You’ll notice that some of my recipes call for mixing. I own a nice stand mixer that can withstand everyday use and whole grain flours.
The mixers we offer are the four I most highly recommend, and all are super mixers with great reliability "track records," real workhorses, able to handle the demands of whole-wheat doughs for many years (I know of people who have had machines for 20 years and have had no problems). They all offer 3-year warranties. Which one you select will depend on your preferences/family needs.
For example, both Bosch mixers include a 48-oz blender as standard equipment. The Bosch mixers cost less than the Electrolux DLX. The Bosch Concept we offer has a heavy-duty stainless steel dough hook to replace the less-sturdy European hook that would be standard in some Concepts. The Universal takes up more counter space because the low drive (blender) and high drive (mixer and some accessories) are side by side. The Concept is designed to be able to pop the base into most drawers for storage. They both come with heavy Makrilon (special plastic) bowls that are shaped like Bundt pans (center posts). The Concept has a removable center post to aid cleaning, while the Universal now offers a stainless steel bowl with removable post as optional. They both offer a wide variety of optional accessories. The Bosch Universal has been a standard in the industry for many years and continues to be a favorite among home bakers. It does have a larger footprint than the Concept.
The DLX costs more; it feels like the well-made, well-engineered piece of equipment that it is. The DLX does not include a blender as standard, and at this time, the blender is 40 oz. There does seem to be a bit of a learning curve for some people when first using the roller/scraper. I have only found a need to use the dough hook once, when making very stiff dough, although I know of people who recommend the dough hook over the R/S for batches over about 4 loaves. The DLX comes with a separate whisk bowl and whisk assembly (whisk bowl is bundt-shaped to accommodate bottom-mount whisk assembly). The DLX bowl has a larger capacity than the others for larger batches of dough. The large mixing bowl is stainless steel with no center post to hamper cleaning; even my husband has commented on how easy it is to clean (the bowl is fairly heavy, though, because it's stainless steel). The DLX has a 12-minute timer built in to allow the user to start the kneading, set the timer, and walk away, confident that the machine will stop itself after the prescribed amount of time. I can mix eight loaves in it, but six is my standard recipe, since I can fit six full-size loaves in my oven (I did nine once, but that took too much “watching”!).
I know of gals who have run all three larger machines side by side, and when the bread comes out of the oven, they really can't tell which loaves were kneaded in which machines.
Another Bosch for consideration as a starter or small-family mixer is the Compact. Several friends have this mixer and are very pleased with it. You would only make two to four loaves of bread at a time using this mixer, but it’s a great size for a small family, and for the price it can’t be beat.
Interested in purchasing a mixer? Visit our page on mixers to see
more on the specific products, or call us for pricing and order information.
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