A high-quality stand mixer is a big investment, so we can’t be spending $500-$800 to find out we don’t actually like the darn thing!

But this article isn’t just about my opinion. Oh, no.

You’ll see thoughtful contributions from serious talent in the sourdough world – including legendary baker and author Daniel Leader (@danmakesbread), queen of the open crumb Adelina Roberts (@breadstalker), and many more incredible bakers and educators you’ll recognize from social media. Feedback from my followers is also sprinkled throughout the article.

This is not just a simple review. This is an in-depth buying guide. If you read this article in full, you will know which stand mixer is right for you. That is my promise.

FTC Disclaimer: This review post is not sponsored by any company. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Bosch, Ooni, and Ankarsrum stand mixers were sent to me by the brands or distributors at no cost. If you make a purchase after clicking one of my links, I may earn a commission, which helps fund this website, recipe development, and monthly giveaways. I sincerely appreciate your support.

Best Stand Mixers for Sourdough Bread Baking

The only stand mixer out of these four that I’d totally rule out is the KitchenAid Bowl-Lift. It consistently did the worst at all of my tests, and it has the longest con list of the bunch. It’s not even the cheapest, either!

However, the Ooni, Ankarsrum, and Bosch all have their place, and I’d recommend each one for different bakers depending on their needs.

Now available: Is the Zacme Stand Mixer Worth It? A Sourdough Baker’s Honest Review

Do You Really Need a Stand Mixer for Sourdough?

A stand mixer isn’t required for making sourdough recipes, but it can make certain ones a lot easier on the arms.

A mixer excels with:

• Big batches of dough
• Mixing dough to a full windowpane
• Adding inclusions
• Incorporating delayed ingredients (such as butter with enriched doughs or salt after a fermentolyse)

I was recently recipe testing cinnamon raisin sandwich bread, and I added vanilla-soaked raisins after a 30-minute rest.

By hand, incorporating the wet raisins into the dough can be a little frustrating. The dough gets ropey and stringy, and you have to squeeze the liquid in for a while before it fully incorporates.

But with a stand mixer? Just dump them in, start the machine, and about 2 minutes later, that work is done.

Similarly, mixing big batches of dough or getting that dough to reach a full windowpane upfront (a sign of super-strong dough) is a major arm workout.

Yeah, a machine is definitely nice. BUT! You can make any sourdough recipe with or without a stand mixer, so please don’t feel discouraged or left out if you don’t have one or can’t afford one right now.

Note: There are sourdough bloggers out there who do everything by hand (like Healing Slice), so truly, I assure you: you don’t need a stand mixer to succeed!

Stand Mixer Comparison Chart: Specs

Let’s take a look at how these high-end stand mixers compare “on paper” before getting into some of the tests I did and the pros and cons.

	Price	Weight Capacity	Dough Capacity	Attachments	Speeds	Bowl Material	Amps	Weight
KitchenAid Bowl-Lift*	$649.99	7 Quart	8.5 Lbs	✅ 10+	11	Stainless Steel	4.17	29.2 lbs
Bosch Universal Plus	✅ $499	6.5 Quart	✅ 14 Lbs	✅ 15	4	⚠️ Plastic**	✅ 6.67	✅ 12.75 lbs
Bosch With Bottom-Drive Bowl	$748	6.5 Quart	10 Lbs	✅ 15	4	Stainless Steel	✅ 6.67	14 lbs
Ooni Halo Pro	$799.99	7.3 Quart	11 Lbs	⚠️ 3	✅ 20	Stainless Steel	5.4	⚠️ 32 lbs
Ankarsrum	$799.95	✅ 7.4 Quart	11 Lbs	✅ 10+	Adjustable knob (45-130 RPM)	Stainless Steel	5	18.96 lbs

*Important disclaimer: I own the KitchenAid® 6 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer with a 575W motor, which KitchenAid no longer manufactures. Their current comparable model is the 7 Quart Bowl-Lift, but it only has a 500W motor—a downgrade from my version. Keep this in mind when reading my review, as the newer model may perform slightly differently.

**You can upgrade to a stainless steel bowl with the center column for $100 more

Stand Mixer Comparison Chart: Performance

Here’s also a birds-eye view of performance, including the warranty information for each product.

In sum, the Ankarsrum has the most generous warranty, the Ooni is the quietest, and the Ankarsrum barely heats up dough during mixing. Oh, and the KitchenAid is terrible at strengthening your dough in a reasonable amount of time.

A note on noise levels: I downloaded a decibel app on my phone and ran each machine at the lowest and highest speeds. The decibels you see listed in this chart reflect that test.

	Warranty	Noise Level	Temp Increase After 3 Mins *	Temp Increase After 13 Mins *	Time to Windowpane
KitchenAid Bowl-Lift	⚠️ 1-year, limited	74-84 dB	+1°F (80→81)	+2°F (80→82)	⚠️ 20-30+ minutes
Bosch Universal Plus	3-year for motor + transmission; 1-year for parts + accessories	80-90 dB	+3°F (80→83)	+6°F (80→86)	7-12 minutes
Ooni Halo Pro	1-year standard, but can extend to 5 years if you register online within 60 days of purchase	✅ 67-84 dB	+2°F (80→82)	⚠️ +9°F (80→89)	7-12 minutes
Ankarsrum	✅ 7-year, limited	73-89 dB	+1°F (80→81)	✅ +1°F (80→81)	8-15 minutes

A note on warranties: It doesn’t look like any of these machines offer a warranty against regular wear and tear, like scratches or dents. They all seem to cover manufacturer defects and failures. But Ankarsrum is clearly the most confident in the longevity of their product.

