dough mixer recommendation?

I find I only have time to fully hand-make bread on weekends, and only some weekends at that .. so during the week I'm resorting now to using a bread machine for the dough-mixing part only, then hand-shaping and baking. It's my daughter's machine and I'll be parting with it soon. So I'd like recommendations of the best brands of dough mixers -- my wife and I use about three loaves a week, and I use generally about 3.5 cups of flour for a loaf (mixed hard bread flour and multi-grain). I'm in Australia, but I guess common brands will be available just about everywhere. And I'd like something reasonably cost-effective ... our usage is only moderate, as cited above, so I guess we're hardly commercial users! Many thanks

Reply to
anthony
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Quick addition: I've seen often on Ebay Australia this item: HELLER DELUXE ULTIMATE-SERIES HEAVY-DUTY BENCH MIXER Heavy Duty Motor - 6 Power Levels + Pulse

5L Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl RRP - $399.00

It seems to go for around $80. Distributed by GAF (whoever they are). Would this be a suspect shoddy product? I've never heard of Heller before .. anyone know this brand? Some small appliances I've seen on Ebay have turned out to be very poor.......

Reply to
anthony

Why not get another bread machine? It sounds as though the borrowed one met your kneads. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Zojirushi makes highly regarded bread machines that I would expect to be available pretty much everywhere. The nice thing about the machines, as you already know, is that they can not only do the dough mixing, but also provide a controlled environment for proofing/rising, and if need be, can bake a decent loaf of bread to completion.

I never thought I'd do so, but last year we actually used the jam-mak> I find I only have time to fully hand-make bread on weekends, and only

Reply to
yetanotherBob

Thanks for the recommendation .. I'll check that brand out.

Reply to
anthony

A Magic Mill, not only are they the best for what you want they are so much fun to watch (well, fun for a baker, others may think you're in great need of a long walk-about).

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has a small motor because the design is so simple and brilliant. Youwill have to tolerate others flaunting their 700-1000 watt mixers. I havea 700 watt Bosh which I use everyday and the Magic Mill, which I also usedaily, would be faster by far in developing a good dough in the amountsyou want. I mix 10 lbs of dough with it, no sweat (the 15 lbs capacity inthe advert is IMO, bullcrap unless you want headachs, this holds for theBosh adverts also). Most machines lag when the motor is being overworked, lag to a Magic Mill means things are going along just fine. The motor is built to lag every revolution because it does not try to bull it's way through the dough. It sort of massages the dough. This is close to a hand kneed which makes over-mixing nearly impossible. It also means that the mixer makes no intrusion into the gluten structure since there is no tearing of the dough with a hook.

The downsides are: it may walk some. EZ solution being a damp towel underneath. In the first 6 months I had mine it fell off the countertop twice onto the floor. Did I mention they are well built? Did I mention that I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer? That was 5 years ago. The other (maybe) downside is it's uniqueness. It has a stationary paddle and a roller - the bowel turns. The roller, which is under a healthy spring tension, is adjusted away from the bowel to fit the amount of dough that's going to pass between it and the side of the bowel. To do this you have to crack down on a fairly large adjustment knob. This isn't a big deal unless you have hand/joint pain then this may be a problem.

Reply to
ZerkonX

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