Swapped my stand mixer for a hand crank and it's a different dough game

I used to rely on my stand mixer for every loaf, but about 4 months ago the motor started smoking on a dense rye and I panicked. Instead of dropping $200 on a repair, I dug out my grandma's old hand crank mixer and gave it a shot. Honestly, the first few batches took twice as long and my arm was sore for days, but the dough felt more alive, less overworked. Now I do all my sourdough and wet doughs by hand, and I only pull out the electric for big catering orders. Has anyone else gone backwards like this, or am I the only one who likes the slower pace?

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max_torres4428d ago

Man, that hits home hard. My buddy Dave did the exact same thing last year when his KitchenAid crapped out mid-knead on a bagel batch, and he swore the gluten structure was better after he finished by hand. He got so into it that he started doing these little 2-loaf batches just for his family on Sundays, and he said the sore arm was worth it because he actually felt like he was baking, not just running an appliance. He still uses the electric for big stuff too, but he told me the hand crank made him notice things about the dough he'd never caught before, like how it changes texture way earlier than the timer says. You're definitely not alone on this one, and I lowkey respect the commitment to the slow lane.