I'd been watching this for a few years but just didn't really want to spend the $$$. After all, I had a Kitchenaid that I hated- why get something new? LOL Took the plunge and it blows that other mixer out the water! It is fabulous!

After 30 years my wife broke the Kitchen Aid Pro Mixer. Since she started baking sourdough this created a whole lot of difficulty making the dough. After much research this mixer was a big step up. She immediately could see and hear the quality difference in ease, performance and results. She so excited using this mixer especially the mixing ability, power and the capacity. Husband scored big points on this gift. At first she wasn’t happy with the cost but now she wouldn’t use anything else.

I got into bread making during the pandemic. I never stopped and i make up to 5 loaves per week. You can't make bread in my kitchenaid mixer bc of several reasons. Firstly, the motor gets too hot and can destroy your machine. Nextly, you overheat your dough. Finally, it just doesn't have the capacity for high volume baking. My Ankarsrum was a Christmas present to myself. It's a beast. It does anything and everything you'd expect from it. The huge open bowl is a must and it's so helpful for adding ingredients. I have found it simple to use. Lots of youtube videos are available for beginners. Don't give it another thought. if the price tag is too hefty, look on FB marketplace. sometimes you can get good used ones there. Happy Baking!!!

Bought the Ank about a year ago. Love this thing. I still use my KitchenAid for minor stuff, but for bread, this thing is awesome.

Us kitchen aid Americans will need some learning curve time.It works different but after learning with it, my other two mixers just collect dust now.It does a good job of Mimicking the hand process of blending and kneading dough.It also comes with the beaters and bowl for whipping.Nothing else to buy Is what I really liked about it. It came with two bowls one for making dough and another for whipping cream, egg whites etc.it al came with all the paddles you need for whipping and blending.What I like best is the way the dough making process works. When finished just a large bowl to clean not center things in the wat that needs extra care to clean like my other mixers.Its metal heavy and lets you know its here to do the job for a very long time.The dough get almost the same treatment as it would if mixing, blending and kneading by hand.The dough is not torn apart like most other mixers but folded and blended in a way as if almost by hand.I think its the best buy around for all cooking and baking dough items.

This mixer is excellent for kneading all kinds of yeast dough. I like it much better than my Kitchen Aid for making bread. It is easy to use and is very powerful and holds a large batch of dough (6 lb!) easily.The plastic bowl and assembly for using the beaters is lightweight and flimsy. (Although it makes whipped cream in record time—don’t walk away:) Doesn’t go in the dishwasher. Doesn’t hold a double batch of cookie dough. I’ve used this feature to whip cream several times and have made about a half dozen batches of cookies and already the plastic bowl has developed a crack.I later purchased the fruit and vegetable strainer for this mixer. The strainer is shorter and has finer perforations than KitchenAids version. This causes it to clog more easily when making applesauce or tomato sauce. The resulting purée is very fine—like strained baby food—not necessarily desirable for (non baby) applesauce or tomato sauce.I originally hoped to get rid of my Kitchen Aid mixer and replace it entirely with the Ankarsrum, however it appears that the Kitchen Aid performs better with tasks other than bread. Not sorry I bought it:)

They’ve been making this machine in Sweden for over 50 years. Need I say more?It does what it needs to do, no gimmicks, perfectly. It’s a joy to use every time.

