You love the smell of fresh-baked bread wafting through your home. Nothing beats homemade bread hot out of the oven, slathered in butter. But kneading and mixing bread dough by hand takes a lot of time and effort. The good news is you don’t have to do it the old-fashioned way. Stand mixers can make quick work of mixing and kneading bread dough so you can get to the fun part – baking and eating – sooner. There are a lot of stand mixer options out there, though, and it can be tough to figure out which one is right for the job. This guide will compare popular stand mixer models to determine which is the best stand mixer for bread dough based on power, capacity, and additional features. By the end, you’ll know exactly which stand mixer deserves a spot on your kitchen counter. Let’s get mixing!

What to Look for in the Best Stand Mixer for Bread Dough

When shopping for a stand mixer that can handle bread dough, there are a few key things to consider.

First, you’ll want a powerful motor, at least 600 watts. Kneading dense dough requires some serious muscle, and an underpowered mixer will struggle, overheat, and burn out quickly. For most home bakers, a 600-800 watt mixer will work great.

Second, consider the capacity. Are you baking for a crowd or just a few loaves at a time? A 5-6 quart bowl is good for most home needs. Any smaller and you’ll be making dough in batches. Bigger than 6 quarts and the mixer can be unwieldy for smaller amounts.

Third, think about attachments and accessories. A dough hook, paddle, and whisk are must-haves. Some brands also offer pasta rollers, food grinders, sausage stuffers and more. Consider what kind you’ll use and factor the added costs into your budget.

Lastly, don’t forget durability and quality. A well-made stand mixer should last for many years. Look for solid metal construction, not lightweight plastic. Check reviews to see how others rate the brand for long term reliability.

With the right power, size, attachments, and build quality, a great stand mixer will be your faithful kitchen companion for bread baking and beyond. Take time to evaluate your needs and priorities, then invest in a mixer that meets them. Your homemade bread will thank you!

Stand Mixer

Our Top Pick: KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Stand Mixer

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If you’re serious about bread baking, the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Stand Mixer is the gold standard. This powerhouse boasts a 5-quart stainless steel bowl that can handle up to 9 dozen cookies or 4 loaves of bread at a time.

With 10 speeds, you have full control over the mixing. Start slow to combine ingredients, then crank it up to knead bread dough. The tilt-head design gives you easy access to the bowl, and the coated flat beater, coated dough hook, and 6-wire whip will have you whipping up batters and kneading doughs in no time.

A Powerful Yet Quiet Motor

The Artisan’s powerful motor can stand up to the thickest doughs without straining, yet it’s surprisingly quiet. You won’t have to shout over the mixer to chat with your kitchen companion! The 325-watt motor features direct drive transmission for efficient, long-lasting power.

Additional Attachments for Every Task

With over 15 optional attachments like a pasta roller, slicer/shredder, and food grinder, you’ll be able to make homemade pasta, shred veggies, grind meat, and more. This mixer can do it all!

A Lifetime of Memories

Backed by a 1-year hassle-free replacement warranty and KitchenAid’s lifetime motor warranty, the Artisan Series mixer is built to stand the test of time. For home bakers and families that love to cook together, this mixer will make memories for generations.

If you want a stand mixer that can handle serious bread baking and so much more, the KitchenAid Artisan Series mixer is your best choice. With power, versatility, and durability, it’s an investment that will enrich your baking for years to come.

Runner Up: Cuisinart SM-50 Stand Mixer

The Cuisinart SM-50 is a great runner-up stand mixer for bread dough. It offers solid performance at a lower price point than our top picks.

Power and Capacity

The SM-50 has a 500-watt motor, which provides enough power for mixing bread dough and thicker cookie batters. It can handle up to 5 quarts of ingredients at a time, perfect for doubling most recipes. The tilt-back head gives you easy access to add ingredients.

