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?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithf772mo 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_chen2mo ago

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

jason95813d ago

Oh boy, another hand vs. machine debate. I get that 8 loaves is a lot, but two hours of kneading? That's like, one movie. Or two episodes of a show. You're acting like you survived a war or something. I mean, people have been making bread for thousands of years without a KitchenAid. Is it really that serious? Sure, your arms hurt, but that's called a workout. Maybe just bake 4 loaves next time instead of a whole army's worth.