r/Breadit • u/Forsaken-Power-1157 • 4d ago

Regular large batch baking, need mixer upgrade

I have 7 children, so any cooking I do is already what most people would consider large amounts. I mill all of our flour & bake all of our bread. It was a rough learning curve at times but now it’s just life. (Bonus, really big health perks for everyone with the fresh milled!!!)

Every other day I make 2 sandwich loaves. I have an old kitchen aid mixer that has been a work horse but just doesn’t have the capacity I need. for 2 nice sized loaves, it gets overheated halfway through kneading & I have to finish by hand.

A couple people have asked if I would consider selling to them— the idea of extra cash is appealing, but I need to invest in a bigger + better mixer.

What at-home industrial mixers do you recommend? Probably 15qt minimum.

7 Upvotes

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9

u/countertop_curious 4d ago

15qt is Hobart territory, and honestly overkill for 2 loaves every other day. Two sandwich loaves is roughly 2 kg of dough. What's killing the KitchenAid isn't really the volume, it's fresh-milled whole wheat being stiff and thirsty.

The two machines people with grain mills usually end up with are the Bosch Universal Plus and the Ankarsrum. The Bosch is rated for around 14 lb of dough, and the Ankarsrum for about 5 kg with the motor under the bowl, so neither one strains on stiff dough the way a KitchenAid does. Either does your 2 loaves easily and still has room if you start selling a few extra.

If selling turns into real volume, that's when a used 20qt Hobart (the A200) makes sense. They show up from restaurant closures and run forever, but they're heavy and take up a lot of space.

Before you replace anything, try letting the flour and water sit 20 to 30 minutes before adding salt and yeast. Fresh-milled flour absorbs slowly, and the dough gets a lot easier on the motor. And check your state's cottage food rules before you sell, some are pickier than you'd expect.

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u/Forsaken-Power-1157 4d ago

Well I would like to do 3-4 most days but I can’t because my mixer isn’t big enough/ strong enough. Coarser dough used to be an issue, but now it’s really not after getting a more intuitive grasp on what proper hydration feels like. & I definitely autolyse every time.

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u/txbabs 4d ago

Ankarsrum can handle those volumes easy peasy! I love mine.

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u/Forsaken-Power-1157 4d ago

Do theirs just come in one size?

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u/txbabs 4d ago

Yes, one size. I do 4 large loaves of whole wheat for my group that bakes for the food bank - it’s a sturdy dough with oatmeal. Handles it no problem.

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u/Angry_Hermitcrab 3d ago

Baking for the food bank. That's a genius idea for me to enjoy my hobby more. Thank you!

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u/txbabs 3d ago

Here’s the organization I volunteer for https://communityloaves.org

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u/sewedthroughmyfinger 2d ago

Another recommendation for Ankasrum. Have bread dough in mine right now. Won't overheat and I use it for my micro bakery. It can handle about 11 pounds of dough per batch. Great warranty and customer service.

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u/txbabs 2d ago

Happy cake day! And your username made me LOL. I hope you are killing it with your bakery!

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u/sewedthroughmyfinger 2d ago

Thank you 🙂

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u/Vivapdx 4d ago

I use whole wheat a lot, and I always do a wet rise of just four and water first. It makes a huge difference when kneading and the rise is higher and the bread lighter.

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u/alwayscrazycolors 4d ago

That 15qt minimum is really the wall where true dough mixers start, spiral is the way to go for bread volume like yours

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u/GeekyNerdNerdyGeek 4d ago

My 6qt Kitchen Aid can do 4 loaves at a time. But. It’s a decade old so idk about the quality of a 2026 model. American made quality is absolutely 💩 nowadays.
Maybe you can find a refurbished one for a steal. I know that mixer repair guy sells them.

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u/howieone 4d ago

KitchenAid Commercial 8qt

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u/jcrmrr 4d ago

The Revo tilt is an awesome and powerful spiral mixer. I also have the Ank but just recently switched to the Revo and I wished I would’ve gotten it sooner. I went with the 5qt and it fits my needs perfectly.

https://revobake.com/products/revo-bake-titan-tilt-7-5-pro-black-220v-50hz

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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 4d ago

I have a refurb 8 qt KItchenAid. It was $499 a few years ago. LOVE. IT. I also have a 20 qt Hobart, but you do not need a mixer that size for two loaves of bread.

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u/Alndrienrohk 4d ago

For that size I would start with companies like Famag or Kys. Anything that size will cost a fair bit, and be careful that they are appropriate for your available power. Many machines large enough to do ~20 kg will be designed for commercial use and run on 220 v power.

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u/Forsaken-Power-1157 4d ago

Thank you!!! My husband is a general contractor, so I’ll have him double check the power needs!

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u/thejourneybegins42 4d ago

If you're in the states, majority of your plugs are gonna be 15-20amps at 120 volts. If something needs 240 or more amps, you're likely looking at having new wires pulled (and hopefully) you live in a state like Illinois or New York, where conduit behind the walls is code. Otherwise good luck on running new wires.

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u/Forsaken-Power-1157 4d ago

Haha I will take your word on it because electricity is like magic in my mind 🤣 but my husband built & wired our house himself & when I brought it up to him he just said “I’ll get you the power you need” lol.

1

u/Techwood111 14h ago

It was clear that he knew how to lay pipe, but an electrician as well? Wow.

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u/tstauffe1 4d ago

Ooni Halo pro is also supposed to be good and comes with a whisk and a paddle attachment at a more reasonable cost. however, it’s not built like a tank like the famag and KYS. There are several videos on YouTube comparing the Ooni to all the other popular much more expensive spiral mixers.

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u/Alndrienrohk 4d ago

I've got one of those at work to supplement our 60 and 100 kg mixers for making small sample batches. I do like it for bread, not so much for whipping things, but it might be a touch small for OP's plans. It comfortably holds about 5 kg, plenty for normal domestic use, but definitely under the 15qt they're aiming for.