Depends on your KA. It also depends on how many cups of flour your KA will handle. I have one of the older Hobart KA and it easily handles 6 cups of flour and at higher speeds.

Ann

Like Ann, I too have an older Hobart KA and it does very well at higher speeds aadn 6 cups of flour...... although I prefer to just mix the dough and then finish the kneading by hand....

Carolyn

The manual for my KA mixer, new in 2004, has a list of bread-making tips on page 54. (This is the 6-quart mixer, the biggest one they make for home use... 525 watts.) It says "Use Speed 2 (in bold type) to mix or knead yeast doughs. Use of any other speed creates high potential for unit failure." There was even a sticker on the machine advising the same. I want it to last forever, so I don't exceed setting 2. I make bread every week and have no problems with setting 2.

Like I said, it depends on what machine you have. Not all KA's are created equally. The older Hobart models are real work horses.

If the instructions state not to exceed speed two than I would follow the instructions. Also, don't exceed the number of cups of flour recommended for your KA.

Ann

I have an older Hobart KA, too. No problem with kneading at a medium speed with that machine.

With the newer KA's, I'd stick with the machine instructions & increase the knead time to 10 minutes or more. Watch for heat build-up with the motor. (I don't know that this would be a problem--a lot would depend on how stiff the dough is.) If the motor starts getting too warm, then I'd stop the machine & let it cool for 5-10 minutes & then resume kneading.

Thanks! Mine is brand new, and I was concerned with the instructions to knead at a higher speed.

I'll do low speed as advised.

This is the mixing and kneading procedure that I use with my 25+ year old Kitchen Aid mixer. This is from The Bread Book by Betsy Oppenneer. I only use speed #4 for kneading sparingly. It is best to follow the directions in your manual. But the rest of the directions have worked very well for me.

Mixing and Kneading Bread in a Heavy Duty Electric Mixer

1. Put dry yeast and proofing water into mixer bowl; whisk, proof yeast. [not essential when using instant yeast]

2. Fit mixer paddle on.

3. Add rest of liquid ingredients (milk, eggs, butter) to the yeast/water.

4. Add half of the flour amount of the recipe and any other dry ingredients.

5. Turn mixer on medium speed (#4 on KA) and beat 2 minutes to mix the ingredients.

6. Reduce speed to low (#1) and add rest of flour 1/4 cup at time.

7. Remove paddle, scrape well. Attach dough hook.

8. Scrape down sides of bowl, turn speed to #2 and add more flour 1 TB at a time (dough will cling to hook then spread back to sides of bowl).

9. Increase speed to #4 (or stay at speed #2) and knead 5 minutes. At the end of this kneading time the dough should cling to the hook and clean the sides of the bowl. If not, add flour 1 TB at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.

10. Remove the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, let rise per the recipe, or turn out dough, knead by hand a few times, form into a ball, drizzle a little oil in the mixing bowl, put dough in, swirl in bowl and turn oiled side up, cover, let rise.

That's pretty much what this particular bread recipe says to do.
It calls for a Biga, which is incorporated into the remaining flour and yeast.
From there, use the dough hook and increase the speed after a couple of minutes..

It's a country style, rustic loaf, which is baked on a stone. I'm going to use my griddle pan, either with a baking sheet with the risen bread set directly on it; or plop the loaf of bread directly onto the griddle, which has parchment onto it.