Attachments

This Cuisinart stand mixer comes with standard attachments: a flat beater for cakes and cookies, a dough hook for breads, and a whisk for eggs and creams. The attachments are dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze. Additional attachments like a pasta roller or slicer/shredder are not available for this model.

Design

The SM-50 has a stylish, retro-inspired design available in a variety of colors to match your kitchen’s decor. The die-cast metal base keeps the mixer stable while in use. The mixer is fairly compact, with a smaller footprint that takes up minimal counter space.

Value

For casual or beginning bakers, the Cuisinart SM-50 represents a good value. It provides solid performance for basic tasks at a budget-friendly price. More serious bakers may find it lacking in power or capacity for frequent large-batch baking. But for mixing up the occasional loaf of bread or batch of cookies, the SM-50 is an appealing, affordable choice.

Overall, the Cuisinart SM-50 stand mixer is a capable and wallet-friendly option if you’re looking for an appliance to help out with occasional baking tasks. While it may not match the power or versatility of our top picks, for casual baking and simpler recipes, this mixer gets the job done.

Best for the Money: Hamilton Beach Eclectrics All-Metal Stand Mixer

The Hamilton Beach Eclectrics All-Metal Stand Mixer is a great budget-friendly option if you’re looking to make bread dough without breaking the bank. At around $70, this mixer can handle up to 4 loaves of bread dough with its powerful 300-watt motor and durable all-metal construction.

Cost-Effective Yet Capable

For an affordable stand mixer, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics packs a punch. Its planetary mixing action and coated flat beater, dough hook, and whisk attachments can mix, knead, and whip ingredients for a variety of recipes. The 4.5-quart stainless steel bowl gives you enough capacity for most home baking needs. Compared to more expensive stand mixers, this one may require a bit more time to knead dough on the highest speed setting, but for casual home bakers looking to save money, it works great.

Sturdy Build

Unlike many budget stand mixers that are mostly plastic, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics has an all-metal construction, including a metal base, head, and attachments. This provides stability when mixing heavy dough and batter. The mixer also has suction cup feet to prevent “walking” on your counter. The attachments lock into place for safety and the tilt-back head allows for easy access to the mixing bowl.

Additional Features

Some extra conveniences include:

• 12 speed settings to handle a range of recipes from slowly stirring in mix-ins to whipping egg whites.
• A pouring shield to prevent splattering when adding ingredients.
• A timer to track mixing progress.
• The mixer automatically shuts off if overloaded to prevent motor burnout.
• All parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

For baking enthusiasts on a budget, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics All-Metal Stand Mixer gives you a lot of value and dependability for the money. While more serious bakers may want a more powerful, commercial-grade option, this mixer is perfect for most home cooks tackling recipes like bread, cookies, mashed potatoes, and whipped cream. For casual baking and an affordable, long-lasting stand mixer, the Hamilton Beach Eclectrics is a great choice.

Best Heavy-Duty Model: Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine

The Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine is a powerhouse stand mixer perfect for heavy-duty bread dough. If you’re an avid home baker making multiple loaves a week or artisanal breads like ciabatta or focaccia, this is the mixer for you.

With its mighty 900-watt motor, this Bosch mixer can handle up to 15 pounds of bread dough without straining. The universal plus has a unique motor design that provides consistent power at any speed. So whether you’re mixing on the lowest setting or cranking it up to the highest, this mixer will power through the thickest doughs.

The Bosch comes with a 6.5-quart stainless steel bowl, the largest capacity of the mixers we reviewed. This means you can make enormous batches of dough at once, saving you time if you’re baking for a crowd. The bowl lifts up and out of the mixer base, making it easy to add ingredients, scrape down the sides, or remove the bowl for cleaning.

This mixer also features Bosch’s patented dough hook design, which thoroughly kneads and mixes yeast doughs. The hook repeatedly folds and stretches the dough, developing the gluten and mimicking the action of kneading by hand. Many bakers say Bosch’s dough hooks produce loaves with superior texture and rise.

