Homemade bread has lots of benefits; first of all, it tastes way better than the bread you buy from the market. Apart from that, the market-bought ones are expensive and contain preservatives that are not good for health.
If you are fond of baking and making bread at your home, you need an electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer) to reduce time and effort. Most recipes require a stand mixer to mix the bread dough. But they are pretty costly kitchen appliances. For, this reason, you may wonder-
Can you make bread with your hand mixer?
Yes, you can. With this guide, you can prepare bread dough with a hand mixer. So, buckle up to know the best way to make bread with a hand mixer!
The kneading process for bread dough
The term “kneading” refers to the process used in bread and cake making. Flour and other ingredients get mixed and squeezed by hand to make the bread dough airy, light, and chewy. It may be a simple process, but the bread quality will depend on how well the dough has been kneaded.
The kneading process involves steps like pushing the bread dough away, folding it, and pulling it back. Generally, to complete the bread kneading process, you have to work with your palms to push and pull the bread and your fingers to fold it.
The repeated push-pull technique is necessary because otherwise, the bread will not have a strongly developed gluten net, eventually making the bread tough and flat.
Proper kneading can make the bread fluffy and tasty because all the ingredients get mixed and distributed evenly, and the air gets incorporated perfectly.
Can You Knead Dough With A Hand Mixer To Make Bread?
Yes, you can knead the bread dough with a hand mixer. Hand kneading is a delightful process, but it can be troublesome too.
Not only do you get messy hands, but you also need to add a lot of pressure with your arms for nearly about 25-30 minutes. Apart from that, it has been observed that home cooks often put extra flour in the mixture, disturbing the original texture of the bread.
If you have the best hand mixer at your home, then you don’t have to do all the challenging tasks with your hand. Although the hand mixer may be small and might take more time (compared with a stand mixer) to knead the dough, you can still get your work done.
However, you need to be extra cautious when you use a hand mixer; you need to be careful about a few things like-
How To Make Bread Dough With Hand Mixer?
To make bread dough with a hand mixer, you first need to get a hand mixer that has got the power to mix the dough. You have to search for a hand mixer that comes with a powerful motor and dough hook– that’s it. If you find such a product, then you can knead your bread anytime with the same.
Required Tool
- A hand mixer
Things Needed
- White flour
- Salt
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Yeast
- Oil
- Water
Step-By-Step Process To Make Bread Dough With Hand Mixer
1. Arrange all ingredients
At first, you have to gather all the ingredients like 500 g white flour, 1 tsp salt, sugar, 2 eggs, yeast, oil (olive oil or any vegetable oil), and 300-350 ml lukewarm water to make one pound of bread. You can adjust the ingredients as per the quantity of the bread you will be making.
2. Mix the ingredients
Next, take a bowl and add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, and yeast into it. It is recommended to add salt and yeast to opposite corners of the bowl as the direct link of salt can kill the yeast. After putting everything into the bowl, you have to add enough water to get a soft dough.
3. Knead the mixture with a hand mixer
Now, attach the dough hooks with your hand mixer, start it by setting it to low speed, and mix the ingredients you have added into the bowl. The process will not take 8-10 minutes to form an elastic and soft bread dough. Now, your bread dough is ready for baking in the bread maker at your home.
Learn More: Best Bread Makers for Making Bread
Best Alternative to Hand Mixer For Making Bread Dough
A stand mixer is an ideal alternative to a hand mixer when making bread dough. The best stand mixer is a powerful tool that can make the bread-making process hands-free and mess-free.
If you ever give a stand mixer a try, you can see how easily, efficiently, and quickly it prepares bread dough for you. Apart from preparing bread dough, you can also do plenty of other things with a stand mixer like preparing cake or cookie batter, making frosting, whipping cream or egg yolks, and mixing other ingredients for different recipes.
Here is why a stand mixer is worthy to make bread dough-
Conclusion
The primary purpose is to make homemade bread and stay healthy by not consuming preservatives. Kneading the dough with hands may be satisfying, but not everyone can do it as it requires a lot of strength in the forearm to prepare a soft, airy, and elastic bread dough. For the same reason, companies have come up with efficient kitchen appliances that make everyone’s life easy.
Now, you can either use a stand mixer or a hand mixer for kneading your bread. However, not everyone has the budget or kitchen space for a stand mixer; that’s why a hand mixer that comes with dough hooks and a powerful motor is always preferable.
Keep in mind that you can never go wrong when you follow all the rules and regulations to make bread dough with your hand mixer. Making bread with a hand mixer can be a little tedious compared to a stand mixer. Just make small batches so that the hand mixer can work more efficiently and quickly without creating any mess. This way, you can easily make soft milk bread, sandwich bread, ciabatta, artisan, and focaccia bread and surprise your near and dear ones. That’s it, happy baking!