Yesterday Shara linked me to this great website. It looks like a great website for preparedness, but I'm in love with it for its Recipe section. They have recipes for whole wheat bread, pita, and crackers that I'm excited to try out. The bread and pita look time consuming, but use basic and healthy ingredients. And really, do I want to leave the house when the temperature is -2? Much rather stay in and turn on my oven.
So I'm interested in trying to be a bread maker again, but here are my questions.
Does anyone know where to buy dough enhancer (other than online)?
I need to get a mixer. Do you have a mixer (Kitchenaid or Bosch), and how do you like it?
I love my bread machine and I don't buy dough enhancer. We do white and whole wheat bread in it and we also do pizza dough, which is great.
ReplyDeleteOkay Andrea, I just figured this all out last year myself! I get my dough enhancer from a Bosch kitchen store. I think some food storage stores have it too, but I couldn't tell you where. As far as mixers...I have used them both and these are my thoughts. I love my Kitchenaid. They are way cute and if you plan to leave your mixer on your counter top then I would get one of these. HOWEVER, the Bosch ones are VERY nice for bread. The Kitchenaids are not. So...depending on what you are doing more of you could go either way. If you aren't looking out for fashion definitely get a Bosch. (PS The blender attachment for it is awesome!)Dang it now I want one! Also, check the following site for recipes to make your own dough enhancer.
ReplyDeletehttp://suzannemcminn.com/blog/2008/05/06/how-to-make-homemade-dough-enhancer/
I have a mini Bosch. My mom, who is an expert baker, has always used Bosch and would never use anything else. My mini does her donut recipe fabulously! I haven't really used it for much else, but should start!
ReplyDeleteWe bought the bosch compact a few months ago and we LOVE it! We weren't sure how it would perform, but it has been wonderful. It hardly takes up any counter space and also comes with a blender and food processor attachements.
ReplyDeleteI haven't used dough enhancer before, but let me know how it works. I think you can make great bread without it!
Thanks for sharing that site! I'm excited to look at it more. I have a Kitchen Aid and I love it. I do use it to make my own bread which we like. I also have a wheat grinder attachment for our Kitchen Aid which works really well. I have never used dough enhancer. I've never used a Bosch so can't compare it.
ReplyDeleteI have a compact Bosch, and I have had it for 5 years... I love it! Its lightweight, mixes great, and fits under my counter and its easy to move around. I make bread and pizza dough all the time. (as well as several other things) I know they are less money and I think they work terrific!! My mom and mother in law have always had a Bosch and they have lasted them since their kids were little. I've never done a dough enhancer though. Good luck! Let us know what you get!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a kitchenaid and LOVE it, I do rolls all the time and it is a snap. I have a friend that is constantly using her for all sorts of stuff. Something I like is that you can get cool attachments for it... wheat grinder, juicer, pasta maker, these are some that I have heard of. My friend just got the ice cream maker for hers and it makes some AWESOME icecream in just a short time as long as you put the ice cream bowl in the freezer for long enough before hand. Haven't used a bosch although I have many friends that really like theirs so it really is up the the counter top debate... do you want it above or below. I like mine up and find I use it more, others like to put it away.
ReplyDeleteTrav's mom bought him a bosch over the summer and so far we LOVE it. All parts are dishwasher safe and it's so sleek and easy to use. I also love the lip on the mixing bowl - it makes a perfect hand hold while dumping out your batter!
ReplyDeleteI had a kitchen aid and it worked great for cookies, rolls, and just about everything else...except whole wheat bread - it just would stop...and I have the big 6 quart on that is supposed to be powerful. I have a bosch now and love it because - it does everything and it makes way less mess than the kitchen aid (the flour always came out a bit but the bosch has a tight lid) Anyways, I would totally recommend the bosch. Have fun baking!
ReplyDeleteI have two mixers - one bosch and one k-tech. THe K-tech is what Hogi-Yogi uses in their stores. It is a great little mixer and has an AWESOME blender on it. It is great for making smaller batches of dough (up to four loaves or several pizza crusts or 36 rolls) I love my K-Tech. I also love my bosch. It's capacity is greater (I can make up to eight loaves of bread in it) so that is nice, especially for all the people we have in our home.
ReplyDeleteWe used a bread maker at first for bread, but I quickly decided it was not for me. Ours broke down quickly and they only make one loaf at a time, or if you make dough it is not worth the time cleaning the parts for the small amount of dough it produces. Making bread with a mixer is much more enjoyable for children as well.
Yep, there are my two cents. I have been making homemade bread for about eight years now and over that time have accumulated all kinds of things.... so if you want to try new recipes, I'd be happy to share some.
I do not use dough enhancer. I add an egg if there is whole wheat involved, it helps the bread to be lighter and raise better. There are many very accessible things that can be added to bread dough that help their texture and taste so you do not have to go out and buy gluten or enhancer.
Good luck with everything!
What is dough enhancer? I've had some people tell me that you MUST add gluten to your breads but I've never used either so I'm just curious at this point.
ReplyDeleteI have a kitchen aid (6 qt) and have burned up 3 kitchen aids in 7 years before that. But I like to push things to the limit and that is what happened there. I love kitchen aid because it can stay on the counter. I've never seen anyone do that with a bosch. When I have good wheat, I make bread 2 times a week so I would think pulling out a mixer would be a hassle. If/when my kitchen aid dies, I'm getting a bosch...so there you have it. Much of the same.
Gwen