Stand Mixer Tests

I’ve been using these stand mixers for a while now, so I’ve noticed how they operate and compare.

However, testing side-by-side really highlights each machine’s strengths (and weaknesses). It also challenged some opinions I’d formed over the months.

Whipped Cream

TL;DR: Ankarsrum was the fastest, with Bosch following as a close second. Both of these have double whisk designs, making them very efficient. Ooni came in third with KitchenAid right behind. All got the job done in a reasonable amount of time.

For this test, I put 2 cups of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract in each mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment.

For the Ankarsrum, this meant getting out an entirely new bowl.

I then set each mixer to medium-high speed and whipped until we reached stiff peaks.

The Ankarsrum got there first – its narrower bowl design with two beaters ensures the mixture is whisked continuously, with no “dead” spots. It’s very efficient.

The Bosch followed very closely. It also has the double-whisk setup, though its bowl is slightly wider, which explains why it took a little longer to reach stiff peaks.

Next was the Ooni, which did surprise me – I thought it’d be dead last. It’s a single beater design, so we already know it’ll take longer than the Ankarsrum and the Bosch. However, the bowl spins as the beater does, which helped.

That said, it’s clear the Ooni isn’t designed to be a whisking machine. Half of the entire mixture is waiting to be whisked at any given time as it makes its revolution around and back.

In last place was the KitchenAid. I honestly thought it’d do a little better than the Ooni, thanks to the slightly narrower bowl design and larger whisk. But alas, it did not.

None of these machines are bad at the job. Some just took longer.

Cookie Dough

TL;DR: All of these stand mixers handle cookie dough with ease.

I got a ton of requests to make cookie dough in each mixer to see how they do – specifically, the Ooni.

I didn’t do these side-by-side because frankly, I cannot be trusted with four batches of cookies in my house (and have you seen the price of butter?!).

I’m only kidding.

The bottom line is I’ve made cookie dough in all of these machines. They’re all great! Zero complaints.

If you want to make cookie dough in any of these, you simply can’t go wrong.

Classic Sourdough Bread

TL;DR: Bosch incorporated ingredients the fastest and kept the bowl cleanest. Ankarsrum barely heated the dough at all (major win!). Ooni heated the dough the most. All three—Bosch, Ankarsrum, and Ooni—achieved a nice windowpane in about 12 minutes. The KitchenAid could not incorporate ingredients without help, left the most dough bits on the sides, and took 38+ minutes to barely reach a weak windowpane.

The last side-by-side test I wanted to do was a classic artisan sourdough bread dough at about a 69% hydration.

My ingredient mix for these was: 540g flour, 360g water, 44g starter, and 10g salt (so little starter because I didn’t plan well and needed to make 4 loaves with what I had on hand).

This was the most in-depth test I did, because I wanted to answer several questions:

• How long does it take each machine to incorporate all of the ingredients initially?
• Does the machine leave bits of dough on the sides of the bowl?
• How much does each machine raise the dough temperature?
• How long does it take to reach a windowpane?

I had my guesses based on my past experience with each machine, and some of them were wrong! I’m so, so glad I did this test.

Here’s what I found.

• The Bosch incorporated all of the ingredients the fastest – it was slapping around a dough ball within the first minute. The KitchenAid never incorporated all of the ingredients on its own – at the 5-minute mark, I helped it with a spatula.
• The Bosch did the best at cleaning up all of the dough bits around the bowl. It was entirely clean after mixing. The Ankarsrum was almost as effective, followed closely by the Ooni. The KitchenAid was the worst here with a ring around the center of the entire bowl, where ingredients never got mixed in.
• The Ooni heated up the dough the most. The Ankarsrum hardly heated up the dough at all, no matter how long it mixed.

Note: The Bosch used to overheat my dough the most, to the point where it would affect the texture and consistency. I’ve found that simply not using the center piece of the lid resolves this problem. It allows the dough to breathe.

• The Ooni, Bosch, and Ankarsrum all achieved a nice windowpane within 12 minutes. Surprisingly, they weren’t too far apart. The KitchenAid, on the other hand? By the 38-minute mark, we barely had a weak windowpane. And that statement may be generous.

• The Ankarsrum required some adjustment mid-mix that the Ooni and Bosch did not. Specifically, a chunk of dough often got stuck behind the white scraper. Also, I needed to adjust the positioning of the dough roller after the dough came together into a cohesive ball.

Honestly, the Bosch did a lot better than I remember. The Ankarsrum did, too. The Ooni showed some drawbacks that I hadn’t noticed prior to this test. The KitchenAid solidified its dead-last ranking in my book.

KitchenAid Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer Review

I’ve had my KitchenAid since 2018, so I’m well-versed in its great features and painfully familiar with its major drawbacks.

I have the 6-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, with a 575W motor, which KitchenAid no longer manufactures. Their current comparable model is the 7 Quart Bowl-Lift, but it only has a 500W motor—a downgrade from my version.

But despite my exact machine having a 575W motor, it’s not that impressive. It may be beautiful, and it’s really good for most baking needs, but for doughs – especially stiffer ones? Forget about it. I can only imagine the newer model with a lower wattage motor is even less impressive.

From what I’ve gathered, these machines used to be better-built, especially prior to the 1986 acquisition by Whirlpool. But lately, the quality has declined significantly.

There are plastic parts where there used to be metal and increasingly lower-quality electronic components. All of this has started tarnishing the reputation of what used to be a bulletproof mixer.

You’ll often hear of people having their KitchenAid for 30+ years, yet those who purchased recently report theirs dying in a matter of 3-5 years. Durability is a huge concern for new purchases. If you find a vintage one at a garage sale, snatch it up!

