Who doesn’t love the smell of bread baking? Though, is baking your own bread worth it? It might seem like too much effort, but new gear on the market suggest it might be worthwhile. One of these is the ceramic bread bowl that pairs with a KitchenAid mixer, so let’s take a look at what it has to offer.
Bread bowl shown paired with KitchenAid mixer
Available at Amazon
What is it made of? What’s in the box?
In the box, you get a bowl and a lid. The bread bowl and lid are made of durable ceramic. It’s a light grayish-blue with brown flecks on the outside and smooth and non-patterned inside.
The mixer itself is sold separately along with mixing blades that includes a dough hook (there’s a model that pairs with it shown below).
How do you use it?
The ceramic bread bowl pairs with KitchenAid tilt-head mixers. The rest is pretty simple.
Here’s the run down on what’s involved…
- Fit the bowl on the mixer with the head tilted back. Add the ingredients and then fit the dough hook. Place the head in position and set the mixer to knead the dough.
- Set the dough aside in the bowl with lid on in a warm place (e.g. a warm oven) and allow the dough to rise. Lines inside the bowl mark how much it has risen.
- Next place the dough on the lid and put the bowl upside down over the top to cover. (Tip: Oil or line the lid with parchment paper first so you can cleanly remove the cooked loaf.)
- Bake the dough in oven for roughly 30 minutes. Then remove the bowl and give the bread another 10 minutes on the lid only to allow a crust to form.
What to know
- The parts are multi-use. The lid of the bowl converts to the baking pan, and the bowl used for mixing and rising transforms upside down into a dome that covers the bread on the pan.
- Instructions fall short on recipes, but you’ll find plenty on YouTube and Pinterest.
- Heavier than the regular stainless steel bowl that comes with the mixer.
- Oven save to 500 degrees F.
- Use oil or parchment paper when baking on the lid to avoid sticking.
- Use warm oven to rise dough if room temperature too cold.
- Avoid thermal shock — allow the ware to cool naturally before placing in cold water.
- Bowl may not fit in countertop ovens.
- Only fits the 4.5-quart and the 5-quart KitchenAid tilt-heads.
KitchenAid 5 Qt tilt-head mixer — one of the mixers to use with the bowl
Available at Amazon
What I love…not having to move the dough mixture from mixing bowl to rising container to baking container. The two-piece bread bowl set does it all from mix to rise to bake.
The bowl and lid are also freezer and microwave safe.
Less mess — Only bowl and mixing blade and measuring utensils to clean.
And then the ultimate…having home baked bread!
Best for…
Bread dough recipes up to 3.5 cups of flour for a 1–1.5 lb. loaf of bread, such as:
- Soda bread
- Basic white
- Boule
- Chocolate Rye Boule
- Brioche
Care and maintenance
Can it go in the dishwasher? Yes, the bowl and the lid can go in either the top or bottom of the dishwasher.
Will it chip or crack? Yes, like all full ceramic cookware, if you mishandle it…as in drop it or subject it to thermal shock, it may crack or chip. But with normal use, it should last you for ages and is covered with a five-year no-chip limited warranty.
Where to buy
KitchenAid mixer bread making bowl with lid is available at Amazon — see it here.
Other stores that have this product…
Bottom line
This is a special baking dish. It’s something for you if you want to bake bread at home and already have a KitchenAid or are tempted to buy one…it’s worth it!
For info about the KitchenAid company, see my article on brand names.
Resources: KitchenAid Owners Manual