Tweet
What a Very interesting exercise this has been...
I cannot speak highly enough about the TBird mixer and it just can't compare with the KA (perhaps unfair to even try). But, because if the vast difference in the end product I think that it is worthwhile to talk about it because others may also share my frustration with producing batch after batch of mediocre to poor quality pizza dough.
At the outset it is important to clarify that I am referring to the "basic" KA which comes with a "C" shaped dough hook. The larger, more robust "600", by some accounts does do quite a good job of making the dough, but for those like me with the basic model, the results are far from acceptable.
In trying to use a reasonably accurate methodology with which to test both machines, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison under similar temperature conditions use the identical recipe. I started off with the paddle attachment on both mixers to combine the flour, water, yeast and salt for 2 minutes and allowed 20 minute autolyse. Then I proceeded to make a batch of dough in each of the mixers - using a "wet knead", that is, adding 75% of the required flour and kneading that for 5 minutes before adding the remaining flour during an additional 4 minutes of kneading. The rationale was that both would be easily able to knead the battery mix on an equal footing, removing that element from the process and shifting the focus to the subsequent 4 minutes of kneading. This was the area of particular interest to me and thus to isolate it would hopefully reveal the key difference in the performance of both machines.
Firstly, the KA accepted the additional tablespoons of flour that I added from the remaining 25% of the recipe and immediately I noticed that the mixture started spinning in the bowl. This appeared to be attributable to the reduced friction and viscosity of the mixture. I stopped the mixer several times to pull the mixture off the hook where it had climbed up during the mixing. This phenomenon lead me to conclude that the full kneading action was not being performed on the dough and that it would begin to heat up the dough ball if this action was sustained for any length of time. I continued adding the remainder of the flour and hand kneaded it on the bench for a few minutes at the end (KA suggests this).
Then, I started a batch in the TBird, following the same process mentioned above. Results appeared to be much the same as for the KA up to the completion of the 5 minute "wet knead". Given that the TBird has a "spiral" dough hook and performs a significantly different kneading action to that of the KA I paid close attention to this stage of the process. I observed that the additional 25% of the recipe flour was more readily absorbed into the mixture and that the gluten strands were more pronounced (perhaps due to the larger bowl surface area). Most noticeable was the firmness and the strength of the dough when I removed it from the bowl. This was certainly not the case with the KA which was significantly more "loose" and less firm.
The real test of the dough was of course in the preparation and cooking and the differences there were most noticeable. The TBird dough was very smooth and stretched easily with a small amount of "spring back" noted. There were no thin spots and the stretched dough was uniform thickness throughout. Baking produced a lovely crust and the pizzas were of the best I have produced - ever.
In contrast, the dough preparation from the KA batch, whilst reasonable, produced some thin spots during the stretching process. The dough was also not as firm as the TBird dough with little "spring back" experienced. The cooked results were fair and quite edible but did not have the body that the TBird dough had.
So, overall the TBird produced what I would term "restaurant quality" dough which is understandable given its designed application. The KA did not produce the same results and the dough required "patching" to fix the thin spots which was time intensive and frustrating particularly when catering (as I was last night) for a number of people. My overall conclusion was that the final kneading action was the key to finishing the dough to the required level. TBird could do it - attributable to the "spiral" action as opposed to the "C" hook action. The addition of flour to the KA exacerbated the slipping problem whereby dough crept up the hook and "slapped" around the bowl. This was not easily fixed during the dough making process as the longer you spun the dough, the hotter it would get with the associated negative consequences. It is no wonder that KA suggests that you have to "finish" the dough making process on the bench. This sort of defeats the purpose of the exercise as you could probably argue that you may just as well do the whole batch by hand and dispense with the KA all together. This is a rather bizarre suggestion as a mechanical aid such as a mixer should be able to achieve the entire dough making process on its own.
In conclusion, I would say that whilst the KA is not completely fit for purpose, it is still useful for performing some of the stages of dough making - but not all of them. If you are going to use a KA, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and do some hand kneading at the end. Alternatively, and as many others have suggested, find a mixer that has a "non-C" hook attachment like the larger KA, TBird or Hobart to do the job for you. The dough making process is really critical and I have been disappointed with many a mediocre batch of dough so it is definitely worth getting it right. The acquisition of the TBird mixer was the turning point for me and highlighted the critical role of the mixer in excellent dough preparation.