KitchenAid Bowl-Lift Pros

• Aesthetically, I think it’s one of the prettier stand mixers
• Lots of great attachments (the pasta set is one of my favorites!)

• The bowl is perfect for mixing and proofing, so one less bowl to clean
• Handles “lighter” bread doughs, cookies, whipped cream, and frosting with ease
• One of the fastest to assemble and disassemble
• Does not overheat the dough much
• Easy to clean (except for a few nooks and crannies, but the bowl and attachments are a breeze)
• This is the machine (at least the brand) that most bakers have, making it easier to compare mixing times and results with others.
• Often on sale on Amazon – I routinely see it listed for $100 less than the KitchenAid site, and it’s always part of Prime Day and holiday deals.

KitchenAid Bowl-Lift Cons

• The dough hook is not effective at initially mixing your dough ingredients together. With other machines, you turn it on and walk away – within a few minutes, you have a dough ball. With the KitchenAid? I find I have to come in and help it along.

• Very ineffective at strengthening dough – it routinely takes 20-30+ minutes to achieve a windowpane with one test taking 38+ minutes and still never really reaching that strong windowpane. The other machines in this review can do that in less than 15 minutes.
• The machine tends to “walk” off the counter at higher speeds, so KitchenAid recommends keeping doughs at speed 2—much slower than what the other mixers can handle.
• Anything beyond speed 3 with lower hydration doughs? The machine struggles, stalls out, and can even start smoking. Keeping it at speed 2 solves this, but most bakers don’t know that’s what KitchenAid recommends—which is exactly why burned-out motors are so common.

• Can’t fit as many loaves as other mixers
• Dough often climbs up the machine while it’s mixing, wrapping around the top of the dough hook and getting stuck in crevices
• It can be dangerous, especially around kids – if they get their hands anywhere in the bowl area, the machine would probably break their fingers.
• Some of the attachments that come with the machine are not dishwasher-safe and thus end up oxidizing and forming a grayish residue if you don’t hand-wash and towel-dry immediately. You have to purchase alternate attachments if you don’t want this problem.

Other Bakers’ Feedback on KitchenAid Mixers

The KitchenAid situation is a little complicated… vintage models are built like tanks, while newer ones struggle and break down more often.

“I have a Kitchenaid that was my mother-in-law’s, so it’s probably about 30 to 35 years old. It works well and develops gluten on low speed. Takes a while (20-25 minutes), but doesn’t overheat. Might be built better than the newer models.” –Jan Knight Delancey

However, the quality decline in recent models is now officially recognized by organizations like America’s Test Kitchen:

“America’s Test Kitchen recently downgraded the KitchenAid mixer, because newer models are not handling the dough function well (overheating, must only run it at a very low speed for a couple of minutes at a time, etc). I’m glad I have an old model that was built better (1990s). They now recommend the Ankarsrum.” –Michelle Oss-Payne

The overheating problem seems to be a major issue with newer models.

“I finally upgraded my old Farberware to a KA. I can’t afford anything more fancy and I’m bummed because it took almost an hour to get a window pane this week simply because the KA gets so hot that I have to let it rest for like 10 mins to run it for 3 mins. Really annoying and disappointing.” –Kerri Hygh

Another baker had a similar struggle:

“My KA was struggling with the Wonder Copycat dough! Nearly walked off the counter several times. It heated up so much with the first 20 min run at medium speed! We survived it, but I (or my daughter helping) had to babysit it the whole time. And it was more like the weak windowpane when I called it.” –Michelle Rohrbacher

And this kind of frustration was echoed across many, many comments I read on my stand mixer update posts:

“Kitchenaid is ABSOLUTE GARBAGE NOW!!! Old ones were amazing now they are just junk.” –Becky Ethington

Some bakers have found success with the higher-end models, though:

“I upgraded my KA from the old ‘Classic’ tilt head (250 watt) to the Pro 600 (590 watt – Costco Version) and what a difference! No struggles at all!” –Cindy Franklin Stephenson

Not everyone has issues with lighter batches, though:

“I have a 6 quart KitchenAid, not the lift. I can do two loaves easily with no stress on my mixer. And I’ve been doing this every couple of days now for quite a while.” –Cindi Sullivan

The attachment dilemma is real for many KitchenAid owners (and me!!):

“I feel kind of married to my KitchenAid because I’ve invested in all the add on attachments for pasta, ice cream, grinding/milling, slicing, etc. However, every time I make a double batch of bagels I cringe thinking that’ll be the day I burn out my motor. I definitely don’t have room for multiple large mixers so I would want to know which one is the best for handling it all.” –Lisa Beyerstein Sadler

And to quickly point Lisa in the right direction, I’d suggest the Ankarsrum. You can jump ahead to that section to learn more about it.

KitchenAid Bowl-Lift Final Thoughts

For the price, I’d expect this machine to be a bit tougher, and it just isn’t. But even despite its flaws, I often find myself favoring it for its simplicity. It’s fast to assemble and easy to clean.

Let me be blunt: if you’re primarily a bread baker, the KitchenAid Bowl-Lift is not worth the money. It takes forever to barely develop a windowpane, while the others do it in less than 15 minutes. If you already own one, it’s fine for lighter tasks.

How to make a KitchenAid work for you: I find the best way to mix dough in a KitchenAid is mixing in stages. Instead of developing the dough for 15 minutes straight, mix for a few minutes, cover the bowl for 20 minutes or so, and come back to mix again. Repeat until you achieve the desired strength.

You may also find that, at some point, switching to stretch and folds is helpful – at the very least, your stand mixer can incorporate the ingredients initially, and you can strengthen it further by hand.

But if you’re shopping for a new mixer? Skip it.

