Review on 🍞 Hamilton Beach 63325 Stand Mixer, 6 Speed Electric with Stainless Steel 3.5 Quart Bowl, Planetary Mixing, Tilt-Up Head, 300 Watt Motor, Black by Brandon Rogers

I have waited to write a review until I have used this blender for several months. After six months of use and baking bread weekly, I give it a thumbs up. I bought this and only use it for baking French style baguettes. When I bought it it wasn't clear from previous reviews how well it works for baking bread. My regular recipe calls for three baguettes and uses 510 grams of bread flour. This blender has no problem with this quantity. He could obviously do more if I needed it. It works great and it only takes me about 10 minutes from "out of the cupboard and ready" to "dough ready" to bake my bread. The rest is the test rise time. I didn't want and didn't need a huge Kitchen-Aid blender. It does the job and looks like it will continue to do the job for years to come. It's fairly lightweight, easy to store in a closet and easy to install; It remains stable on the counter during use. In summary, the operation is very simple. I like simplicity and lightness. Some reviewers had issues with the dough hook "corroding in the dishwasher". I don't, but I never wash it in the dishwasher. Be careful! It only takes a minute to rinse the dough hook (and bowl) in the sink, then put the mixer, hook and bowl away for the next week. The hook works well for making bread dough and shows no signs of corrosion or wear after six months of frequent use. But it works great for me just kneading the dough for bread. Update: Four years later, after many weekly uses on bread and pasta, it's still working great. Another addition: I was asked for a baguette recipe. It is very good. Here it is: For three 8 ounce baguettes: 550 gr. flour (flour for King Arthur's bread). 385 ml warm water (use a kitchen scale to measure flour and water) 1 tablespoon salt. 1 tablespoon yeast (SAF brand instant yeast - using this great yeast makes all the difference) 1/2 st. l. or less sugar (optional, it will speed up the rise, but the dough will rise just fine without it, just wait a few minutes or so). Place the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix with the mixer. Add warm water (water should be about 120 F, like warm bath water; use your finger or a thermometer if your finger isn't working well), mix on speed 2 for about 5 minutes oiled bowl, turning over so that it is covered with oil on all sides. Cover with cling film and let rise for an hour or more, until doubled in volume. Place the risen dough on an oiled table. Disassemble and fold Divide the dough into three equal parts. Take each portion and press against an oiled countertop, shape into a square or rectangle about 6" x 8". Roll up the flattened square of dough like a roll. Take the roll and roll out the roll (big "dough dong") to about 12 inches - just squeeze and hang in your hands to stretch. Place a rolling pin, at least 12 inches long, seam-side down on a baguette tray or parchment paper. Make all three parts the same. Cover lightly with cling film and let rise for an hour or more - it should more than double its original size. Begin preheating the oven while the baguettes are rising. Place the dough baguettes in a well preheated 490-520 degree oven (depending on your oven and height). I use a pizza/bread stone and place the bread on the stone. But any large baking sheet will do. Spray the bread with a heavy mist of water before placing in the oven. Spray more water into a hot oven when you put bread in - this creates steam that helps the bread rise a bit in the oven without immediately covering the crust in the hot oven. (Traditional French ovens use steam.) After 10 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 900°F (475°C). Bake for about 25 minutes until nicely browned. Every friend I've shared this recipe with loves the result and asks for the recipe after trying my bread. Much luck. It takes about three tries to feel and do it "just right". It takes me 10 minutes to prepare the dough from the moment I take out the mixer to the moment I put it away. After the baguettes have cooled a bit, I cut them in half and put them in a zip lock bag to freeze. If necessary, they will be defrosted in about 20 minutes; Then I heat them in the oven for about ten minutes. Warmed up, they taste like crispy baguettes fresh from the French oven!