Uncle Bob's Pane Francese (yields 2 loaves)Total ingredients by weight and formula:Flour 515g 100%*Water 420g 82%Salt 8g 1.5%Yeast 6g 1%EVOO 1T (extra virgin olive oil)*currently I like mixing 2/3 AP with 1/3 bread flour in a big plastic container. Do what you like thoughSpongeWater 120g (120%)Bread flour 100g (100%)Yeast 1g (about 1/8 t) (1%)Proof 6-24 hours**Peter Reinhart wrote that sponges keep in the fridge for up to 3 days so sometimes I do thatDilute the SpongeWater 300g (300%)Blend IngredientsAdd diluted sponge 421g (101%)Bread flour 415g (100%) all at onceYeast 5g (5%)Mix 2 minutes into a shaggy ballCover and liaise 30 minutes**For the short liaise, I just disconnect the scraper and roller, swing the arm out of the way so the lid can go on top, while leaving them both in with the dough. I "hook" the scraper inside the hole for the roller to keep them together, and stand them upright.KneadingEVOO 1TSalt 8gUsing roller and scraper for this high hydration formula, mix roughly 20 minutes. I use the 4 o'clock setting on the speed dial, or about 2/3 speed.ProofingI do the following steps in the bowl using its plastic cover, which for me also doubles as a container for weighing floor. I also spray a little olive oil cooking spray on the inside of the bowl during these steps.Rise in bowl for 30 minutesStretch and fold (S&F) then rise another 30 minutesS&F and rise 1-1.5 hoursBakingPreheat oven to 550FShape dough into 2 rectangles. It is a wet dough so it's difficult to manage.Roll into Batards with pointed ends. (Pointy ends eluded me with this batch. Still tasted good.)Rise on Couche at least 1/2 hour while oven preheatsUsing the Couche, roll onto long narrow parchment-covered breadboard (Search YouTube on how to do this. It's real easy.)Transfer to large baking stone by sliding the parchment from the board onto the stoneBake off in humidified oven 20-25 minutes (I use an aluminum half-sheet covered in 3lbs of lava rocks, then introduce some hot water onto the rocks just before closing the oven door. This will cool your oven, so make the water as hot as you can).I doubled Bob's formula to yield 4 loaves, baking two at a time. All steps in-bowl, including the liaise, both stretch & folds and the final rise. The bowl's plastic cover also doubled as a measuring bowl when weighing the flour. Never had to touch the dough except for the final window pane test after 20 minutes of kneading. I chose the roller and scraper combo versus the dough hook for this high hydration formula. The roller is mounted on the spring loaded arm, which itself was then locked about an inch from the side. The dough would squeeze against the side of the bowl while spinning at high speed. The scraper seemed to sort of stretch and fold the dough's outer margins as it spun by, while keeping the sides clean. Very interesting to watch. There's a lot going on.I've only ever kneaded by hand because my old Kitchenaid would get real hot and try to walk over the edge of the counter, so I've never had the talent or patience to try high hydration formulas til now. I've also never had such marvelous results with my window pane test, and after only 20 minutes in the Ank. For the first time in 20 years, my window pane looked like the ones I used to be jealous of on YouTube. Kneading bread by hand had become a real chore, so that I actually used store bought for awhile. This machine barely got warm, was quiet, and didn't go for a walk. I tested the dough temp before and after, and the dough temp did not increase. I set the timer on the Ank then wandered upstairs to clean the cat box. Seems to excel with high hydration recipes. The pic below shows development at minute 15 of this double recipe with the bowl spinning at about 2/3 speed. It never broke a sweat.Ankarsrum has been making this same basic design since 1940. In fact, other than attachments, I think this is their sole product. Machine and bowl together weighs about 20 lbs, and its low profile means it fits under any counter. It's portable and light enough to store in a cupboard. The motor is 600 watts. Motors for machines sold in the EU market are bigger (I think 800 watts) but North America used 110v while the EU uses 220v so the motors are sized appropriately to the market. No gears, no transmission like there are in planetary-style mixers such as Kitchenaid or Hobart, so that is one less point of potential failure. It is a direct drive from the motor to the bowl using a single, very heavy duty belt. The 7 year warranty and US- or Canada-based support provide peace of mind that this investment could last decades, like all the other Anks I keep reading about.I bought mine primarily for bread, but it also has another bowl and 2 different sets of beaters for egg whites, whipping cream, goopy cookie batters, etc. Also an enormous bread hook for low hydration/high volume doughs.So far I like it.