Bosch Universal Plus Stand Mixer Review

The Bosch stand mixer has been all over my social media feed, and some of my favorite sourdough accounts swear by it. I’d been eyeing this machine for a while and was so grateful when the brand offered to send me one to try.

While the machine is incredibly powerful, which is a considerable step up from my KitchenAid, it has its own quirks.

Here’s my main issue with it: When I thought about getting out this stand mixer, it felt like a big project. I hadn’t experienced that feeling with my KitchenAid, ever. In fact, I often couldn’t wait to use that thing to give my arms a break!

But with the Bosch, several times, I decided to just hand mix because I thought it’d be faster and easier. Not what you want from an expensive machine!

Here’s a video of my Bosch stand mixer unboxing:

Bosch Universal Plus Pros

• Most affordable price at ~$500, and there are often seasonal discounts and promo codes (mine is TSG20)
• Extremely powerful motor – doesn’t stall out, heat up, smoke, or dance off the counter with stiff doughs

• Durable/lasts generations (feedback I’ve gotten from many other bakers)
• Lots of attachment options
• The whisk attachment is top tier – we get this machine out every time we make some kind of dip, such as pimento cheese dip. It’s just so fast and effective, and the bowl is large enough that it can contain a big batch without it flying everywhere.

• Fits more dough than any other machine in this review – I’ve seen bakers fit up to 6 loaves by getting creative (check out Maria from Leaf & Loaf Co), though I’d say 4 would be most comfortable. The brand says it can fit up to 14 pounds.
• It whips the dough around so well that it rarely leaves any dough bits clinging to the side of the bowl
• The cord can be pushed in or pulled out for tidy storage

• The machine is super lightweight, making it ideal for those who need to store it away and bring it out often – the suction cups on the bottom prevent the machine from moving around.

• It incorporates all of your ingredients the fastest out of all the stand mixers in this review – even its lowest speed (speed 1) is pretty fast, which could be viewed as a con by some…

Bosch Universal Plus Cons

• The lowest speed (speed 1) is pretty fast – faster than the lowest speed on all of my other mixers. That has its benefits, but it also has limitations, such as not allowing you to mix the dough gently when needed.
• Difficult/awkward to get the dough out of the bowl, thanks to the center column

• Heats up dough quite a bit, but I found that removing the center lid resolves this issue (it allows the dough to breathe and helps any generated steam or heat dissipate quickly)
• The dough hook it comes with isn’t dishwasher safe (the metal part at the top oxidizes and forms a grayish residue if you do not hand-wash and towel-dry immediately)

• Not ideal to proof in because of the donut in the center, so you’ll have to transfer the dough to a second bowl
• The con about this bowl being the largest of this bunch is it takes up half of the bottom rack on my dishwasher – you can hand wash it, of course (you probably should), but you’ll rarely find me doing so
• I bought the stainless steel bottom drive bowl to try (an extra $250) and didn’t love it – it doesn’t feel secure since it doesn’t lock in, and getting the dough hook locked in place is a struggle, especially if you already put dough ingredients in and it comes off (what a mess)

• The bowl it comes with is plastic – I don’t mind, but a lot of people hate that and want stainless steel instead, which is an upgrade ($100 upgrade for the stainless steel center column or $250 for the stainless steel bottom drive version)

Other Bakers’ Feedback on the Bosch Universal Plus

The Bosch is a machine that people either love or hate.

Many bakers who switched from KitchenAid never looked back:

“I have been team Kitchen Aid for many years…….easily 20+. Went to a friend’s house and she used a Bosch. She let me try it and I was hooked!” –Dru Prater

Baker Michelle Claflin says it’s “a workhorse that mixes circles around KA.”

The durability is definitely a stand-out feature. So many bakers told me their Bosch machines are 30+ years old and still running strong:

“My Bosh mixer is a grand total of 48 years old and still going strong. I used it with the dough hook yesterday to make 4 loaves of whole wheat bread.” –Deborah Heilingbrunner

For high-volume bakers, the capacity is a game-changer:

“I have three KitchenAids, but I do quadruple batches of sugar cookie dough in my Bosch. I can have dough for eight to 10 dozen ready in about 10 minutes. My KitchenAids can’t handle that.” –Stefanie Olsen Nordberg

Professional bakers agree – Ulla Clayborne says that she “ran [her] bakery business on this machine, working every week about 60h.”

The perceived noise level also gets praise:

“The Bosch is so much quieter than the Kitchen Aid.” —Angela Vierstra

However, some had serious issues. The plastic components are a common complaint:

“The plastic beaters snap off in your cookie dough. Be careful with this. Loved mine until I lost plastic pieces in my food.” –Susanne Center

Another issue that came up a few times: overworking the dough.

“I’ve had experience with the Bosch overworking the dough so I have to be careful with that (one time my loaves came out like pancakes!).” –Michelle Shabot-Maleh

A few bakers experienced premature failures, like Bradley White, who said his Bosch went out within a week. Another baker reported they tossed their Bosch after 6 months because it stopped working.

To be fair: Bosch has a 3-year warranty for motor and transmission and a 1-year warranty for parts and accessories.

The mixing performance also divided users. While most praise its power, Jenny Hughes-Rowe shares a different experience:

“I hate my Bosch mixer. My bread dough does okay, but it bogs down. For mixing cakes or cookie dough, it makes a horrible scraping noise. The company will not respond to messages.”

Bosch Universal Plus Final Thoughts

When I first got the Bosch, I assumed it would solve all my KitchenAid frustrations and become my new go-to mixer. And honestly? It didn’t quite live up to that expectation – at least not for the way I bake.

