Using a dough hook

[Love Bug]

A friend gave me her old stand mixer which has a dough hook. I'm psyched about making bread without having to knead it, but the instruction book that came with the mixer doesn't say how long to knead with a dough hook. Can anyone here with experience using a dough hook tell me how fast to run it and how long to knead with it? Thanks!!!!

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Run it on LOW speed

A dough hook puts a huge load on the motor. Do not run it above low speed.

As to how long to run it, I hate to say it this way, but it depends!

It depends on what you're making. It depends on the humidity in the room. It depends on room temperature. For starters, assume you're making a basic bread dough (flour, water, a dash of shortening, salt and yeast). You may want to start out by assumming a ten minute knead. However, you need to also watch the dough to see how it is reacting. Does it stick to the bowl? Does it gather on the dough hook and not actually knead? Is it getting a broken look or is it silky?

Try going on the 'net and look for recipes. A good place to start might be Kitchenaid's own web site.

Good luck!

[NashVegas]

2. I go 7-10 minutes

On the #2 speed, which is what Kitchen Aid recommends.