The KitchenAid Attachment That Makes Homemade Bread (Almost) Effortless

A spiral hook helps you knead dough like a pro

One reason the spiral dough hook is more efficient than the traditional C-hook is that it typically requires fewer interruptions to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Its downward pushing motion against the bowl's bottom helps prevent sticking, particularly when the dough is sticky and wet at the start of mixing. With a spiral dough hook, you can essentially set the mixer and let it work until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and forms a cohesive ball—indicators that kneading is finished.

In contrast, kneading bread dough by hand can take about 25 minutes, which is quite a workout for your arms. Using a mixer with a standard C-shaped hook reduces this time to approximately 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the recipe. However, a spiral hook can expedite the process even further, making it perfect for larger recipes, like a double batch of homemade challah bread. Many professionals advocate for the spiral hook due to its effectiveness with large quantities of dough, but if you're a home baker, ensure your mixer is large enough to accommodate the dough before attaching the hook and turning it on.

Additional bread-making tips

Using a spiral-shaped KitchenAid attachment can greatly simplify the bread-making process, but there are additional techniques you can learn to achieve the best baking results. The crucial aspect of kneading bread in a mixer is to avoid over-kneading, as this can affect the flavor of the bread. If you're utilizing a spiral hook, you may need to shorten the mixing time specified in your recipe. Also, remember to set your mixer to speed 2, which is ideal for developing gluten effectively.

Keep a close watch on the dough, as the spiral hook kneads it quickly. To determine if your dough is adequately kneaded, pause the mixer and press your finger into the dough ball; if it springs back and leaves no indentation, kneading is finished. Furthermore, while dough hooks are designed to move the dough around in the bowl, they are not the best choice for the initial mixing phase. It’s advisable to use the paddle attachment first to combine the ingredients or to mix them with a spatula before transferring the mixture to the mixer for kneading.

After kneading, shape the dough into loaves and allow it to rest and rise as necessary—just remember to score the bread before baking. Once you experience mixing bread dough with a spiral hook attachment, you might find yourself eager to bake homemade loaves every week.