I finally saw the difference between making bread by hand vs using a stand mixer

Tbh I've been baking bread for maybe 6 years now and always used my KitchenAid for kneading. Last weekend my mixer broke mid batch and I had to finish kneading a sourdough loaf by hand. It took like 15 extra minutes and my arms were sore but the texture came out way better than usual. The crumb was more open and the crust had this deep chewiness I hadn't gotten in months. I asked my grandma about it and she said her old bakery never used machines because the heat from your hands changes the dough somehow. Now I'm wondering if I should just ditch the mixer for good or if this was just luck on that one loaf. Has anyone else noticed a big difference after switching to hand kneading?

2 comments

2 Comments

william_taylor28d ago

Hand kneading definitely gives you better control. I'd keep doing it if you have the time.

jake19128d ago

It's like that with so many things now. People want the shortcut, the gadget, the machine to do the work for them. But you lose that connection to what you're actually making. You start to rely on the tool instead of your own hands and senses. Same thing with cooking from scratch versus using mixes, or even writing by hand versus typing everything. There's something about the slower, hands on way that just sticks with you and gives you a better feel for the whole process.