But here’s the thing: there’s a reason microbakers all over the internet swear by this machine. It’s the most affordable of the premium mixers, has the largest bowl capacity, and that motor is genuinely powerful.

It brings dough together faster than anything else I tested, and the whisk attachment is phenomenal.

The design quirks I mentioned—the center post, the plastic bowl, the dough heating unless you take off the center lid—are real frustrations. But if you’re mixing multiple batches of enriched doughs, sandwich breads, or anything that benefits from quick, powerful mixing, the Bosch makes a lot of sense.

It’s just not my personal favorite for the doughs I tend to make most often.

Ooni Halo Pro Stand Mixer Review

The Ooni Halo Pro stand mixer is in a league of its own. Oh my gosh.

Unlike the other two mixers, the more I use it, the more I love it.

In fact, I find myself wanting to use it for recipes that I traditionally hand-mix. It’s incredibly easy to use, and it genuinely saves me time and effort, even when considering the setup and cleanup.

THAT’S what I want from a stand mixer.

Here’s a video of the unboxing:

Ooni Halo Pro Pros

• Extremely strong motor that doesn’t slow, stall, or smoke when mixing stiff doughs – it’s actually the most powerful motor here at 650W
• Timer feature that stops the machine when it hits 00:00

• 20 speeds for ultimate control (you can also switch the speed reading from % to RPMs – I prefer the % reading, but there is another option!)
• Light in the stand mixer bowl for better visibility
• Dough hook is positioned in a way that doesn’t put small, wandering hands at risk of immediately being hurt (NOT saying your kids should put their hands in this while it’s on – just saying it’s safer than the KitchenAid)
• The center pole helps with gluten development and stops the dough from riding up the machine – this is a feature typically found in huge commercial mixers, but we get it in a home version, which is just incredible
• So much attention to detail with this machine – for example, there are two levers on each side to lift the top, but you only need to engage one, which leaves your other hand free

• Heavy machine, which ensures it doesn’t move or “walk” across the counter during mixing
• Fan automatically turns on to cool down the motor when it gets too hot
• Achieves a windowpane in record time (usually 7-12 minutes)
• Ooni offers 15% off for military members, veterans, students, and other eligible professions like healthcare workers, emergency services, and teachers. Must provide proof in the form of an ID badge, Blue Light card, employment contract, or student ID.

Ooni Halo Pro Cons

• Only 3 attachments – not an extremely versatile machine, but it’s also brand new to the market (I wonder if Ooni will create more attachments over time?)
• With small batches of dough, the dough does tend to walk up the dough hook over time, but it doesn’t get stuck in any crevices, making it less of a pain compared to the KitchenAid.
• A pricey machine, though it is the same price as the Bosch if you get the bottom-drive bowl as well as the Ankarsrum
• Heaviest machine, which makes getting it out more of a pain – this isn’t a dealbreaker for me because I invested in a stand mixer cabinet in my kitchen, so I never have to manually lift it. But before I had that? I wouldn’t love how heavy this is.

Other Bakers’ Thoughts on the Ooni Halo Pro

The Ooni has very quickly gained some superfans, especially among bakers who struggled with their previous mixers.

“I have KA and Ooni, between those two, Ooni every time! I constantly struggled making bagels and cinnamon rolls with the KA, and it was so time-consuming. Now it’s just a breeze and no frustration!” –Deborah Ruby

The unique design—with a stationary center pole and rotating bowl—catches people’s attention:

“I’m obsessed with the videos of you using the Ooni. Something about that stationary bar with the beater working around it looks like it makes it mix so well.” –Jennifer Henderson Turner

Even established sourdough experts are endorsing it.

“Maurizio Leo recently posted about using the Ooni vs KA and he highly recommended the Ooni.” –Carla Semola.

For microbakers making large batches, the Ooni is a game-changer:

“I absolutely LOVE it for my sourdough bread products!! Efficient machine. Uses less time than the Ank for larger batches 4-5 x’s the recipes. The dough is much nicer in feel and baked product. BUT – I am keeping the Ank for my pastries and cakes. So, in final – for me – I love both my Ank and my Ooni equally – but for different uses.” –Kathryn Campbell, microbakery owner

However, the Ooni is brand new to the market, so we don’t have any long-term durability feedback. One YouTube reviewer mentioned her Ooni started making noise after 60 days, though the company replaced it under warranty with great customer service.

The biggest hesitation for most bakers? The price tag and limited attachments compared to more versatile mixers, like the others in this review.

Ooni Halo Pro Final Thoughts

The Ooni stand mixer is just so dang effective. It performs really well without any of those annoying quirks:

• No need to stand there and watch, because it has a timer AND the machine is so sturdy that it doesn’t move during mixing.
• No need to panic if a little one wants to watch – they could even stick their hand in the machine and it won’t immediately rip off their hand.
• No need to dump dough into a separate bowl for fermentation – it can stay right in this one.
• No need to hand-wash anything – it’s all dishwasher safe.
• No need to even turn the light on because the machine has one that points directly at the dough!

While I do miss some of my KitchenAid attachments (especially the pasta ones), the Ooni Halo Pro has quickly become my stand mixer of choice as a baker who focuses on doughs.

It has taken its seat in our stand mixer cabinet, and I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.

Ankarsrum Original Stand Mixer Review

The Ankarsrum has been on my wishlist for a long time, so when Pleasant Hill Grain offered to send me one, I was so stoked! I’ve been putting it to the test, and while I do want more time with the mixer, I’m loving it so far.

It has a lot of the same great features that the Ooni has, but it’s definitely unique and has some important considerations.

Ankarsrum Pros

• Extremely established and respected brand name – produced and assembled by hand in Sweden since 1940
• Best warranty of all the machines in this review (7 years!!)

