This is not just a mixing bowl. This is a KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Baking Lid. What's so special about that, you ask? It's a bowl in which you can mix your bread or cake dough – using your KitchenAid stand mixer, naturally – prove it and cook it. Game. Changed. Bread from dough to bread board in just one container. With its lid on, you could probably even use it as a bread bin as well.
The KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Baking Lid pulls off this semi-miraculous feat by being made of glazed ceramic and by having a lid. Pretty simple really. It can be oven baked up to 260ºC or 500ºF, so even the most ardent lover of scorched crust sourdough is well served here.
The price could be described as a little high, but it's no more than you'd pay for a Le Creuset Dutch oven or casserole for sourdough baking. Admittedly it's a tad pricier than any loaf or cake tin I've ever encountered, but you can't stand mix dough in those, can you? No. Who knows, maybe this will turn up among the KitchenAid Black Friday deals. But somehow I doubt it.
- Buy the KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Baking Lid for £149 in the UK
- Scroll down for overseas pricing
The Bread Bowl with Baking Lid fits both 4.3-litre and 4.8-litre KitchenAid Artisan stand mixers
Designed to work with both the 4.3L and 4.8L stand mixers, the bowl lets you mix, knead, proof and bake. Once your mixer has done its thing the first time, you can use the interior measurement lines to track your dough rise, until it doubles in size. Once the proving process is over, you just fire up your oven, whack the lid on, and away you go.
KitchenAid also suggests that, 'Once cooled, your loaf can be sliced and served directly on the lid to enjoy.' You see – it really does do everything.
The chunky ceramic bowl is actually a non-standard size of 4.7 litres, presumably because its walls are thicker than a standard KitchenAid stand mixer bowl. You'll be glad to know that it's resistant to chipping, cracking and crazing and comes with a 5-year warranty. As well as the oven, it can safely venture into the freezer and microwave, so as well as baking bread you can also use it for tempering chocolate, softening butter, firming ingredients up and all sorts. Probably more useful, it is also dishwasher safe.
It's only available in one colour, which KitchenAid describes as 'creamy', with darker speckles. It is a bit on the tall side as bread baking tins go, so you may have to remove one of your oven shelves to accommodate it, when on baking duty.
KitchenAid says: 'Along with spurring creativity and good vibes, there’s little more satisfying than tearing apart a freshly baked loaf that you’ve lovingly made yourself. Beyond perfect bakes, there are therapeutic benefits too such as stress reduction, emotion management and even social connections that you can reap by simply heading to the kitchen.'
Well, that's nice. I'm getting one of these in to try out, so watch this space. I haven't been this psyched about a baking innovation since #Bingate.
KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Baking Lid: price and availability
The KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Baking Lid is available worldwide. Pricing: £149 in the UK; $129 in the USA; AU$229 in Australia.
It's not very widely available as yet but you can get it direct from KitchenAid. Best Buy and a few other retailers also seem to have stocks, and it'll no doubt turn up at Amazon, Walmart and John Lewis in due course.
- Buy the KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Baking Lid for £149 in the UK
- Or buy it for $129 in the USA
- Or for AU$229 in Australia!