Switched from the stand mixer to a $12 dough whisk on a dare and now I feel like a fool

Wyatt Fisher · 2026-10-21T08:05:06.214172+00:00

So last week my neighbor Dale, who's been baking bread for like 30 years out in his garage in Boise, watched me haul my heavy stand mixer out for a simple two loaf batch and just shook his head. He handed me this beat up spiral thing he called a dough whisk and said try it before you touch that machine. I figured it would be a mess but honestly it took me maybe 90 seconds to bring the whole dough together and I could feel the gluten forming right under my hand, which I never get with the mixer. Cleanup was one rinse under the tap instead of dragging the bowl and hook over to the sink and picking dough out of the little crevice. The kicker is my loaves came out with a way better crumb, I think because I wasn't overworking the dough in the machine. Dale just laughed and said he's been trying to get me to ditch the mixer for years. Now I'm wondering what else I've been making harder than it needs to be, does anyone here still swear by the stand mixer for basic bread or have you all gone hand tools on me?

Rigidtalk

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Switched from the stand mixer to a $12 dough whisk on a dare and now I feel like a fool | Bakers - Rigidtalk