Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

A Guide to Making Bread Using a KitchenAid Mixer

Lindsay Parrill
By

One would be hard-pressed to find anything as comforting and as deliciously wonderful as a fresh loaf of homemade bread. There's a reason so many turned to it in the early days of the pandemic. A slice of sourdough, warm from the oven, topped with melting, velvety butter, is just soothing to the soul.

There was something so beautifully wholesome in those early COVID days, and people searching for every comfort they could find turned to domestic joys. In such an unknowing and dreadful time, homemade bread provided a small slice of comfort to a world scared and confused.

While that fear is slowly easing, the human need for comfort never will. Freshly baking bread fills our homes not only with exquisite scents, but also, somehow, with peace and warmth that may not have been there before.

Now that many have returned to the workplace, and life is beginning to pick up speed once again, there are still ways to bring that homemade magic into our lives. While it may have been fun for a bit to flex our muscles, both figuratively and literally, all of that kneading, rolling, and sweating just isn't necessary. Did you know you can use your KitchenAid mixer to make a (much easier) loaf of homemade goodness?

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

1 hour

What You Need

  • 5 1/4 cups white bread flour

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons rounded, instant yeast

  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 1 3/4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit)

  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons oil

  • 2 tablespoons orange zest

  • KitchAid Mixer

While people have been making bread for millennia without the convenience of modern-day technology, there's just no need for that silliness anymore. Sure, some purists may claim that "it's just not the same" if done with more ease, less mess, and fewer muscle aches. But we'll let you in on a little secret: It tastes the same. The only difference is now you won't need a full body massage after creating your home-baked loaf of love. Sorry purists, hope you enjoy churning your own butter, too.

There are so many conveniences to using a stand mixer for your bread. Of course, you won't find yourself exhausted before the thing is even ready to bake. That's huge. There are many reasons using a mixer is actually better than mixing everything by hand. For starters, you can adjust to multiple speed settings, according to your recipe and the bread you're making. Not to mention the wide variety of attachments and accessories you can use to mix ingredients more quickly and efficiently. It really is just a matter of combining your ingredients in the bowl and letting that dough hook do its thing.

No matter what bread you're baking, be it a classic, white sandwich bread, a buttery brioche, or a new vegan recipe you've been drying to try, bread making with a mixer is definitely the way to go. So sit back, grab a cocktail, and let the mixer do all the hard work for you.

How to Make Bread Using a KitchenAid Mixer

Orange Cardamom Bread Recipe

Here's a KitchenAid mixer bread recipe from La Fuji Mama.

This bread tastes like a giant hug with its fresh orange flavor, paired with the nutty, peppery warmth of cardamom. It's particularly lovely fresh from the oven, slathered in butter. Toast it the next morning with a smear of marmalade for a breakfast that's sure to make everyone happy.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2: In the KitchenAid mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and cardamom.

Related

Step 3: Add the water, orange juice, oil, and orange zest and mix it for 1 minute at medium-high speed until the dough has a sticky consistency. If it's too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches the correct consistency.

Step 4: Mix for 5 minutes at a medium speed.

Step 5: Spray a smooth kneading surface with cooking spray and turn the dough out on to the surface. Divide the dough into three equal portions.

Step 6: Knead each portion briefly until it has a smooth, even consistency.

Step 7: Roll the pieces out into three strands of the same length and braid them together. Place the braid on a greased baking sheet, cover with a large dish towel, and let rise for 25 minutes.

Step 8: Bake the braid in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

So whether you're desperate for a warm, cozy feeling that will make the world feel like a better place, or you're just hungry for some incredible bread, dust off the old stand mixer and give this recipe a try. You'll be amazed at how easy it actually is to create something so wonderful. Whip up a few loaves for your friends and family, reminding them that even though the world has a little more hope now, spreading the love is still more important than ever.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
The low-carb diet guide: How to eat better and optimize your health
This is everything you need to know about embracing a low-carb diet
Large steak on an open grill.

One of the best ways to take control of your health is through the implementation of a well-optimized wellness plan. The two biggest components that most people start to focus on first usually happen to be exercise and, more importantly, diet. All diets focus on the big three macronutrients: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Sugars, starch, and fiber, which are types of carbohydrates, are found in nearly all foods to some degree, but in much higher quantities in foods like bread, oatmeal, pasta, cereal, and other grains, along with fruits, legumes, potatoes, and certain dairy products. Even the healthiest vegetables like kale and broccoli contain carbs. In contrast, foods like meat, poultry, eggs, and fish, are low-carb foods, with most of the calories coming instead from protein or fat.
While there are benefits to consuming carbohydrates, some people believe that carbs lead to excessive weight gain and cause unhealthy spikes in blood sugar. While that may not seem like a great fear for most, usually those individuals also have issues with portion control when it comes to consuming carbs. A low-carb diet aims to minimize carbohydrate intake as much as possible by focusing on consuming protein and fat and limiting high-carb foods. If you love steak, chicken, and scrambled eggs, you may find that a low-carb diet is the best way for you to lose weight without feeling deprived. Keep reading for our complete guide on getting started with a low-carb diet to decide if ditching the bread is your path to better health.

What is a low-carb diet?

Read more
10 insanely clever kitchen hacks you need to start using
These time saving tricks will make you a master in the kitchen
butter

We all love a good hack. Social media is full of them — for life, for the office, for pet care, for cleaning, and yes, for the kitchen. These are a few of our absolute favorite kitchen hacks, tried and tested, that will save you time and stress, and maybe earn you a few extra compliments on your cooking.

Cut steak fries easily using an apple slicer
Did you know that an apple slicer can do so much more than slice apples? It's very handy for cutting other fruits like pears, too. It can even portion out mozzarella nicely. But our favorite thing to cut using one of these little gizmos are potatoes. The triangular sections are the perfect size for some hearty steak fries! Just slice, fry, and serve up with a juicy ribeye and glass of whiskey. Yum.
Prevent cutting board slippage with a wet paper towel
If you've ever had your cutting board slip around on you, you know how frustrating (and dangerous!) it can be. When using a sharp knife in the kitchen, taking every precaution to keep your digits in tact is crucial. This little safety hack takes about two seconds and can help keep all ten fingers where they belong. Simply dampen a paper towel and lay it flat beneath your cutting board. Presto. No more slippage.
Microwave citrus to squeeze out every drop
With produce prices soaring, it's important to get every last drop out of our ingredients, and this hack will help you do exactly that. By microwaving your citrus fruits before juicing them, you'll get much more out of your squeeze. Just nuke for about 10 seconds, give them a firm roll on the counter, slice, and squeeze.
Save a salty soup with a raw potato
This hack has been around for a while, but still unfamiliar to many. We've all been there- in a moment of chefy excitement, we went a little overboard on the salt in our soup and now it tastes like something a tropical fish might live in. Worry not. Simply plop a raw, peeled potato into the salty stew and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. The starchiness of the spud will allow it to absorb the excess salt and get your dish back to delicious in just a few minutes.

Read more
How to Grind Meat With a KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Learn How to Grind Meat at Home

KitchenAid mixers tend to be status symbols for home cooks. Shiny and gleaming in their beautiful colors, nearly everyone feels the need to show them off on the counter instead of hiding them away in a cupboard. These days, a KitchenAid mixer can do almost anything with the right attachment, such as making ice cream, rolling and cutting pasta, and even grinding meat. Keep reading to learn how to grind meat with a KitchenAid stand mixer.

Read more