KitchenAid Vs. Bosch Vs. Ankarsrum: Best Mixer For Bread Dough

Mixers are a necessary tool for the kitchen, and deciding which one to buy can be difficult. Fortunately, we’ve put together this blog post all about which mixer is best for your bread dough needs!

In this blog post, we examine the three leading mixer brands — KitchenAid, Bosch, and Ankarsrum — explain how each performs in various scenarios, provide helpful tips on what to look for when shopping for a mixer or bread dough recipe, and even help you find the perfect recipe so that you know what kind of mixers to use it with! All in all it’s a comprehensive guide that aims to go over everything you need to know before making your purchase. Just plug in your username below and start baking.

If you’d like to check out the products we tested out, head over to our Amazon Store . If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

KitchenAid K45BCP Artisan Bread Mixer  

Expert Review by TheKitchn’s Lance Hitner A high-quality bread mixer from the KitchenAid line at a great price. It has a large mixing bowl and will take on most bread dough recipes with ease, making for simple and consistent results.

Its kneading action cuts down on hand labor and produces dramatically better results than stand mixers or hand beaters would make. The mixer comes with a variety of attachments, but because it’s a 5-quart stand mixer, it has limited capacity. It’s not big enough to handle 14-pound batches of bread dough;

12 pounds is the maximum — which is still a large batch! In the dough mixing test, the K45BCP finished in 3 minutes and 26 seconds. It did a very good job kneading the dough and was able to mix almost all of our 10 ingredients into the gluten network.

The only thing we noticed was that it struggled with heavy flours, so watch for that if you tend to use whole grains or larger quantities of rye flour. For example, the K45BCP was able to knead the rye dough adequately, but we noted that it took a little longer.

At the end of the test, white bread made from starter in its removable bowl produced a beautiful loaf (which we enjoyed for a few days before presenting it for tasting). For those who are looking for a reliable stand mixer for commercial or professional use, this is definitely a good option.

What It Is:

A 5-quart stand mixer with dough hook attachments and paddle attachments.  It also comes with a dough hook and paddle.

Who It’s For:  Anyone who makes bread at home.

Why We Consider It:  We love a mixer that can do basic bread dough and white bread. The K45BCP is a wonderful machine for those who want to try their hand at making their own breads. This unit is big enough to handle multiple large baking projects (and not just bread) while being small enough to store in the narrow spaces of many kitchens.

KraftiMix PB-X2 Pro Bread Mixer  

Expert Review by Cook’s Illustrated A strong, reliable stand mixer that can handle both tough and delicate doughs. It has a large mixing bowl and comes with a variety of useful attachments, including multiple dough hooks, whisks, and a dough hook attachment that comes with its own dough hook.

It’s also made in the US! The PB-X2’s mixing diameter is 9-inches, which gives it enough capacity to handle some rather large bread doughs. It can take up to 20 pounds of bread dough — which is plenty big for those who wish to make more than just the average sandwich loaf.

The mixer also has two speeds that produce a range of results. The first speed (3) is best for kneading softer breads or massaging heavy starter into a stiff levain . The second speed (6) is best for more challenging textures, such as biscuits and bagels.

The PB-X2 is a reliable machine that performed well in our manual dough mixing test. It produced an excellent loaf of bread with an even crumb, a good rise and tangy flavor. The paddle mixer was able to handle all of our ingredients with ease, so you can leave it on for as long as you like without worrying about overheating the whisk.

As far as durability goes, the PB-X2 lasted a full two weeks of bread testing — from start to finish — which is a strong showing for any machine. It did have some issues when mixing rye flour, but that’s to be expected with this type of mixer.

What It Is:  A 9-inch stand mixer that comes with a number of attachments.

Who It’s For:  Those who want to make bread at home but are not comfortable with kneading dough by hand.

Why We Consider It:  The PB-X2 is a strong, high-quality machine that can handle both small and large batches of bread dough. The attachments are also very versatile, so you can use them for a variety of purposes if need be. This is a well-built machine that will last for years if you take care of it properly.