• Tons of attachment options, from pasta extruders to a blender
• Dough doesn’t overheat during mixing – it kept the dough the coolest of all the machines here, which is super exciting. You can essentially mix your dough for as long as you want without overworking it (thanks to the gentle dough roller) and without overheating it.

• Super unique dough roller option, which is very gentle on the dough and is meant to mimic hand-kneading – it does have a dough hook option as well

• Beautiful machine – this could be stored on your counter and look great; not an eyesore
• Easy to assemble and disassemble (once you get the hang of it)
• Parts are dishwasher-safe
• Stand mixer bowl comes with a lid, which is awesome for proofing the dough in that same bowl
• Save 5% on the Ankarsrum mixer if you’re a military or first responder personnel

Ankarsrum Cons

• I often find I have to “help” the machine during the mixing, adjusting the arm placement or moving the scraping handle to pick up pieces of dough that aren’t getting mixed in

• Learning where the arm should be placed for proper kneading is a bit of a learning curve – it’s not hard to use this machine, but to master it and use it as intended? It does take some research and effort.

Tip from Ankarsrum: “When using the dough roller, remember not to lock the arm straight away but to leave the dough roller to rotate along the inner edge of the bowl. Only when the dough becomes so firm that it climbs up the inside of the bowl should you lock the roller 2-4 cm away from the edge of the bowl.”

• With the dough roller, it takes a little longer for the dough to reach a windowpane than with the Ooni or Bosch, though not too much.
• Not the biggest fan of the dials for speed and setting a timer – it’s not easy to tell exactly where I’ve set it compared to something like the Ooni, which is clear as day

• Expensive machine, though it’s basically the same price as the Bosch with the bottom drive bowl or the Ooni
• No promotions or discounts – I asked and was told no (for very valid reasons, though – zero hard feelings from me on this)
• The attachments are expensive, too, so even though this machine is very versatile, you’re going to pay for it.
• If you want to use the whisk or beater attachments, you have to get out an entirely different bowl (not a big deal, but it is more to store)

Other Bakers’ Thoughts on the Ankarsrum

The Ankarsrum has a devoted following, with many bakers praising its legendary durability and gentle dough handling.

“I have had my original version of the ‘Ank’ for 30 years – mine is the Electrolux Assistent. Same machine. Still is the workhorse of my kitchen. My 100% wheat bread comes out light and airy, with the most delicate crumb, because of the kneading power and design of the arm and roller. This Swedish beast is the absolute best, and will outlive all of us!” –Linda Langley

Many bakers switched from KitchenAid after theirs died or struggled with bread dough:

“I’ve had my Ank for almost 5 years now and absolutely love it! I actually loved my KitchenAid too, but couldn’t afford to replace it every couple of years. The Ank can handle everything from whipped cream to bagels. It never hesitates or strains with stiff doughs or large batches. That thing is a tank, and I definitely expect it to outlive me!” –Rebecca Purvis

The versatility is impressive, especially with all the attachments available:

“Using my Ankarsrum and the grater attachment to shred 150g of cheddar in seconds for the Guinness cheddar bread. Ankarsrum is great for literally everything (cookies, cakes, buttercream, meringues, bread dough) and the accessories are so good. The moment I started making more bread and going into sourdough, the kitchen aid was really terrible. The Ankarsrum really is a powerhouse. It can whip up egg whites to stiff peaks in 3 minutes!!!” –Yuning Quek

It handles both small and large quantities well:

“My Ank will mix very small amounts as well as very large amounts. My KA Pro was too large to whip a couple of eggs. They just spun around the bowl.” –Cheryl Bieker Frey

The temperature control is a standout feature, especially for sourdough bakers:

“I am always amazed when I am able to get to a windowpane without having the dough get warm or tough.” –Nancee Ariagno

Real-world capacity feedback:

“I love my Ankarsrum especially for bread. I do find that making 4 loaves is about how far I want to push it. I tried 5 one time and it was definitely harder.” –Cheryl Clark

Important usage tip: There’s some confusion about whether to use the roller or the hook for sourdough.

“When I purchased my Ank, I actually called their customer service number because I was having issues producing the amount of dough they said could be done. Interestingly enough, they told me that for sourdough specifically, I should be using the dough ‘hook’ and scraper, NOT the roller and scraper. I’ve made dozens of doughs now doing just that and it is a delight. Also, make sure you add liquids first.” –Jessica Flesch Evans

Dough roller vs. hook clarification: Ankarsrum recommends using the dough roller for small batches (like single loaves), high-hydration doughs, recipes with lots of butter, and gluten-free baking, as it mimics traditional hand kneading. (The dough roller is a “fist” that kneads the dough, and the dough knife is the “hand” that folds it during kneading.) The dough hook, on the other hand, is better suited for larger batches when making multiple loaves at once, as it kneads by pulling the dough rather than pressing it.

However, the learning curve is real and frequently mentioned.

“I love my Ankarsrum. There was a learning curve from 50 years of KA use, but I don’t regret the purchase.” –Tiffany Van Hoosan

Some bakers found the hands-on nature frustrating:

“I have the Ank. I do love the attachments but hate that I have to stand over it to make sure the dough is scraped off the sides of the bowl. It takes a super long time to get a windowpane. I would love to get an Ooni.” –Julie Ramsey Rowe

A few other bakers were ultimately disappointed:

“I exchanged the KA with the Ank and hate it. Wish I could sell it and get the Ooni.” –Andrea Little-Gustafson

“I’ve had my Anksarum for at least 10 years. I like it, but can’t say I like it more than my big Kitchen Aid.” —Sally Spencer Neckvatal

Ankarsrum Final Thoughts

Honestly, on paper, I think the Ankarsrum is probably the winner for its quality, durability, versatility, and effectiveness.

