Machine for kneading dough

[happytodayhappytomorrow]

I have, like many others, started making my own bread during lockdown.
I’m struggling though with the mixing and kneading because because of a medical condition and sadly the condition is only going to get worse, not better.

I don’t want to buy a bread maker per se, if rather buy a mixer that can also be used for cakes and other things.

I can’t warrant splashing out on a kitchen aid type machine. Does anyone have any recommendations please for under £100.

TIA

You just want a stand mixer with a dough hook, a K beater and a whisk.

"Best budget" one here is £80

I use dough hooks on a hand held mixer; mine was about £50 I think but takes up less room!

Not quite what you wanted to hear but I use my kitchen aid for making bread. I don’t know that it needs to be a kitchen aid but kneading the dough is quite hard on the motor and gear system, so frequent bread making might shorten the life of any machine. My kitchen aid is 6 years old but has only had moderate use making bread (much more use making cakes)

Thanks very much for the replies. The one on the link is sadly no longer available. Not surprisingly I guess.

I do have a hand mixer so i will take a look at getting dough hooks. I'd be very happy with the 'takes up less space' idea

Why don't you want a bread maker though? You can set them to just make dough if you want to make hand shpaed loaves, and although I've never tried with mine, you can make cakes and even jam.

I have a stand mixer with a dough hook. I'm not convinced that a hand held one will be any easier than kneading by hand though. My stand mixer is a Bosch and is brilliant for kneading dough.

Makeminewithrhubard, I think because I would like to be involved in the process a little more than a bread maker allows.
Plus that might make it too easy and then we’ll have too much bread

You can pick up a decent 'vintage' Kenwood Chef on eBay for under £100. They are fab. But I used my hand mixer dough hooks this week for the first time (CBA to get mixer out) and it worked really well for a small loaf's worth of dough.

What RhubarbJam is saying is that you can get a breadmaker and use it just to mix and knead your dough. Or to knead and prove. Or knead and prove and bake. Totally your choice. Cheaper and smaller than a full-on Kenwood.

Make no knead bread

Thank you for the extra comments. Much appreciated. I'm giving it some more thought now before buying anything.

Blondie1984
That is probably the easiest solution. I first heard about that a couple of years ago. They also call it "Dutch Oven" bread, and it resembles a sourdough, with open cellular structure and a great crust.

www.jocooks.com/recipes/no-knead-bread/

Definitely try no knead bread. Yes, the Jim Lahey method with a Dutch oven makes fantastic crusty bread, but actually pretty much any bread is fine with very minimal kneading. The only kind I knead now is bagel dough, because it's such a dry mixture that I do think it improves it, but other than that I there really is no need (sorry )

I'm a novice bread maker and made this one which was really easy. Literally just mix it with a spatula and leave it overnight to rise. It's cooked in a Le Cruset type thing, so probably very similar to some of the links above. It was incredibly crusty, which I love, but did take a bit of effort with the bread knife to cut. pinchofyum.com/no-knead-bread

BlackAmericanoNoSugar
We have an old Le Creuset copy which we bought in Carrefour Calais fifteen years ago for around 20 Euros. It really works well with this recipe. You are right about the crust, it can make cutting very tricky and can play havoc with loose teeth, but it is so good

@andyoldlabour can you just add seeds to this recipe?

downtheplug
I suppose so, although I just make it as a white loaf. I reckon linseed and pumpkin seeds, that kind of thing would be OK. Maybe put a mixture of sesame and black onion seeds on top just before putting it in the oven.

thank you for the extra comments.
What though, do i use as a Dutch Oven? And I only have fast action dried yeast. Is that the same as active dry yeast?

TIA

Do you have any cast iron casserole dish? If not, you could try with whatever type of ovenproof dish that you have, use foil if you don't have a lid.

Fast action yeast is fine

Thank you both for replying
I have a very large deep oval Pyrex with a lid or a Le Creuset large frying pan but the sides only come up about 3 inches. Ditto the Le Creuset roasting dish.

if you haven't got a dutch oven you can compromise with a heavy baking tray preheated in the oven for the bread and another preheated tray underneath that you put ice cubes in as you close the oven door on the bread.

if your oven has a solid bottom you can just fling the cubes into the bottom of the oven if you feel a bit dare devil!

bosch mum.
but look for one with 700w or more. often 'deals' are selling off lower wattage machines.

I have a Kenwood- with the dough hook it makes making bread making effortless. I like to make roll and bloomers so get much more use out of the Kenwood than my bread machine which makes boxy loaves.
I inherited my Kenwood from my mil and it's from the 1960s and is still going strong.