Do I Really Need a Dough Mixer for Sourdough?
A Practical Guide for Home Bakers
Most home bakers start thinking about a mixer after seeing someone else use one. And it usually happens after watching someone get great results with one. That's exactly what happened after I used the Halo Pro in a recent video.
And the reaction is almost always the same. "Do I need one of those?" "Maybe that will fix the problems I've been struggling with." Those thoughts are powerful.
And these are fair questions. Because when something looks smoother, cleaner, easier, it feels like it must be better.
So let's get something out of the way right now. There are many problems a mixer can genuinely fix. And there are problems it simply can't. You just need to figure out whether it can fix the things you're struggling with.
What Mixers Actually Fix (And What They Don't)
Let me start with what mixers can't do. Because most bakers buy one hoping it'll fix these exact things.
A mixer won't develop extra strength in lean doughs that you couldn't achieve by hand. Manual mixing and time will get your dough to exactly the same place. The mixer just gets you there faster.
It won't compensate for weaker flour. If your flour doesn't have the protein content needed for a specific formula, a mixer can't manufacture it. You're still limited by what the flour can give you.
And this is the big one: it won't fix problems in your fermentation chain. When your starter is ready. When bulk fermentation is done. When your dough is proofed properly. These are judgment calls that come from experience. A mixer can't help with this. It just can't.
So if your loaves aren't springing, or your crumb is a mess, be honest about whether these are fermentation issues. Because if they are, you need more baking experience, not more equipment. And if you're genuinely stuck working out where your problem actually is, email me.
But if your mixing process itself is the problem, if it's the physical work, the time commitment, the inconsistency in how you build strength, or you're working with doughs that are genuinely difficult by hand, that's different. That's where a mixer actually helps.
A mixer streamlines everything about the mixing phase. Your workspace stays organised. Scheduling becomes easier because you can get on with other jobs. Clean up takes seconds instead of minutes. The entire process just runs smoother.
If you have joint pain or arthritis in your fingers, hands, elbows, shoulders, or back, the mixer removes all of that physical strain. This alone is reason enough for many bakers.
When you're scaling up or working larger batches, the physical exertion is completely removed. What would exhaust you by hand becomes effortless.
For recipe testing and development, it's invaluable. You can ensure identical mixing across every batch. Test different approaches: autolysis timing, bassinage, various mixing schedules, while keeping the mixing itself as a controlled variable.
And for enriched doughs, the mixer changes what's actually possible. Panettone, brioche, babka, rum baba. These doughs need serious gluten development while incorporating butter or fat evenly throughout. This is nearly impossible to do consistently by hand, especially at scale. A mixer handles it efficiently every single time.
What Does a Mixing Problem Actually Look Like?
Let's get specific about what these problems actually look like in your baking.
You finish mixing and your hands, wrists, or shoulders hurt. Not just tired. Actually sore. And it's worse the next day.
You're avoiding recipes because the mixing is too much work. Either you don't scale past two loaves because you can't be bothered to mix the larger quantity, or if you do scale up, it's backbreaking.
When you're incorporating levain and salt after autolysis, or adding reserved water later in the mix, it's a genuine struggle. You're running out of worktop space and your workflow is genuinely messy.
You've tried enriched doughs but they never come together properly. The butter doesn't incorporate evenly and the dough never builds sufficient strength.
If none of these feel familiar, you probably don't need a mixer. Your mixing process is working fine. But if two or more of these describe your baking right now, you've got a mixing problem. And that's what mixers actually solve.
Which Mixers Actually Work for Sourdough
When most people think "mixer," they picture a KitchenAid or similar planetary mixer. These are genuinely good all-rounders. They'll whip cream, beat eggs, make cake batter, they'll even make sausages. For general kitchen work, they're versatile and capable.
But for bread dough, especially sourdough at any kind of scale, they struggle. The motor isn't designed for the sustained resistance of dough mixing. You'll hear it straining. It gets hot. And if you're mixing multiple loaves or working with higher hydration doughs, you're pushing the machine beyond what it was built to do.
