My stand mixer died mid-batch last Sunday and I had to hand knead 8 loaves

Was making my usual Sunday sourdough batch - 8 loaves for the week. About halfway through mixing the third batch, my KitchenAid just stopped. Dead. No smoke, no noise, just nothing. I dragged out my grandmother's old wooden spoon and hand kneaded the rest. Took me over 2 hours and my arms still hurt. So here's the debate: is a $400 replacement worth it for convenience, or should I just get used to hand kneading since it's cheaper and supposedly gives better texture? What would you do if your mixer gave out on a baking day?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithf7712d ago

Used to think hand kneading was the superior way, that people who used mixers were cutting corners. But after trying to do 8 loaves by hand myself, I get it now - sometimes you just need the machine to save your sanity and your arms. A new mixer is totally worth it for that kind of volume.

jake_chen12d ago

Tbh that sounds brutal, I'd probably just drop the cash on a new mixer and save my arms for actual baking.