Equipment Archives - WheatBeat

Equipment Review: Japan Kneader RS201 Dough Sheeter, 15.5-inch

Mike — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:09:48 +0000

Disclosure: Pleasant Hill Grain provided this Japan Kneader RS201 dough sheeter to me at no charge for review and testing. They asked only that I share my honest impressions. What is a dough sheeter? There’s a reason a perfectly made croissant is so hard to forget. That shattering crisp exterior, the pull-apart layers, the smell...

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Equipment Review: Spiralmac Royal Queen SV12 Spiral Mixer

Mike — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 23:33:36 +0000

Disclosure: Pleasant Hill Grain provided this Spiralmac SV12 mixer to me at no charge for review and testing. They asked only that I share my honest impressions. More spiral mixer options are finally making their way into the United States, and the Spiralmac SV12 Royal Queen is the newest one I’ve been testing. In this...

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How to fix the Famag bowl lock problem

Mike — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 22:09:29 +0000

Happy Independence Day! If you don’t own a Famag spiral mixer, just ignore this post. For those of you that have one, or are planning to get one, you may have heard about a problem with the bowl lock. It turns out that someone over at Famag installed the plates upside down or their testing...

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Baking baguettes in a crummy home oven

Mike — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 23:02:52 +0000

Perhaps the hardest French lean bread to make at home is the baguette. That’s not just because the baguette shape is the hardest to master (tutorial and recipe to follow), but because our residential ovens are so limited in their capabilities. The missing piece in most cases: steam. Without steam in the first part of...

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Famag Spiral Mixer Review – UPDATE (July 2020)

Mike — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 00:13:13 +0000

I’ve received a lot of questions and suggestions from fellow bakers regarding my original review of the Famag spiral mixer and am posting an update that will hopefully address everything. If you have not seen the original review, I recommend checking it out before reading this update. I have now had the mixer for over...

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Make your own proof box

Mike — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 22:29:34 +0000

So you need a proof box for your yeasted products? Building your own or buying one can be expensive, time-consuming and complicated. Without a humidified warm box (proof box), your breads or viennoiserie won’t rise to their full potential or they’ll dry out and not come out right at all. 🙁 Make it yourself I...

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Hobart N50 Mixer Review

Mike — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 01:59:04 +0000

Most people who own a mixer, own one made by KitchenAid. They are work-horses of the baking world and are very versatile. KitchenAid mixers vary in quality and price point, but none of them (even the highest-end) come anywhere close to Hobart’s version. This is a review of the Hobart N50, the only small mixer...

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Equipment Review: Famag Spiral Mixer

Mike — Sun, 26 May 2019 00:56:05 +0000

This post last updated: Jan 2020 PART II OF THIS REVIEW FOUND HERE Disclaimer: Neither Pleasant Hill Grain nor Famag compensated me in any way for this review. This is a 100% unbiased review of the Famag Spiral Dough Mixer. What is a spiral mixer? Most everyone that has ever baked a loaf of bread...

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Steam

Mike — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 04:53:33 +0000

So what’s the big deal about steam? You’ve heard about how bakers use steam when they make bread. You may have even tried to do it yourself. The big deal about steam is that it helps the bread rise higher, it makes the crust thin and crispy, it forms a nice golden color, it adds...

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