How to Make Bread Dough With a Mixer (Recipe Included)

Tired of kneading your bread dough with your hands? Wondering how to make bread dough with a mixer? Well, if you have a stand-mixer lying around the house with any attachments. Chances are one of the attachments will be a dough hook. If so, that dough hook can help you knead your dough to the perfect consistency.

Let's face it, baking bread can be intimidating! That's why so many of us are opting to use a bread maker, which can make the process so much easier. Although bread machines are a popular choice, not all of us have the time or money to invest in one more appliance?

Worry not! The stand mixer you have on your kitchen counter-top will serve you perfectly in kneading your dough without needing any effort on your part. Simply add all the ingredients and it’s done, right? Wrong!

When it comes to kneading your dough with a stand mixer, there's a lot of technique involved. You'll need to have the precise amount of ingredients, you'll need to put them in at the right time and you'll need to knead it for the right amount of time.

So, you might still feel a little confused or discouraged if your dough comes out runny or lumpy. That's why we've put together this comprehensive guide on how to make bread dough with a stand mixer, read on to learn how.

How to Make Bread Dough with a Mixer (Basic White Bread Recipe)

What You'll Need

Half a cup of milk
3 tbsp of sugar
2 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of butter
2 packets of active dry yeast
One and a half cups of warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
Five to six cups of all-purpose flour
A stand mixer

An important thing to note about the ingredients

It is much better to use an all-purpose flour with a leavening agent than to use self-rising flour. It gives you more control over the composition and you can choose how much you want the bread to rise.
You can use any type of water (distilled, sparkling etc), just ensure it is lukewarm or else it can kill the yeast. Same goes for the milk.
You can buy whatever type of yeast you like whether it's active dry, instant or fresh. Just make sure to store it in the freezer in an airtight container or else it might go bad.
Use only pure table salt. Other coarser salts such as a Hawaiian rock salt might be too difficult to dissolve and might interfere with the dough structure.

How to Make It

Now that you have got your ingredients out and ready, get your mixer ready. Attach the dough hook to it. It might already be included in the package or you might have to buy it.

1
Mix the salt, sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan.
2
Heat over a low heat on a stove-top while stirring until all the butter has melted and the sugar and salt dissolve.
3
Cool it until it becomes slightly warmer than body temperature.
4
Snap out the mixing bowl and wash it with hot water to warm it up.
5
Pour the measured lukewarm water into the bowl and mix the yeast into it, beating gently with a fork.
6
Add in the milk, sugar, salt and butter solution as well as four and a half cups of flour into the bowl.
7
Attach the bowl to the mixer.
8
Mix at the lowest speed setting for about 2 minutes.
9
Continue mixing while adding half a cup of flour at a time until you have added the remaining flour.
10
The dough might stick to the hook so, push it back down with a spatula or your hands.
11
Keep kneading for about 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Bread dough in a bowl rising on the counter

Autolyse/Rising

Autolyse means letting the bread rest after mixing it to help it rise and become looser.

1
Grease a separate bowl with butter.
2
Turn the dough into it.
3
Cover it with either a plastic cling film or a damp cloth.
4
Let it rest for about an hour until it doubles up in size.

Shaping

Next, comes the shaping process. You need to shape it perfectly if you want your bread to feel airy and soft.

1
Punch down through all the gas into the dough.
2
Divide it into two equal sections using a dough cutter.
3
Sprinkle dry flour onto your workstation.
4
Roll each half and shape it into a large rectangle.
5
Fold the corners of the rectangle and pinch the ends and the seams together for the perfect loaf shape.
6
Place them in a greased baking pan with the seams under.
7
Cover them and let them rise once again for an hour until it is doubled in size.

Baking

1
After your dough has risen completely, you need to start baking it.
2
Simply place it in the oven and bake it at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
3
Bake until rich brown in color.
4
Cool on a wire rack.

PRO TIP: Tap on the bottom of the loaf, if it sounds hollow, which means it's done. Enjoy your mixer kneaded bread!

What Else Can I Do?

The white bread sounds boring, however, this isn't all you can do. You can literally knead any type of dough you want. Simply switch up the ingredients. You can even mix solid ingredients like raisins or blueberries with the help of a stand mixer.

Which Stand Mixers Should I Use?

You can use any stand mixer that comes with a dough hook. For the best stand mixers for making the dough, you can follow our previous article here. We have listed our favorite stand mixers that are versatile. We further discuss the pros and cons of each stand mixer so you can make the wise choice for yourself!

Final Thoughts

So, all in all, that is how to make bread dough with a mixer. We hope you will enjoy this easy and no-effort method of kneading the dough. It certainly offers a lot of advantage such as kneading the dough more perfectly than hand-kneaded dough.

So, are you ready to make the perfect bread with your mixer? Let us know how it goes in the comments below!

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