Rossco
I cannot speak highly enough about the TBird mixer and it just can't compare with the KA (perhaps unfair to even try). But, because if the vast difference in the end product I think that it is worthwhile to talk about it because others may also share my frustration with producing batch after batch of mediocre to poor quality pizza dough.
At the outset it is important to clarify that I am referring to the "basic" KA which comes with a "C" shaped dough hook. The larger, more robust "600", by some accounts does do quite a good job of making the dough, but for those like me with the basic model, the results are far from acceptable.
In trying to use a reasonably accurate methodology with which to test both machines, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison under similar temperature conditions use the identical recipe. I started off with the paddle attachment on both mixers to combine the flour, water, yeast and salt for 2 minutes and allowed 20 minute autolyse. Then I proceeded to make a batch of dough in each of the mixers - using a "wet knead", that is, adding 75% of the required flour and kneading that for 5 minutes before adding the remaining flour during an additional 4 minutes of kneading. The rationale was that both would be easily able to knead the battery mix on an equal footing, removing that element from the process and shifting the focus to the subsequent 4 minutes of kneading. This was the area of particular interest to me and thus to isolate it would hopefully reveal the key difference in the performance of both machines.
Firstly, the KA accepted the additional tablespoons of flour that I added from the remaining 25% of the recipe and immediately I noticed that the mixture started spinning in the bowl. This appeared to be attributable to the reduced friction and viscosity of the mixture. I stopped the mixer several times to pull the mixture off the hook where it had climbed up during the mixing. This phenomenon lead me to conclude that the full kneading action was not being performed on the dough and that it would begin to heat up the dough ball if this action was sustained for any length of time. I continued adding the remainder of the flour and hand kneaded it on the bench for a few minutes at the end (KA suggests this).
Then, I started a batch in the TBird, following the same process mentioned above. Results appeared to be much the same as for the KA up to the completion of the 5 minute "wet knead". Given that the TBird has a "spiral" dough hook and performs a significantly different kneading action to that of the KA I paid close attention to this stage of the process. I observed that the additional 25% of the recipe flour was more readily absorbed into the mixture and that the gluten strands were more pronounced (perhaps due to the larger bowl surface area). Most noticeable was the firmness and the strength of the dough when I removed it from the bowl. This was certainly not the case with the KA which was significantly more "loose" and less firm.
The real test of the dough was of course in the preparation and cooking and the differences there were most noticeable. The TBird dough was very smooth and stretched easily with a small amount of "spring back" noted. There were no thin spots and the stretched dough was uniform thickness throughout. Baking produced a lovely crust and the pizzas were of the best I have produced - ever.
In contrast, the dough preparation from the KA batch, whilst reasonable, produced some thin spots during the stretching process. The dough was also not as firm as the TBird dough with little "spring back" experienced. The cooked results were fair and quite edible but did not have the body that the TBird dough had.
So, overall the TBird produced what I would term "restaurant quality" dough which is understandable given its designed application. The KA did not produce the same results and the dough required "patching" to fix the thin spots which was time intensive and frustrating particularly when catering (as I was last night) for a number of people. My overall conclusion was that the final kneading action was the key to finishing the dough to the required level. TBird could do it - attributable to the "spiral" action as opposed to the "C" hook action. The addition of flour to the KA exacerbated the slipping problem whereby dough crept up the hook and "slapped" around the bowl. This was not easily fixed during the dough making process as the longer you spun the dough, the hotter it would get with the associated negative consequences. It is no wonder that KA suggests that you have to "finish" the dough making process on the bench. This sort of defeats the purpose of the exercise as you could probably argue that you may just as well do the whole batch by hand and dispense with the KA all together. This is a rather bizarre suggestion as a mechanical aid such as a mixer should be able to achieve the entire dough making process on its own.
In conclusion, I would say that whilst the KA is not completely fit for purpose, it is still useful for performing some of the stages of dough making - but not all of them. If you are going to use a KA, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and do some hand kneading at the end. Alternatively, and as many others have suggested, find a mixer that has a "non-C" hook attachment like the larger KA, TBird or Hobart to do the job for you. The dough making process is really critical and I have been disappointed with many a mediocre batch of dough so it is definitely worth getting it right. The acquisition of the TBird mixer was the turning point for me and highlighted the critical role of the mixer in excellent dough preparation.
Rossco
Comment