I'm in the same boat: never owned a stand mixer, just the food processor. It isn't that difficult to strain the motor. How much flour was in your dough recipe? I think the food processor is good for only small bread recipes.

I've followed comments on the Kitchen Aid mixers for about two years, and some people knead large batches of bread just fine, and others report motor strain. Looks like the Electrolux mixer can handle bread doughs without difficulty, if you can afford one. The Electrolux will be my next purchase when my Cuisinart dies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Electrolux mixer

There's a current thread in the Appliances Forum regarding the Cuisinart DLC-X Plus you may want to review...

TJ

Here is a link that might be useful: THS Gardenweb / Forum List

I have had a cuisinart DLC-X for about 20 years.....made huge quatitiies of bread.....2 loaves at a time....never more than 4 cups of flour in at a time.....it's still going strong.
Why did you let it run when you saw it was straining....that you had overloaded it?
Linda C

I put only a portion of the dough I was using in there, and I didn't realize it was straining until it was too late. It was moving plenty fast, but would hesitate now and then, altho this seemed like an issue with the position the dough was in at that moment. The dough made its way underneath the dough blade and the container, I found when I went to clean it, and that may be what actually caused the problem--too sticky to turn.

I'm also curious, I haven't been able to determine what size the food processor is (it's a "Classic" model) b/c it doesn't say anywhere in the manual. I'm thinking that maybe when i replace it I should get a larger one. I've read about the Electrolux and for a stand mixer I'm considering that and the DeLonghi, but I still think I need a food processor, too. I'll check the thread on the DLC-X Plus.

well I just looked at the thread for the dlcx-plus, and I think it's a little larger than i need. I'm thinking 11-14 cup. Of course it would help if I knew what i had... I guess i'll know when i see them in person.

Yes, a DLC-X is a great food processor, I have had one for 10 years.

A Robot Coupe is the same size as a DLC-X and I think a little better made. I have one of these also.

It turns out I had a 7-cup machine. My mom has a much larger KA and is happy with it, so that's what I ended up going with--a 12-cup, and it's v. powerful and I think big enough for my purposes. I think eventually i'll have to bite the bullet and get a stand mixer for bread, though.

(btw, i had to change my name to log back in--i was 'toomuch')

msrevise - I've been pondering similar choices. I killed my old Hamilton Beach processor (grating cheese) - no big loss probably.

My mother has indefinitely lent me her 1980's moulinex la machine, which I hear is good, but the layout doesn't appeal to me - and it's about 7-9 cups. I'm also thinking of the KA 12 cup processor. Do you like it more than the Cuisinart? I'm hoping to make an occasional bread. If I really take to making bread, I may get an electrolux or delonghi mixer (but I'm hoping I can avoid that expense and large an item).

lynnalexandra, I really do like the KA 12-cup, it seems very powerful and fast. I've used it for a lot of grating, and I was able to make a Julia Child bread recipe in it (posted on cooking by lindac's son) with no trouble. However, it could not handle the stickier dough in Ann T's italian rustic bread (that's the same dough that killed the cuisinart)--altho it didn't choke, i just felt it overheating and decided it was better to stop, rather than kill again! For that dough, i'd say i definitely need a stand mixer like the ones you mentioned. Most other bread recipes i've been making, i've kneaded by hand b/c they seem to only call for 5 minutes or so at a time. However, for all the chores i've always used a food processor for--pureeing, grating/shredding, chopping--it does it much faster than my old one.

In terms of Cuisinart vs KA, both seem to have their die-hard fans! I find this one very easy to assemble and disassemble and somehow easier to clean (fewer small crevices on the parts that come in contact with the food, maybe). I also like the minibowl for chopping small amounts (i used it to chop ice and to do a cup of onions). The only thing I think I can fault with it, so far, is that when using the grating disk, a small amount of the item will remain ungrated and sitting on top of the disk, b/c of the gap between the feeder tube and the top of the disk, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure this would be different in any other large capacity machine and , in any case, it hasn't been an issue. I think I had the same issue w/my old one, but i didn't pay as much attention to it... I bought an Oxo food chopper at the same time, which I thought i'd use on small quantities, but i haven't used it all that much yet b/c the minibowl is so handy.

If you're particularly interested in doing bread in the food processor, rather than a stand mixer, another CF member directed me to a book that was written for just that purpose. It's out of print, but several places are selling it used, and it has excellent reviews. Of course i can't recall the title now, but I can look it up, if you're interested.

Good luck with your decision!

msrevise- thank you. Everything you said reinforces my desire to buy the KA food processor. I'll try to restrain myself until I've at least used the LaMachine a few more times. My old Hamilton beach also left some ungrated cheese because the plunger did not go right up to the disk.

I have never made bread before, but I'm hoping to so I would like the name of that cookbook for FP bread recipes. After some breadmaking with hand-kneading (as TriciaE recommends), I might want to use the food processor more for that.

lynnalexandra, it's called The Best Bread Ever : Great Homemade Bread Using your Food Processor
by Charles Van Over

I believe it was recommended by readinglady. It looks great; i was able to print out one recipe from it on amazon, but the lowest price i saw was $42. Since I just ordered the Peter Reinhart bread book, I'm going to have to wait a little before I get another!

When you do decide to go for the food processor, I used one of those 20% off coupons at bed bath beyond and it was a very good deal. Also, KA was (and still is, I believe) offering a bonus of 3 cutting boards when you buy the machine.

msrevise - thanks. I have a bunch of saved coupons for BBB and LNT, so I will check there when I'm ready to buy. If I could just get some time to use the laMachine and tell myself I gave it a fair try - then buy the KA.

There's so many choices these days for processors and mixers. I like to make bread. I bought a heavy duty KA and it's OK for bread but it needs watching. I just switched my breadmaking to making the dough in a bread machine and love it. It's so much easier and cleans up so easily. Bread machine was less than 1/3 the price of the KA and now I have a KA I rarely use.

My hubby killed our KA mixer kneading bread many years ago. Burned out the motor. We had the motor repaired and it has worked fine ever since. It was cheaper to get it repaired then buy a new one.
Also we stopped kneading bread with that machine and soon got a bread machine to use instead. It works much better then the old way.
I love to make all kinds of bread with it. And since it makes just one small loaf, I can have a lot more variety. Yesterday I just made a sun dried tomato bread with garlic and olives in the bread machine that came out great. Tomorrow I will make a cinnamon rasin walnut bread for breakfast. Get a bread machine, you will be happy you did.