BUT in real life, I find myself reaching for other mixers, mainly because I don’t want to stand there and help the machine by making adjustments while it’s mixing.

I want to start the machine and walk away to do dishes, laundry, answer emails, whatever! With the Ankarsrum, I have not yet found a way to do that.

This is simply my personal experience. There are many bakers who love the Ankarsrum and would not trade it for the world. I do think it’s a great machine, and I’m excited to keep using it and cementing my opinions.

At the end of the day, it just has quirks that leave me reaching for others. But I cannot overstate how fantastic this machine is, and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it.

👉 Featured Expert Reviews

I reached out to some experienced, well-respected bakers and microbakery owners to get their take on these mixers. Here’s what they shared.

Adelina Roberts | Breadstalker

Adelina is the queen of the open crumb sourdough loaf. If you’ve seen those stunning, airy loaves all over Instagram, there’s a good chance they’re hers. She had some really insightful things to share about the Ooni.

Follow her on Instagram at @breadstalker_ or check out her website.

Ooni Halo Pro

The Ooni stands out from other spiral mixers with its additional attachments for batters, like a paddle attachment and a whisk. Unlike most spiral mixers, the bowl is removable along with the spiral attachment and the bar, which makes it very convenient for cleaning. It’s a heavy and sturdy mixer but still easily movable, unlike most other spiral mixers that weigh 80lbs, and once you place them on the counter, you can’t really move them without help. The Ooni also looks beautiful and has a slick design.

The most important benefit of having a spiral mixer like the Ooni is that it mixes dough to perfection while maintaining excellent extensibility in the dough—which is very important, particularly for open crumb sourdough.

In comparison to KitchenAid mixers and others of that kind that mix the dough too tight and elastic, the secret to successfully developed dough is in the extensibility, which the Ooni does effortlessly. Another important thing is that the mixer does not overheat the dough even during long mixing.

Adelina’s verdict: If you are serious about improving your baking skills, you need a spiral mixer.

Daniel Leader | Bread Alone Bakery

Daniel Leader is a legendary baker, author, and founder of Bread Alone Bakery. He’s been baking professionally for decades and studied his craft from bakers in France and Italy. At home, he uses a KitchenAid Series 5 and the Ankarsrum. Check out his website and Instagram page.

Daniel’s take: They all can work well, but you have to adapt the mixer to your product—it’s not one size fits all. He uses different mixers depending on what he’s making and his fermentation plan. Each machine has its own nuance, and understanding that is the most important piece.

On technique: He adjusts his mixing based on his fermentation plan. If he’s using a small amount of starter—like 4%—he might mix in the KitchenAid for just 4 minutes, then give it folds over a period of hours. There’s flexibility, and he acknowledges the KitchenAid is hard to get a windowpane upfront.

Key insight: As a general rule, you can hydrate dough a lot higher and a lot easier in the Ankarsrum (especially with the dough roller) versus the KitchenAid. But with the KitchenAid, if you’re not maxing out capacity, you can do a bassinage to get it soft enough.

Daniel’s verdict: All of this equipment is good equipment, and he doesn’t think any of them is better than the other. Each machine has its own strengths, and the key is understanding how to work with them.

Joselyn | A Friend In Knead

Joselyn is a microbaker and sourdough educator who uses a KitchenAid and Bosch Universal Plus a lot in her baking business. Follow her on Instagram or check out her website.

KitchenAid Bowl-Lift

Pros: Great mixer for beginner bakers – the bowl is easy to fit into the base, and the settings are simple. The stainless steel bowl is easy to clean and dishwasher safe. It also doesn’t heat up your dough.

Cons: It flips breakers with low-hydration doughs. The kneading arm doesn’t reach the bottom of the bowl, so you have to manually scrape to make sure everything gets incorporated.

Joselyn’s verdict: Best for beginners, but limited capacity and power for serious baking.

Bosch Universal Plus

Pros: The larger, stronger motor handles bigger batches of dough easily. The attachments reach the bottom of the bowl, so no manual scraping is needed. It handles low-hydration doughs well.

Cons: The plastic bowl is hand-wash only and warps if you put it in the dishwasher – disappointing for such an expensive machine. It’s hard to fit the bowl down into the drive. It can start to smell like the engine is smoking with larger batches. The dough heats up quickly. It still only holds 3-4 loaves, so it’s not great for bulk baking.

Joselyn’s verdict: Better for intermediate bakers who need more power but aren’t doing bulk production.

Hannah | Crusty Cravings by Hannah

Hannah runs a sourdough microbakery and has put the Bosch through its paces with all kinds of doughs. Follow her on Instagram or check out her links.

Bosch Universal Plus

Pros: Hannah absolutely loves it for cinnamon rolls, bagels, pizza dough, english muffins, soft sandwich bread, and any enriched dough. The Bosch has a powerful motor that can handle kneading these doughs properly to fully develop the gluten, even with multiple batches. 

Cons: The gluten development just isn’t quite there for high hydration sourdough— due to the speed at which this motor turns, the dough tends to overheat and turn into a soupy mess if you aren’t careful. A fermentolyse, mixing with cold water, and taking rest breaks is often necessary and she doesn’t have time for that. Hannah often uses the Bosch for smaller batches of high hydration sourdough and mixes for a short period to incorporate ingredients. She then uses stretch and folds to strengthen the dough.

Hannah’s verdict: Great for enriched doughs and lower hydration recipes, but not her go-to for artisan sourdough bread.

