Reply To: Hand Mixing

Hello. I’d been using the Classic with hand mixing so I could scale it up to 12 loaves at a time, but the new formula with reduced hydration – I just can’t get it to mix w/o more water.  I’ve tried smaller batches of just 4 loaves of the exact formula twice now with the Kitchenaid (mixing and kneading ~half at a time).  Feels like barely enough water to autolyze, but the KA powers through the mix and I think the results are slightly better.  I don’t get the compression at the bottom that I did with the higher-hydration Classic & Purist even when using the KA.  I imagine the compression came as a result of the weight of the water.  So … all this to ask, is there a way to scale this current formula up with hand-mixing, or do I need to build an addition on my house to find room for a commercial mixer ;-). Or just make 4 loaves at a time?