Hand kneading vs. stand mixer, the old way still wins for me

I used to swear by my stand mixer for bread, got one on sale for $120 back in 2019. But something about the dough always felt off, a bit tight, not as soft after baking. Last month I tried a no-knead recipe that just needs folding every 30 minutes, zero machine time. The crumb was lighter and the crust had that crackle I hadn't gotten in years. Then I went full old school and hand kneaded a basic white loaf, took about 15 minutes of real effort. The difference was night and day, the gluten felt more relaxed and the rise was taller. Maybe it's just me, but the machine overworks the dough even on low speed. Anyone else ditch their mixer for basics and notice a real change?

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williamhill22d ago

Same here, hand kneading just feels better for the dough, doesn't it?