It was a months before black Friday when I ask (maybe pleaded is the right word) Leng to buy me an electric stand mixer. The big sale was coming and I just got tired of kneading bread (almost daily) by hand. She agreed with a condition that if I could make 10 consecutive bread batches that are soft and tasty--with an emphasis on consistency (during that time I was still experimenting, hence the inconsistencies). Well, 20 batches later, I got my wish! She added that it was a prize for "being good" too (well that's strange, I have always been a good boy).

Using a mixer is indeed very different from making bread by hand. My first product was surprisingly really nice! Really nice to throw! It was as though I was using the mixer to mix cement blobs. But after serveral combinations of techniques and recipes here is what I have adopted. First, I still use a wire whisk to mix the liquid ingredients by hand. It may sound backwards thinking especially with a mixer that could do it, but still I get very good results from manually mixing the liquids and semi-solids. Secondly, I still do a very short kneading of the dough by hand. The kid in me just wants to feel and play with the soft and smooth dough and to do a final tactile check to see if the dough is ready for its first rising. By far, these are the only things I do that gives me great results. The advantages of using a mixer is that it always does the job consistent every time.

Here is my basic bread recipe:

And this is how I do it using an electric stand mixer...

First, dissolve the 1 tsp sugar with the ¼ cup lukewarm water. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Set aside until this mixture becomes frothy (just like frogs eggs).

Next, in the mixer's bowl, throw in the salt, sugar, oil and the 1 cup lukewarm water. Mix with a wire whisk until sugar and salt dissolves completely. Then add 1 cup bread flour and mix thoroughly. If you have the Wheat Gluten, mix it until well blended. Then add the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Mix well.

Now, add the rest of the flour except the remaining ½ cup. I usually add 2 ½ cup all at once. Then secure the mixing bowl into the mixer. Start mixing on speed 2. Mix for about 2 to 3 minutes (or until dough shows signs of gluten strands). After this, I usually scrape the bowl's sides and scrape the dough hook. Add the remaining flour (you may do ¼ cup at a time during mixing to prevent flour from spilling out). Continue mixing for an additional 2 minutes. If dough is sticky to the touch, add more flour (about ¼ cup at a time). I stop mixing when I touch the dough and it doesn't stick on my fingers but is still sticky (hmmm... hard to imagine huh--but you'll know it when you get there). Or stop mixing when the sides of the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl (but at this stage the dough is already semi-hard--good for loaf bread,french bread or soft gluten). Sometimes I stop mixing after a total of about 7 or maybe 10 minutes of mixing. Take note that this time includes the scraping, and placing more flour (which includes scooping the flour, dropping the mixing bowl, lifting it and turning on the switch... you get the idea).

Then using a spatula, scrape the dough out the the dough hook and mixing bowl. Place it on a floured surface. Do a quick knead and shape into a ball. Grease the sides of a bowl with vegetable shortening (not the liquid type, e.g. oil unless you're making pizza!) place dough inside bowl and invert dough to coat all sides. Place dough in a warm place. I usually turn on the oven lights before I make bread, by the time I'm on this stage, the oven is warm and cozy. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.

After an hour, punch down dough. Now we're ready for shaping. At this stage I weigh the dough using a digital scale (a must have for consistency) then I divide by either 18 or 24 or none at all if you wish to make cinnamon rolls. If making dinner rolls or buns, shape the dough into small balls. For Pan de sal, coat the dough balls in bread crumbs. Then place the shaped dough into baking sheets. Now, let rise for 2 to 3 hours depending on the dough's characteristics (only the creator would know). Do not overise!!! as it could break a hole on the dough and make it flat, hence hard to eat (unless of course you master the art of making the dough very elastic). Usually after 2 hours, the dough has almost tripled in size. Unless if you're playing on the XBox 360 or watching a movie, then 3 hours will be acceptable. If by this time the shaped dough hasn't risen doubled, then its either you killed the yeast or the environment is not optimal. Maybe the room temperature is cold (or a busted oven light) so then it needs more rising time.

Baking time. This depends on your taste. If you like a soft chewy product, bake at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown (even if its under 15 minutes). For Pan de sal or for a crusty bread, bake at 375°F or 400°F (crustier) for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown (even if its over 15 minutes). For normal types of bread like cinnamon rolls, bake at 350°F for 12 to 18 minutes or until golden brown (even if your tummy can't resist the taste and smell). And don't forget to cool the bread on a cooling rack. If not it would turn soggy.

And there you have it, my version of bread making using a mixer. Enjoy!