It's best to use the dough hook for any recipes that require kneading. If you are making a quickbread, like banana bread, that doesn't require kneading but does require thorough mixing of ingredients, you can use a pastry beater (or a flat beater).
Attach your flat beater, add your ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and mix to combine the ingredients whilst kneading on speed 1. Remove your flat beater and attached your dough hook, and knead the dough for 5 minutes on low speed (1 & 2). Always ensure that you knead on low speed so as not to overheat the motor.
The answer is yes – for many recipes it can. Most cake and cookie dough batters as well as frosting or cream can be done with either a hand mixer or stand mixer like the recipes below.
The flat-bladed paddle beaters are best for beating batters and frostings, whisk attachments are best for whipping liquids and egg whites, and dough hooks can make quick work of smaller dough projects.
A dough hook is the best tool you can use to knead dough. It does everything your hands would do, but more quickly. Not only does a stand mixer and dough hook do all the work—but you're more likely to get better results if you use them instead.
WHAT IS A FLAT BEATER? KitchenAid® flat beaters are powered by your KitchenAid® stand mixer and have multiple inner bars that help mix ingredients for recipes such as batters, frostings and fillings. Flat beaters are also helpful for shredding chicken, mashing potatoes and whipping up fresh guacamole.
If you do not have a paddle attachment, but a recipe you want recommends using one, you can use a flat beater, which works in much the same way as a paddle attachment. You can also mix your ingredients by hand with a large spoon.
For this reason, some recipes recommend using the paddle attachment to start mixing and then switching to the dough hook once a rough dough is formed. You can also simply stir the ingredients with a spatula or other tool first.
Turn your mixer on low speed. Allow it to knead the dough for 3 minutes, or until it clings to the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. Continue to knead the dough 3-4 minutes longer. You'll know your dough is kneaded enough when it feels smooth and elastic.
Dough Hook
When you're working with heavier doughs such as bread, pizza, or pasta, a dough hook is the best option. Using any other type of mixer attachment might overheat and damage the mixer. Its mechanism mimics kneading by hand.
While a dough whisk is stiff enough to do some kneading, you'll still have to knead by hand in order to build enough gluten strength in the dough itself.
Is a paddle attachment the same as a flat beater attachment? The paddle is also called a flat beater simply because it's flat. It works by pulling the ingredients around the bowl, while allowing some of it to travel through the holes and become thoroughly mixed.
The paddle is also called a flat beater simply because it's flat. It works by pulling the ingredients around the bowl, while allowing some of it to travel through the holes and become thoroughly mixed. At the slowest speed, it will gently fold ingredients, and at a faster speed it will mix, beat and shred.
A dough hook is a mixer attachment, typically shaped like a helix (corkscrew shape) or "C" looking hook. Beaters are used with foods which require great force to mix.
The biggest difference between using a dough hook to knead instead of kneading by hand is the amount of physical effort and time it takes. While manually kneading dough can take upwards of 10 minutes, you can get your dough smooth and elastic in around 1 ½-2 ½ minutes with a KitchenAid® stand mixer.
Mix until dough forms a ball and is soft and pliable. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough starts to stick to your hands add a small amount of flour.
Kneading for 10-12 minutes by hand or 8-10 minutes in a mixer are the general standards; if you've been massaging the dough for that length of time, you can be pretty confident that you've done your job.
The dough hook is the best tool for kneading doughs, like breads, pizza dough, and pasta dough. The dough hook takes the place of hand kneading, but it does it much faster. Speed 2 gives the best results for kneading, and the mixer can knead most yeast doughs within 5 minutes.
A beater, also called a stand or hand mixer, is a kitchen appliance using a gear mechanism to revolve beaters set in a liquid or food bowl by beating them.
Depending on whether you have a stand mixer or a hand mixer, the beater attachment might look slightly different. But ultimately, both types of mixers do the exact same thing.