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Home Recipes Cooking Style Baking

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Anyone who’s made bread at home knows the challenges of getting a perfect rise, an irresistibly crunchy crust and a tender, pillow-soft interior in a homemade loaf of bread.

Over the years, our Test Kitchen tried various ways to create a bakery oven-like environment. Our first success gave us Crusty Homemade Bread. We then tried a Dutch Oven version that was equally as delicious. Both recipes are simple and give great results.

The only downside is all the back and forth between mixer and bowls and proofing vessels. But one gadget solves this hassle: the KitchenAid bread bowl attachment.

KitchenAid has added another must-have accessory to their repertoire with this stunning bread bowl attachment. This beautifully designed bowl does everything (mixing, proofing and baking) all in the same vessel.

The lid traps steam while your loaf is baking, and the ceramic bowl heats evenly to deliver delicious, bakery-style loaves every time. And, as with all KitchenAid attachments, it’s made to last. (Speaking of, have you tried this genius KitchenAid attachment organizer?)

Right out of the box, I loved the design of the KitchenAid bread bowl. It comes in a grey color speckled with brown, which matched nicely with my stand mixer color. Since I was anxious to try it out, I grabbed the instruction booklet and preheated the oven.

First, fill the bowl with hot water and wipe it dry. Warmth is great for encouraging yeast to grow. After a quick dry, I set the bowl on my kitchen scale, dropped in the baking ingredients and then attached it to my mixer.

After a few minutes, I popped on the lid and set the bowl aside to allow the bread dough to proof. Lines etched inside the bowl make it easy to see when your dough has doubled in size.

After punching down and shaping the dough, it goes back in the bowl to proof a second time.

Now came the only tricky part of the whole operation. Before baking, you need to flip the dough gently onto the lid that is covered with parchment paper. My first attempt I realized I didn’t flour the dough enough before the second rise, so it stuck a little to the bowl. It deflated some when I was trying to unstick it but eventually, I got it placed onto the lid. You then invert the bowl then and use it as the cover as you slid it into the oven.

After baking for a time, you’re supposed to remove the lid, which is where I ran into my second snag. Remember I said I didn’t flour the top enough? Well, it came back to haunt me again. When the dough rose in the oven, it touched the bowl walls and stuck, so I had to gently cut around the bowl edge to loosen the bread.

It finished baking, uncovered, on the lid. While it wasn’t the prettiest-looking bread, with its gnarly, mangled edges, it really was delicious.

Undeterred, I took another stab the next morning. I made sure to flour the dough well this time and I had no issues with sticking. What I was rewarded with was a beautiful, golden-brown loaf with a crunchy exterior and tender crumb.

The sturdy, chip-resistant ceramic KitchenAid bread bowl attaches to all 4.5 and 5-quart tilt-head KitchenAid stand mixers. Its 5-quart capacity means you can make most bread recipes calling for up to four cups of flour, which is roughly a pound loaf.

The bowl measures 8 and a 1/2-inches wide by 7 and a 1/2-inches high. It weighs a little over four pounds. This attachment is also oven-, microwave-, freezer- and dishwasher-safe.

Despite a few hiccups with my first loaf, I found a lot to love with each subsequent loaf and just a few minor drawbacks.

Having made numerous more bread loaves over the past few weeks, I can’t say enough good things about the KitchenAid bread bowl.

I did have a few more sticking issues but that was my fault more than the bowl (I tried a high-hydration bread that spread a little too much and I over-proofed another loaf.) If you’re aspiring to make bakery-quality loaves, it’s a nice addition to your baking arsenal.

And if you’re looking for more quality cookware, we also recommend the Great Jones Holy Sheet pan, the Challenger bread pan and these top-rated loaf pans.

You can pick up this bread-baking essential on KitchenAid’s site, Williams Sonoma, Amazon and other select retailers for around $130. While you’re waiting for it to arrive, peruse our best bread recipes. Which loaf will you try first?

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