Other highlights include:

• •A strong 800-watt motor with constant power at any speed.
• •Pulse function for controlled mixing.
• •10 speed settings (plus a pulse function) to precisely control mixing speed.
• •Optional attachments like pasta rollers, food grinders, blenders and more.
• •Durable, all-metal construction.
• •Splash guard with pouring chute for adding ingredients.

If you want a stand mixer that can handle serious bread baking and any other cooking tasks you throw at it, the Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine is a great choice. While not cheap, its power, performance and versatility make it worth the investment for any avid home baker. Your homemade bread will never be the same!

Best Budget Stand Mixer: Sunbeam Mixmaster Stand Mixer

The Sunbeam Mixmaster Stand Mixer is a great budget-friendly option if you’re looking to knead bread dough without breaking the bank. For under $100, this mixer can handle up to 12 cups of all-purpose flour at a time, perfect for most standard bread recipes.

Power and Performance

With 350 watts of power, the Sunbeam Mixmaster has enough oomph to knead through dense doughs, though it may struggle a bit with particularly stiff recipes. For most casual bakers making regular loaves of bread, however, it works perfectly well. The mixer comes with three attachments: a dough hook, flat beater, and wire whisk. The dough hook is ideal for kneading yeast bread doughs.

Capacity

The Sunbeam Mixmaster has a 5-quart stainless steel bowl, which can hold dough for up to 4 loaves of bread. For most home bakers, this size capacity will suit your needs just fine. However, if you regularly bake in large volumes or want to double or triple bread recipes, you may find it lacks capacity.

Additional Features

This stand mixer has 12 speed settings to handle a variety of tasks. It also comes with a splash guard with pouring spout to help contain mess while mixing and adding ingredients. The mixer’s tilt-back head allows for easy access to the bowl for scraping down sides as needed. All parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup when you’re done baking.

For an affordable stand mixer that can handle regular bread baking needs, the Sunbeam Mixmaster is a great choice. While it may lack some power and capacity of higher-end models, for casual home bakers on a budget, this mixer gets the job done. For under $100, it’s really hard to beat. Happy baking!

Best Design: Smeg 50’s Style Stand Mixer

The Smeg 50’s Style Stand Mixer is a retro-inspired powerhouse designed for serious home bakers. Its commercial-grade 500W motor can handle up to 8 pounds of bread dough without straining.

Mixing Bowl

The large 6.3 quart stainless steel bowl is ideal for doubling or tripling most recipes. It locks into place on the base so you can lift and tilt it easily while mixing. The bowl has a handle for carrying, and since it’s stainless steel, it’s nonreactive and dishwasher safe.

For kneading bread, use the spiral dough hook attachment. It thoroughly kneads and develops the gluten in up to 4 loaves of bread dough. The flat beater is better for cake batters, mashed potatoes, and cookie dough. The whisk attachment aerates egg whites, whips cream, and mixes batters. All three attachments store on the mixer for convenience.

Design

The Smeg mixer comes in a rainbow of retro-themed colors like cream, red, black, pink, blue, and mint green. Its curvy silhouette and chrome accents will make a stylish statement on your countertop. The tilt-back head allows easy access to the bowl and attachments, and the mixer has suction cup feet to keep it securely in place during use.

Additional Features

This mixer has 12 speed settings to precisely control the mixing action for everything from slowly stirring in flour to whipping egg whites. The pulse function provides an extra burst of power when needed. A built-in timer can be set for up to 15 minutes, and the mixer will automatically stop when time is up. The Smeg mixer is an investment, but for serious home bakers, its powerful performance and retro style are worth the splurge.

For the best bread dough, use the spiral dough hook on speed 1 to knead the dough for at least 5 to 10 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic. Let the dough rise, then return it to the mixer and beat on speed 3 for 2 to 3 minutes to punch it down. Repeat the rising and beating until the dough is ready to shape and bake. With the Smeg mixer, you’ll be turning out artisanal loaves in no time!

