff built-up on it, vs the white bowl it came off a bit easier.

Clean-up on both isn’t bad at all.

Final Review: Bosch Stand Mixer vs KitchenAid

All in all I think they’re all great mixers.   I don’t think the KitchenAid is a poor purchase, but I DO think that if you have the right space and the cash, the Bosch Universal is 100% the right way to go.

After having both, I still think KitchenAid has a nicer footprint for smaller kitchens, and it is cheaper.

If money is an issue — check out the Nutrimill Artiste!  I don’t think the motor is quite as good, but it’s still a great little workhorse.  Also, if you were ever wanting to upgrade to the Bosch Universal, all of your stuff can be used with that as well….

See the Nutrimill Artiste here

And, be sure to sign up for my favorite bread recipe below — it’s unique in some of its processes and I think you’ll really like it!

I hope you enjoyed this post with a Bosch kitchen machine review.  I shared where to buy a Bosch mixer and how to get the Bosch Universal Mixer Manual.  We’ve compared the Nutrimill vs Kitchenaid.  And hopefully answered if the KitchenAid pro 600 is too big.

Originally written in Sept 2017, but has been updated since then.

The post Bosch Universal Mixer vs Kitchenaid Mixer vs The Nutrimill Artiste Mixer appeared first on Pulling Curls.

And then I remembered.

I make bread.  Pretty darn good bread.  I might even say pretty D@&& good bread, but this is a family blog.

And so each year, I sojourn into making upwards of 20 loaves for teachers, friends, neighbors and the like.  Heres my top 5 tips for making a lot of bread {making loaves for droves}:

1.  Buy at least 4 pans.  I can MAYBE cook 6 loaves in my oven.  It’s kind of tight, and the cooking time gets off from my usual.  I’d rather cook 4 at a time and just keep rotating through.  I have 8 pans.  I got them for 88 cents at Walmart.  Anything cheap will do.  I don’t wash these pans, they only ever hold bread.  I sometimes scrape some crust out into the sink — but they do pretty well for 88 cents!

2.  Figure out what your mixer can handle.  Ok, if you’re thinking you’re going to make 30 loaves by hand, you’ve really lost it.  I have to do it in my mixer, and it can’t handle much more than 12 cups of flour.  I do add some white flour to ease up the burden on my mixer (it’s easier on the mixer to make white bread, rather than 100% whole wheat).  

It also can only do about 3 batches/day and it has to rest in between or it will overheat and then I’m mixin’it by hand, and I make it a point to NEVER mix dough by hand.  These fragile arm muscle are too weak for that {kissing my guns}.  I have a whole post on the Bosch Universal vs The Kitchenaid (I’m a recent convert to one of them).

3.  Figure out where you’re going to put them all.  I initially put all my loaves on my wire racks (I wish I had a few more, I should keep an eye open for them at Goodwill).  After the next batch is set to come out I move them onto cutting boards (wood being better than plastic) and then onto the counter.

4.  I don’t slice the bread.  It stays more fresh that way, and I can’t imagine how bad my arms would hurt after slicing all that, not to mention it’s a lot less pretty when you slice it.

5  Grind it baby.  I do use my wheat grinder to give about 80% of the flour.  I buy wheat at the LDS cannery (you don’t have to be a member of the church to shop there) and it’s a LOT cheaper to do that then to buy actual white flour.  Plus, it’s freshly ground wheat going into their bread.  What isn’t there to love?  Man, I practically sound like a Puritan with this post, thank goodness I use a mixer!

6.  Clear a few mornings.  It’s great to bread done in the morning.  It makes your house all warm and smell great.  I guess you could do it at night, but I like to let my loaves cool for about 4 hours and then bag them (yes, I bought special bags).  I add a little curly ribbon, a card and WHAMO — it’s love in a bag!

I’m not saying this is the present for everyone to make (please don’t, what would I give then?), but you can make many loaves at a time if you rally want to.  I could also buy smaller tin and make more at a time.  I may foray into that this year what with all the high school teachers El Presidante has.

Want more info on easy gifting:

• Clutter-Free Kids Gifts
• Gift ideas for Women who Have Everything
• Gift Ideas for Someone Going to Disney
• Organizing for Christmas
• Christmas on a budget: Christmas ideas for families on a budget

The post Tips on How to Make a LOT of Bread appeared first on Pulling Curls.