KitchenAid Mixer - Professional 5 Plus Series Review

I have always wanted one of these and was fortunate enough to get one as a Christmas gift.  The person who bought it told me they almost went with a cheaper model, but in the end decided to "go with the pro."  I am so glad they did.  Let's be honest, a stand mixer that's this powerful is most likely overkill for a "hobby baker" like myself, but then again you never know when your mixer is going to need that extra "oomph" when mixing cookie or pizza dough or other bread recipes.  I have owned a bread machine for about ten years and was really fascinated by it during the first couple of years, but I was never really satisfied with the shape of the loaves or the quality of the bread.  Last year, I started making bread by hand and could not believe how much better the bread turned out.  Now I know some people will disagree with this approach, but I am absolutely looking forward to kneading batches of bread dough in my Kitchenaid mixer.  It will be a definite time and wrist saver.