My dough has never passed the window pane test and I'm fucking done. Do I need one of these pieces of shit? They're expensive has hell. Any advice or cheaper alternatives. Tbh they're mince and pasta attachment makes me wanna get it.
>>22124783>window pane testi have never done any of that meme stuff and my pizzas always turn out good
>>22124783If you can't get your dough right without one, spending hundreds of dollars on an electric mixer won't fix your problem. It's nearly impossible to overknead by hand and an electric mixer introduces that as a possibility if you're clueless so you're really just adding one more failure point into the mix.Bread ingredients are cheap as fuck so keep practicing. How does your bread turn out in the end? Is it still good, is it bad, or do you just not see what you'd call passing the "window pane test" and throw your dough in the trash and give up?
>>22124797It always turns out just okay. I want a GOOD pizza. The dough is fine but whenever I stretch it into shape it just tears. Idk wtf I'm doing wrong. I've tried 10 different recipes and kneaded by hand for 30 minutes or just not kneaded at all sometimes. Nothing works.
>>22124783Just get one of these bread machines. It makes pretty good pizza dough. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087FB8SCK
>>22124820It sounds like more of an issue with your stretching/manipulating afterwards than your kneading. It's hard to fuck up the actual kneading process unless you're adding an extra cup of flour because your dough is tacky or something else crazy.>I want GOOD pizzaIf you don't have a heating element that can hit actual pizza oven temps then you're gonna have to settle for varying degrees between just okay and pretty good. Your issue is probably with something like the protein content of your flour, your hydration percentage, your timing on rises, or your technique with final shaping(where flour is more okay to make sure things don't stick and tear at that stage). Keep working on your technique, a stand mixer won't bail you out, friend.
>>22124783>Any advice or cheaper alternatives.git gud
>>22124783there are like.. 200 dollar devices that do just fine
>>22124783my dough came out much better using that but I assume I could have just kneaded by hand more
>>22124783never ever done a window pane test. literally does not matter.also stop making this thread. it was stupid shit the last 2 times.
>>22124783Buy one used.
>>22124820What flour are you using?
>>22124820Well what exactly do you do, a mixer won't fix shit technique. I'm making pizza dough right now myself for dinner tomorrow.
>he doesn't know you can just autolyse and bowl fold and achieve the same thing as kneading
>>22124783Bet yer cold tiny hands fit perfectly in my warm tight hole
>>22125483daffodils
>>22124783A stand mixer is good for two things, being able to mix the ingredients and knead for a while to build enough strength to start immediately proofing (skipping any initial rests/autolyse), and incorporating fat into a dough more easily than by hand which can take a while for breads like brioche or challah. It's entirely possible to make great bread easily enough by hand though. After you combine the ingredients but before kneading, wait 15-20 minutes and then try and do slap and folds and you should find it much easier to get to the window pane test. alternatively, like >>22125522 said, you can just do bowl folds and wait, though for airier doughs like baguettes or ciabatta it's better to achieve the desired gluten strength earlier on as bowl folds can deflate the dough (and cause you to overproof)
>>22124783I just punch the dough until it submits and provides me good pizza. Works every time
>>22124797>It's nearly impossible to overknead by hand and an electric mixer introduces that as a possibilityits virtually impossible with or without a mixer, you'd have to be running that shit for like 3 hours straight to ruin the dough
this isn't going to help with your current problem but if you're mainly focused on pizza you should definitely buy an ooni or whatever recommended entry level pizza oven before you get a stand mixer. the issues of hand mixing are ultimately easier to overcome than the hard limitations of a home oven.
