Switched from hand-kneading to a stand mixer for brioche dough and wow, what a time saver

I used to make brioche by hand for years because I felt like I needed to "feel" the dough to know it was right. But after I started a small side business selling pastries at the farmers market in Portland, I couldn't keep up with the orders. I finally bought a KitchenAid stand mixer about 6 months ago and it changed everything for me. The dough comes together way faster and I don't get exhausted by the time I'm done. I still do a quick hand knead at the end to check the texture, but honestly, the mixer does a better job with the butter incorporation. Has anyone else made a switch like this and found it totally changed their baking routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_amy1mo ago

Oh wow, you were hand kneading BRIOCHE? For YEARS? I mean sure, it's a nice arm workout but like... was it really that deep? lol. I get being a purist but sometimes a tool is just a tool.

olivia3981mo ago

Gotta admit I used to be in the "more power to you" camp about hand kneading... but then I tried a stand mixer for enriched doughs and wow, it just changed everything for me honestly. @the_amy you kinda made me realize that brioche is already finicky enough without adding an arm workout to the mix.