They also can't handle volume well. A two-loaf batch might be fine. A four-loaf batch and you're either overloading the bowl or the motor is working too hard. The consistency suffers because the machine is at its limit.
But the real problem is how they actually mix dough. They push it around the bowl. The dough climbs the hook. You're constantly stopping to scrape it down. It's inefficient. And all that friction creates heat. Unwanted temperature increase that affects your fermentation chain.
Yes, planetary mixers are cheaper. But if you're buying one hoping it'll handle regular sourdough baking at scale, you're spending money on a tool that won't actually solve your problem. A spiral mixer might cost more upfront, but it's purpose-built for dough. It's not about paying more for the same thing. It's about paying for the right thing.
If you're making the occasional loaf and doing plenty of other jobs (like making sausages), a planetary mixer might make sense. But if you're making sourdough regularly, scaling up, or working with enriched doughs, you need something designed for mixing dough. That's a spiral mixer.
Spiral mixers are purpose-built for dough. The motor is designed to handle resistance. They deal with high hydration without struggling. And they scale: two, four, six loaf batches. The machine doesn't care.
They're less versatile than a planetary mixer, but that's actually a good thing. They're focused on what matters for mixing dough. But you're a sourdough baker, not a pastry chef. A spiral mixer is designed for the job.
Why Did I Choose the Halo Pro
Choosing the right mixer mattered. As a professional chef who's worked extensively in bakery and patisserie sections, I've used a lot of mixers: commercial spirals, planetary mixers, everything in between. So I knew what I was looking for.
I was dealing with several of the issues I've described. Scaling up batches, recipe testing consistency, and avoiding enriched doughs because the mixing was too much work. And since I'd be using it pretty much daily, it needed to be the right choice.
It was my Sourdough Unchained members who kept recommending the Ooni Halo Pro. So I reached out to Ooni and they sent me one to try. And it's delivered exactly what I needed.
The spiral hook rotates while the bowl rotates in the opposite direction. A breaker bar keeps the dough moving through the hook rather than climbing up it. This means the dough is worked efficiently without the friction and heat buildup you get with planetary mixers. No stopping to scrape down. No temperature spikes affecting your fermentation. Just consistent gluten development.
Scaling is effortless. I can get six of my country sourdough loaves out of one mix. The process is streamlined. Clean up is straightforward.
My recipe testing and development process has genuinely improved. I can test batches consistently while controlling the mixing variable. I can experiment with more complex mixing processes (autolysis timing, bassinage methods) and actually know whether they deliver noticeable benefits in the final product.
And I'm finally taking on enriched doughs with confidence. Building sufficient strength while incorporating fats evenly. Something I avoided before because it was too inconsistent by hand.
I genuinely love using this mixer. It's increased my output, expanded the range of formulas I work with to include enriched doughs, and just made the whole process more enjoyable. It solved the specific mixing problems I had.
I still love hand mixing and it's going to remain at the heart of my tutorials. But for formulas that require mechanical mixing, you'll be seeing a lot more of the Halo Pro. If you want to see how it performs in detail and why it works for my setup, you can watch my YouTube video further down this page.
For full specs and pricing, check out the Halo Pro here.
Making Your Own Decision
You now have what you need to make this decision.
If you've recognised the mixing problems in your own baking (the physical strain, the inconsistency, the struggle with high hydration or enriched doughs, the limitation on scaling) and you're baking regularly enough that these issues genuinely affect your process, a spiral mixer solves those problems.
If you're not sure, or if your baking is occasional, or if the issues you're facing are more about fermentation timing and technique, stick with hand mixing. Keep building experience. The mixer will still be there when and if you need it.
Either way, you're making the right choice for where you are now. And if you ever want to talk through whether a mixer makes sense for your specific situation, you know where to find me.
Full transparency: I have a partnership with Ooni. If you purchase through my links, I earn a commission. Everything I've shared here is based on my professional experience using the Halo Pro.
