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chepug
2 Posts |
 Posted - 10/16/2009 : 11:08:22 AM
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I swapped my Sunbeam mixer for my mother's K5SS KitchenAid mixer since she stopped making bread and I wanted to move beyond my bread machine. I had no problem using the mixer or whip. However, my first attempt to make bread with the hook left me in tears on the phone with my mother never having had my problem. So, here's my problem.
I bake with whole wheat, rye, bran flours. I followed the directions on how to mix the ingredients, but the dough hook never kneaded the dough. It just left a nice indentation in the middle of the bowl. I'd say it was the opposite problem of the dough rising on the hook. I kept having to stop the mixer and, using a spatula, push the dough into the hook. I read somewhere that as long as the hook was touching the dough, it was kneading, but in my case the hook didn't even do that. What am I doing wrong? |
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vernonbishop12
USA
1219 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 6:03:04 PM
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I think your beater height is off and needs to be adjusted... 
I don't know if there's another solution and if someone else wants to chime in, please do!! 
Again, I'm sorry that you're having problems with your mixer!!! 
Welcome to the forum, and I hope we can find a solution for you, and make it better!! 
Vernon
KSM50HDPBK Heavy Duty Plus, Imperial Black, Burnished Beater, Dough Hook; KFP715 7 cup Food Processor, Onyx Black; KSC700 7 qt slow cooker, Onyx Black...
K. Ross Toole hard at work!! 
for the way its made!
from a lifelong true KitchenAid lover 
vernonbishop12 |
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KitchenAidQuinn
353 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2009 : 6:39:04 PM
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I'm really sorry to hear that you were discouraged with your bread, chepug! Don't despair! Keep trying. Whole wheat flours will not form as cohesive of a ball on the dough hook as white flour will, but it should still at least come together on the hook. I would suggest maybe trying the basic white bread recipe in the manual, to get a feel for how the white flour does in the mixer. If it comes together well, it could just be your whole wheat flour that's the issue. You may need to play around with the amounts (keep adding flour bit by bit) until you can get it to form more of a ball on the hook. Good luck!
KitchenAid Quinn |
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Nutritionist
USA
1745 Posts |
Posted - 10/20/2009 : 7:14:48 PM
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chepug, it sounds to me like the dough needed a little more flour.
I mainly use whole grains. Something I found that helped when I started using a mixer for whole-grain breads is to mix the ingredients together just enough to get everything moist. Then, let the mixture stand in the mixer bowl for 30 minutes. Don't worry about kneading it at this point. The standing time gives the whole grain time to absorb the liquid. (The fermentation that begins to take place during the standing time also helps develop the gluten, so you have a head start when you actually begin to knead the dough.)
After the standing time, you can go ahead and 'tweak' the amount of flour needed to make the dough. Just add a small amount at a time, give the mixer time to mix that flour into the dough and if the dough doesn't come together to form a ball that the mixer can knead, add a little more flour.
I ignore the recommended kneading times. I stop the mixer from time to time and feel the dough. When it passes the windowpane test, I know it's been kneaded long enough.
Here's one place on the forum where the windowpane test is explained:
http://forum.kitchenaid.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17862
If you use the search feature on the forum and type "windowpane" into the search field, you'll find several other posts describing the windowpane test.
Bonnie
"Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food."
~ Hippocrates, The Father of Western Medicine, 460 BCE. |
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vernonbishop12
USA
1219 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2009 : 5:47:41 PM
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Thanks for posting different solutions to this problem!!
I learned a lot from the posts you posted!!
Vernon
KSM50HDPBK Heavy Duty Plus, Imperial Black, Burnished Beater, Dough Hook; KFP715 7 cup Food Processor, Onyx Black; KSC700 7 qt slow cooker, Onyx Black...
K. Ross Toole hard at work!!
for the way its made!
from a lifelong true KitchenAid lover
vernonbishop12 |
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chepug
2 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2009 : 12:59:07 PM
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| Thanks so much for your help in word and film. I'm going to try again this week. I'll never pooh-pooh blogging again either! This is an experience in itself! Thanks again! |
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Nutritionist
USA
1745 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2009 : 9:21:47 PM
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Good for you, chepug! Definitely try again! And let us know how it goes. Don't give up. You'll get it all figured out. 
Bonnie
"Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food."
~ Hippocrates, The Father of Western Medicine, 460 BCE. |
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Dough not kneaded properly
