After some online research, I purchased a Kenwood Titanium Chef mixer, specifically for making pizza dough. The attached GIF is with 1 Kg (2.2 Lbs) of dough at 65% hgydration. I mixed for 10 minutes and all it did was spin around the lump of dough it formed in the first minute. Is this amount of dough too little to be of use for the machine?
I'm quite disappointed with my purchase, if this is what it is. I had to kneed it by hand when the "mixing" was done. FYI: I removed the dough from the hook twice, but it immediately returned to a lump. FYI2: I have a medical issue preventing me from kneading by hand.
by Comfortable_Look8727
25 Comments
Did you try turning it off and then turning it back on?
My mixer does the same, but something that makes it better is to not put all flour in at once and use the slowest speed.
Planetary mixers are horrible for making dough. Nothing compares to making dough in a spiral mixer. It’s a game changer x10. They do cost more but if you’re truly passionate about pizza it’s worth the extra $. The end product is far superior than anything you’ll get from a planetary style mixer.
More time and/or faster speed. It’ll eventually start pulling the mass from the bottom and develop a smooth ball.
The dough is too wet. And that mixer cant really handle it. I bought a KA lift bowl and no issues with any hydration doughs
From what I can see in the gif, the dough looks wet. Wetter than 65%. This can happen sometimes if you’re not getting all of the flour incorporated.
Maybe it’s just a KitchenAid thing, but when I put the dry ingredients in first, then add wet ingredients, then start mixing, I wind up with a bunch of flour at the bottom of the bowl that doesn’t ever get incorporated into the dough unless I stop and incorporate it manually.
A straightforward way around that problem is to go the opposite way. Start with your water/yeast mix in the bowl first, turn the mixer on at its lowest setting, and slowly add the dry ingredients. That way you always wind up with all flour getting hydrated without manual effort.
Another thing worth trying is to rest the dough for 10-15 min after everything is hydrated. This gives time for the gluten network to form a bit and it should result in a smoother dough ball that leaves the sides of the bowl clean.
It is unfortunately not the perfect tool for the job. I also try using a similar mixer but for pizza dough it’s insufficient, it just doesn’t have enough reach and wastes a lot of movement. You can try increasing speed but it risks overheating the dough. You can also alternate mixing and resting (cover the bowl or the dough will dry up), autolysis will help, then once gluten starts developing it will also be easier for the mixer to work on the dough.
What was your water temperature? If the dough is too warm it’ll do this
I would take your model number. Look up pizza dough hook. There are companies that make a pizza dough hook. It makes a big difference. Bought one for my kitchen aid years ago. What’s the model number if you need help?
The mixer needs to be spinning fast enough to prevent the dough from sticking. I just set it to max speed as soon as i add water and it works pretty well.
NY style doughs are better when mixed by hand, assuming the correct flour is being used (high-gluten, not AP or bread).
Stop the mixer, push the dough on the hook down and knead it back with the dough on the bottom. This happens when the dough on the bottom sticks to the bowl and sometimes due to being a little too wet or dry or not thoroughly mixing.
Hard to tell due to an unknown frame rate and choppy video, but it looks like youre running the machine too fast. You should be on the lowest or second lowest setting.
In my 6 qt kitchenaid bowl lift I do a recipe with 3 cups unsifted (12 ounces) of flour I sift into my proofed watm yeast. Yielding about 70% hydration without issue. Based upon appearance I think you just need to be more involved in ensuring everything mixes properly.
You should be able to adjust the hook offset to the bottom of the bowl. Make sure you are barely off the bottom. I make 3-5 lbs of dough in my KA all the time without issue. You will need to scrape down the dough a couple of times and play with the speed.
I don’t know your model but I have Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker KVL85.424SI and the kneading hook that was delivered together with the machine was doing similar to what you are showing. I bought additional kneading hook ( https://amzn.eu/d/8wWS2zw ) and since then I don’t have problems.
Yeah that looks weird… Perhaps try to put the salt later in? Or reduce the speed?
You should use a spiral dough hook. Your hook probably has the tip pointing up. This pulls the dough up into the hook. A spiral dough hook has the tip pointing down. So the shape of the hook is spiraling down. That way it pulls the dough through the bowl with minimum upward pull. It still pulls the dough into the hook but much less.
I bought one especially for my Kenwood major premier.
https://preview.redd.it/gsu6d9ibks4g1.jpeg?width=2296&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a25c83a837f9b6083813e39db398438993bb3607
I use it for kneeding bread dough for several years.
I just got the ooni spiral mixer and the batches I’ve made are great. Love the machine and it just makes dough making quick and easy from my first few batches.
If I remember correctly the Kenwood comes with three types of hooks
one to K
a spiral one
one with all the screens for making desserts, i.e. for whipping eggs.
Can you kindly post a photo of the clean hook you are using?
More flour. It’s too wet and sticking to the hook
You should get a countertop diving arm mixer. They are awesome
It looks like the dough hook is a little high, it can be adjusted. And is it the new or the old dough hook, there is a dramatic difference in quality.
After the initial mix let the dough autolise (rest) for 10-20 minutes. Then begin the reading. Set the mixer fast enough so centrifugal force throws the dough of the hook, then slow it down. Watch the temperature, keep the dough below 80°F. Vigorous mixing can heat it up too much.
looks a bit too wet and a bit too fast with the mixer
You’re just mixing it wrong. I’ve had no issues mixing in my kitchenaid. Use ice cold water, and gradually add the water in. Adding water all at once makes it a soupy mess, spiral mixer or not