Home stand mixer that can handle bagel dough?

May 19, 2016 9:09 AM

Decent bagels are unavailable 'round these parts, so we make our own. My current stand mixer chokes on the dough, and kneading by hand is a lot of work. Is there a (non-commercial, non $$$$) mixer that is up for the task of mixing a very, very stiff dough?

I have a 10+ year old 300 watt reconditioned KitchenAid with a 4.5 quart bowl that really is great for most other home baking tasks, but I'd like to upgrade if something else is capable of this job since we do it a lot.

I'd be totally happy to Craigslist my current mixer and replace it with another KitchenAid with more horsepower if it will actually slog through this, but don't want to get one just to find that it, too, dies while kneading the dough. Anyone have any experience or recommendations with higher-end KitchenAids or other brands?

I'm willing to throw $600? $700? but am not willing to drop thousands for a real commercial mixer. Finding a used one in my small isolated metropolitan area is likely a no-go.

posted by charmedimsure to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Your KitchenAid stand mixer is indeed one of the wimpier ones. The higher-end models (e.g. the 600) have nearly twice the power. We have one and in our experience, it can handle just about anything, although we have never tried it on bagel dough specifically. Why not get one from somewhere with a good return policy (e.g. Bed Bath and Beyond, taking advantage of the ubiquitous 20% off coupons that don't actually expire despite the expiration date printed on them) and try it out?
posted by kindall at 9:17 AM on May 19, 2016

I use one of these badasses at work. Right at your price point, can handle any dough.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:18 AM on May 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

The larger Kitchen Aid is better than the 4.5 quart Kitchen Aid. America's Test Kitchen does a review of stand mixers, and talks about bagels at about 5:05.
posted by gregr at 9:20 AM on May 19, 2016 [3 favorites]

I bought this $200 Bosch dough mixer specifically because a Kitchenaid stand mixer couldn't handle thick dough, and it has handled everything I've thrown at it with ease.
posted by Jairus at 9:31 AM on May 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

My husband makes bread often, and he stripped the gears of the KitchenAid we used to have. He upgraded to the sturdier KA Professional 600 -- and also learned that the company recommends kneading dough at speed 3 or below even with a stronger motor. Kneading at low speed does the job, though it takes longer. Still faster than kneading by hand!
posted by wryly at 9:48 AM on May 19, 2016

I use the Magic Mill for almost all baking. Not cheap, but very sturdy and can handle even the stiffest dough.
posted by Ideefixe at 10:16 AM on May 19, 2016

this is probably the cheapest option - I call mine a bread bucket, but they're on ebay as vintage bread makers. or these - dough makers.
posted by lemniskate at 1:06 PM on May 19, 2016

My bosch universal plus is belt driven and super strong.
posted by smoke at 5:52 PM on May 19, 2016