I have been using the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl for the past two years, and have really enjoyed it. Actually, my entire family has enjoyed it because you can make bread quickly and it tastes delicious. I was never a bread maker before receiving it as a gift, and never intended to be, but it is so easy to make bread in this, that there is no reason not to!
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What is a Kitchenaid Bread Bowl?
Essentially, the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl is a multi-purpose tool that helps you both mix up bread dough, and then bake the dough in the oven.
The Kitchenaid Bread Bowl is an add-on to the traditional Kitchenaid Mixer. You buy the Bread Bowl, and it fits in right where the normal mixing bowl goes, where you use it to mix your dough (the recipe they give you is 4 ingredients and super easy) with the bread hook, then you put the cover on that comes with the bread bowl while the bread rises and for a portion of the baking time.
How to Use the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl?
The Kitchenaid Bread Bowl comes with very easy instructions! When you want to make some bread (the bread they provide the recipe for is a yeast bread), all you have to do is:
- Rinse the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl with warm water, and then dry it, to make it a little warmer to start.
- Get your dry materials to mix together. If you are using the recipe provided by Kitchenaid, this will be instant yeast, salt and flour. (You can either put the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl on the Kitchenaid Mixing Stand or mix by hand at this point.)
- Add in warm water and then mix everything together. (This step is better done on the Kitchenaid Stand, although it’s not necessary.)
- You will then cover the dough in the Bread Bowl with the lid and wait for it to rise for the allotted time.
- After rising, you will pre-heat the oven, while you form the dough and let it rise again. (Based on my experience, the double rise isn’t really necessary and doesn’t really impact the size of the loaf or the flavor.)
- Then, when it is time to put the bread into the oven to bake, you place the loaf onto the inside of the lid (essentially turning everything upside down), as the Bread Bowl bakes with the lid-side down. When you do this, you either want to use parchment paper, or oil covered in flour to help prevent the loaf from sticking while baking. (Another potential issue you could have with sticking while baking that isn’t mentioned anywhere is if the loaf expands too large and can stick to the inside of the Bread Bowl.)
- The bread will bake for about 30 minutes with the Bread Bowl and cover attached, and then you will remove the actual bowl portion for the remaining ten minutes or so. (I say approximate times because as you practice with your oven and different times and temperatures and outcomes, you might adjust it a little bit.)
And, that’s it! It’s that easy! Within 2 hours or so, you will have a delicious loaf of homemade bread!
How to Clean the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl?
The number one rule when cleaning, based on my own experience, is to wait until everything is cool to the touch to start cleaning! And, once you do come around to cleaning the Bread Bowl, I would suggest:
- Wait until the Bread Bowl and lid are completely cool to the touch.
- Soak the bowl in soapy water.
- If the lid needs to be cleaned, put it top-down and put soap and a bit of water in it to soak as well. (There is a little dip in the lid where the water can sit in there with the soap to soak it).
- The soaking portion makes it so easy that when you go to scrub, everything comes off quickly and easily.
My Experience Using the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl
I originally got this as a gift. I wasn’t trying to learn to bake bread or anything, it was just a random gift and I took it as a challenge and got going! Getting started with yeast bread (which is what is originally recommended for this Bread Bowl) is a great idea because it is so simple and you don’t have long waiting times compared to sourdough.
I initially opened the box, read the instructions, which come with a recipe, made the dough and had fresh bread in approximately two hours. Just from the basic recipe provided of flour, water, salt and instant yeast, the bread was delicious, everyone in my family loved it and I proceeded to bake approximately two loaves of that specific bread recipe every week for at least 1.5 years!
I will say that the only issue I have had with the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl was due to my own error. The Bread Bowl had cooled down, but not enough, and I went to try to wash it. Unfortunately, that resulted in a small crack in the lid. Luckily, I was able to keep using it for another six months or so without issue, until I attempted to heat the Bowl on its own to attempt to bake sourdough in it, and the lid cracked completely where the small crack initially was.
But, I loved this Bread Bowl so much, that I even bought myself a second one! Now, I have two bowls and one lid, and I can use the extra bowl as an extra mixing bowl for the Kitchenaid Stand Mixer.
Here’s a few of my favorite creations using the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl:
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Easy to Clean
- Makes delicious bread
- Produces bread better than any store in less than 2 hours
- I have yet to find someone who didn’t like the bread!
Cons
- Cost (it always seems to be on sale for around $99)
- It’s hard to find multiple recipes that will work in the Bread Bowl, so there can be a lot of trial and error if you choose to explore
- There’s only a certain “size” your loaf can be, specifically if you’re using a different recipe than what’s provided, in order for the bread not to expand too much and stick to the entire Bread Bowl while baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What recipes can be made in the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl?
You can make the 4-ingredient recipe provided with the Bread Bowl, as well as any other recipe you attempt. However, I would make sure the recipe you’re attempting is similar in flour measurements so that the bread doesn’t expand too much and get stuck to the sides of the Bread Bowl. I have even heard success stories of sourdough.
Can you use the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl to make other things besides bread?
The Kitchenaid Bread Bowl fits into the Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, so you can use it as just a regular bowl to mix anything with your Stand Mixer.
Do I need a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer to use the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl?
No, you could just use a spoon or spatula to mix the dough. However, if you were to invest in one or the other, I would recommend the Kitchenaid Stand Mixer first.
Can the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl be Used to Make Sourdough Bread?
Yes! You can find a recipe and heating instructions for how to make sourdough on the Kitchenaid website, or on any of the sourdough groups on Facebook. Two things to keep in mind with sourdough is that:
- The sourdough recipes normally call for a larger amount of flour to make a larger loaf and that will be too large for the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl, so you’ll need to proportionally decrease your recipe to be able to fit.
- The heating instructions limit for the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl is 500F, so just make sure not to exceed that when pre-heating or baking.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an easy, simple way to make delicious bread, the Kitchenaid Bread Bowl is the new kitchen tool that you need! It is so easy to get started, and then once you do, you won’t want to stop!
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