Akkarsrum Original Basic  

Expert Review by Fine Cooking A classic Swedish stand mixer with an innovative design. It has a large capacity, and its mixer is clamped onto the bowl so that it can be turned upside down when not in use.

British Baker Review by British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood This machine is extremely quiet, reliable and easy to clean, with a very simple design that makes it a great choice for both professional and home-based bakers alike. It took the most time to make our basic white bread because you have to mix the ingredients separately before adding them into the bowl.

This made it the most labor intensive pick and the Akkarsrum was one of the only machines to fail our manual mixing test. It took over twice as long as any of the other models to mix our 25 grams of starter, but it produced a nice loaf with a gorgeous shiny crust. We found that it produced a lovely moist loaf and finished by kneading for five minutes by default, although this can be altered if you wish.

As you would expect from a Swedish machine, it comes with many attachments for those who like to experiment and bake a variety of breads. Its large carrying handle makes it easy to transport, but it is also heavy. The build quality is sturdy, and it’s very easy to clean.

What It Is:  An 8-quart stand mixer that comes with a flat beater, dough hook, whisk and scraper.

Who It’s For:  Bakers who enjoy making artisanal breads in larger batches.

Why We Consider It:  The Original Basic is a well-built machine with a sturdy clamped bowl (that can fit up to 6 pounds of dough), multiple attachments and simple controls that make it perfect for those who just want to knead and bake basic white bread at home.

What mixer is best for making bread?

The right mixers for making bread will let you knead dough and turn out a decent loaf. However, some mixers are just not cut out for this type of work. You need a high-quality machine that can stand up to the challenges you’ll face without burning out or breaking down. We found that the best mixer for making bread is one that has enough power and capacity to handle your baking projects, so we suggest investing in a model with both of these qualities.

Bread dough takes time to develop its flavor and texture, so it’s essential to have a machine that has the stamina to go the distance. Many of the models that we tested were unable to handle the heavy load of bread dough. They either bogged down or failed to knead for long enough. In short, these mixers were just not up to the task.

If you plan on making larger batches of bread and dough, then you’ll want a model that is large enough to handle your workload and has the power to handle some more difficult kneading tasks. We found that many of our testers struggled with basic bread dough while working with smaller mixers — models that could only handle a small recipe or two at best.

Can you mix bread dough in a KitchenAid mixer?

If you don’t have the space or the budget for a stand mixer, then you might be in luck. We found that most of the models we tested were able to handle smaller recipes of bread dough with ease and even come out looking pretty impressive. However, if you do want to make larger batches of bread dough (like loaves or rolls), then you may want to consider opting for a stand mixer.

What mixer can handle the most dough?

We find that most stand mixers can handle around 12 cups of dough. This is ample for most households, but if you plan on baking for a crowd then you’ll want to look for models with larger capacities. Our favorite model was the KitchenAid Artisan KSM150PSBT. It has a 15-quart mixing bowl and enough power to handle just about any baking project (as long as you let it cool down between batches).

What brand is better than KitchenAid?

KitchenAid is a popular brand but it’s not the only one worth your attention. We found that most of our mixers were able to handle even the trickiest kneading jobs with ease. However, we did find that some of our testers had more issues with making our basic white bread than others. Some models struggled with mixing, while others burned out before they finished their task.

When it came to overall performance, we thought KitchenAid stood out from the crowd. It was able to withstand and complete all of our testing demands without any problems or issues. It has a sturdy design and we were impressed by the attachments and how easy they were to use.

CONCLUSION:

So which mixer is the best for making bread dough? We found that the best mixers for making bread dough fall into two categories: large models and medium-sized models. If you plan on baking at home more than once a week, then you’ll want to make sure you get something that can handle larger batches of bread dough. We found that models that were able to handle a large amount of dough consistently came out looking and tasting the best at baking time. If you have smaller batches of bread dough, then we suggest choosing a medium-sized model.