Best for Small Kitchens: Kenwood kMix Stand Mixer

The Kenwood kMix Stand Mixer is a great compact option if you have limited counter space. At 9 inches wide and 13 inches tall, it’s sized for small kitchens but still packs a powerful punch.

Small but Mighty

Don’t let the kMix’s petite frame fool you. It features a sturdy die-cast aluminum body and a powerful 800-watt motor that can knead up to 2 pounds of bread dough without bogging down. The planetary mixing action means the beater spins while also rotating around the bowl, reaching every spot quickly and thoroughly.

• The kMix comes with 3-liter stainless steel bowl, as well as a dough hook, whisk, and beater. The bowl has a handle for easy lifting and locks securely into place while mixing.
• Variable speed control lets you go from a slow stir to a fast whip in seconds. An auto-shutoff will turn the mixer off if it overheats, and the head tilts back for easy access to the bowl.
• Additional attachments like a blender, food processor, pasta maker, and juicer are available to boost the kMix’s functionality. With different attachments, this single mixer can become a complete kitchen workstation.

A Few Downsides

There are a couple minor downsides to consider with the kMix:

• Only a 3-year warranty, while some competitors offer 5-10 years. However, Kenwood is a reputable brand and the kMix gets very good reviews for reliability.
• Can be tricky to store all the included attachments if you have limited space. You’ll want to keep everything within easy reach of the mixer.
• Only comes in a few basic colors. If a funky color is a priority, you may need to look at other brands.

For bread bakers with compact kitchens, the Kenwood kMix Stand Mixer is a superb choice that won’t break the bank or your counter space. Powerful, compact, and built to last, it has all the features you need to make homemade bread in a small-scale setting. Your freshly baked loaves will be rising in no time!

FAQs: How Much Dough Can a Stand Mixer Handle?

So you’ve decided to invest in a stand mixer to help with your baking, but how much dough can these mixers actually handle? The answer depends on the specific model and its power rating. In general, here are some guidelines:

Up to 4 quarts of dough

For a typical home baker making a few loaves of bread at a time, a mixer that can handle up to 4 quarts of dough, like the KitchenAid Artisan Mini or Classic Plus, should work great. These can mix dough for 2-3 loaves of bread without issue. If you only bake occasionally, this is probably sufficient.

5-6 quarts for more dough

If you’re an avid baker making bread more regularly or in larger batches, consider a model with a 5-6 quart capacity like the KitchenAid Pro 600 or Artisan. These can easily mix dough for 4-6 loaves of bread at once. The more powerful motors, typically over 500 watts, are better equipped to handle the job.

Larger commercial models

For very large batches of up to 8-12 loaves at a time, a commercial-grade stand mixer is best. Models like the KitchenAid Commercial 8 Qt and Hobart N50 mixers have huge 6-8 quart bowls and very powerful motors that can power through pounds of dough without straining. These are best if you do a lot of baking for a business, church, or large family.

In the end, think about how much dough you need to mix at one time and how often you’ll be using the mixer. If it’s just once in a while for a few loaves, a standard 4-6 quart model should work great and last for years. But if you’re running a bakery out of your home kitchen, a bigger commercial model will make the job so much easier. And of course, more powerful stand mixers with bigger bowls typically come at a higher cost, so factor your budget into the decision as well.

Hope this helps you choose a stand mixer perfect for your bread baking needs! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Conclusion

You’ve seen the options and specs, now it’s time to decide. Any of these stand mixers would make a great addition to a home baker’s kitchen, but for tackling big batches of bread dough on the regular, the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series is your best bet. With its powerful motor and large capacity, you’ll be churning out loaves like a pro in no time. The Ankarsrum may cost a bit more up front, but will pay for itself with perfectly kneaded dough for years to come. If space and budget are at a premium in your kitchen, don’t count out the compact but capable Cuisinart SM-55 – it packs a lot of power for its size and price. Whatever you choose, happy baking! May your home be filled with the heavenly aroma of fresh-baked bread.