Noelle | H3art of the Home

Noelle is a baker and the croissant queen in my eyes—she’s extensively tested both the KitchenAid Professional 600 and the Bosch mixer. Check out her website or follow her on Instagram.

KitchenAid Professional 600

Pros: The KitchenAid excels in user-friendliness for everyday home baking. The open bowl design makes it incredibly easy to add ingredients, scrape down sides, and remove finished dough without any hassle. Its durability is impressive—hers has survived 18 years of regular use and even a fall off the counter, which proves its solid construction quality (although she has had to start tightening the head since an increase in professional use). For single batches and general mixing tasks, it performs reliably and gets the job done.

Cons: The KitchenAid has notable limitations when pushed harder. It struggles significantly with double batches, indicating it’s reached its capacity threshold for heavier doughs. The mixer’s tendency to “walk” across the counter during operation is a serious safety concern—hers actually fell off the counter. This requires constant supervision, especially when making dense doughs like pizza dough. The noise level is quite high during operation. Additionally, the attachments require hand-washing only. Running them through the dishwasher strips their coating, which adds extra cleanup time after each use.

Noelle’s verdict: Great for everyday single-batch baking, but struggles with heavy or double batches.

Bosch Universal Plus

Pros: The Bosch is a powerhouse designed for serious baking. Its heavy bottom base with effective suction cups keeps it completely stable during operation, eliminating any walking or safety concerns. It handles larger quantities of dough with ease, maintaining its strength even with heavy loads. The convenient top opening allows you to add ingredients while mixing without stopping the machine. The overall power and capacity make it ideal for anyone doing frequent or large-batch baking.

Cons: The Bosch’s design creates significant usability frustrations. The center post in the bowl makes dough removal awkward and difficult—you have to work around it to extract your dough. The plastic bowl is disappointing at this price point, especially knowing stainless steel costs extra. The plastic components in the attachments feel cheap and have already proven fragile, with one piece breaking. The dough texture differs from hand-kneading or KitchenAid results, and the mixing quality suffers near the center pole where attachments can’t reach properly. Perhaps most concerning, the base heats up during operation, which warms your dough, potentially affecting fermentation and final texture in temperature-sensitive recipes.

Noelle’s verdict: Powerful and stable for large batches, but the design frustrations and dough heating issues are real concerns.

Parker | Basil & Bloom

Parker is a sourdough microbaker and educator who has used his Ankarsrum for years and really put it through its paces. Follow him on Instagram and check out his links, including his really awesome sourdough courses (use affiliate code TSG50 for 50% off through October 31 – after that, code TSG5 gets you $5 off).

Ankarsrum Original

Pros: While it’s far from a “set-it-and-forget-it” machine, the Ankarsrum (or “Ank,” as it’s known in his home) makes up for its hands-on mixing time with power and efficiency. It’s really a bread baker’s mixer—it can mix all kinds of dough, has a larger capacity than most, and even though its kneading action takes a bit longer to fully develop the dough, once you get the hang of it you’ll see it mixes beautifully, and does so more effectively and quietly than its competition. The Ank is a well-tested and long-lasting machine that excels at everything he’s thrown at it.

Cons: It requires more hands-on attention during mixing, and Parker admits he still experiments with which attachment works best for which doughs even after years of use.

Parker’s verdict: If you’re the kind of bread baker who likes to be hands-on and watch your dough transform, you’ll find plenty to love about the Ankarsrum.

Hayley | Muscle Momma Sourdough

Hayley is a good friend of mine and is a recipe developer who focuses on high-protein sourdough recipes. Follow her on Instagram and visit her website.

KitchenAid Bowl-Lift

Pros: Overall, it works great for normal baking.

Cons: When it comes to bread, it takes around 25–30+ minutes of mixing (not including breaks!) to achieve a proper windowpane. From what she’s seen, other stand mixers reach that point much faster.

Hayley’s verdict: If someone were buying a stand mixer specifically for bread, she probably wouldn’t recommend a KitchenAid.

My Favorite Stand Mixer

It’s no secret I’ve been working on this review for months. I keep getting messages, comments, and emails asking me: what’s your favorite stand mixer?

I can sit here and find reasons to love and recommend several of these machines. I’m not trying to be flighty, but it really is a super tough question.

That said, I’ve used all four machines and the one I’ve chosen to remain in my stand mixer cabinet is the Ooni. I think that speaks to its ease of use, effectiveness, and how simple it is to clean.

So for me, my favorite stand mixer is the Ooni Halo Pro Spiral Mixer.

A very, VERY close second is the Ankarsrum. It’s growing on me, but I’m just stuck on how much adjusting I need to do during mixing. That is my only qualm.

Conclusion

I know $800 is a lot of money. I also know that getting out a stand mixer, using it, and cleaning it can feel like a whole production. That’s exactly why I spent months testing these machines—because I wanted to find the ones that are actually worth the investment.

The Ooni has become my go-to because it makes me excited to use it. It’s fast, effective, and doesn’t have those annoying quirks that make me wonder if I should’ve just mixed by hand.

If you want ultimate versatility and plan to keep your mixer for decades, the Ankarsrum may be the smarter investment.

If you’re making larger batches, the Bosch is probably your better bet.

The only one I truly can’t recommend? The KitchenAid Bowl-Lift for serious bread baking. Save your money or put it toward one of the other three. If you already have one, there are ways to make it work (namely, incorporating resting periods).

If you have any of these mixers, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! What do you love (or hate) about yours?

And if you’re still on the fence about which one to buy, drop your questions below. I’m happy to help you figure out which mixer makes the most sense for your baking style and budget.

Related: Is the Zacme Stand Mixer Worth It? A Sourdough Baker’s Honest Review