Bosch Universal Plus Mixer Review from Debra Garner.
Debra and Eimilee make homemade bread using the Bosch Universal Plus from Pleasant Hill Grain company.

I have had a few questions come my way since I posted my first review of the Bosch Mixer.
1. What kind of attachments can you get with the Bosch?

• Blender
• Slicer/Shredder
• Whisk Assembly
• 12 cup Food Processor
• Citrus Juicer
• Food and Meat Grinder
• Fruit/Berry Press
• Grater for Nuts and Hard Cheeses
• Sausage Stuffer Set
• Cookie and Pastry Press
• Pasta Maker
• Flaker Mill (this is something I want to get- I can make raw oatmeal cereal using this attachment)
• Cookie Paddles

2. How is this Bosch different than the Universal?
The universal had a 700 watt motor the Universal Plus has an 800 watt motor. The Universal could knead 12 lbs of dough and the Universal Plus can handle 15 lbs of dough. From Pleasant Hill Grain’s website: Soft rubber suction cup feet grip your counter top for a skid-free stance. The bowl now locks down on the base rock solid, and the bowl’s rim handle provides a comfortable and secure grip. Turn the bowl over, and the stainless steel drive shaft that comes up through the bottom of the bowl is now quick-detachable for super easy cleanup. Add a higher high speed, and a lower low speed than the Universal previously had, and it’s clear that the new Bosch Universal Plus leaves the competition further behind than ever!

3. Do I notice a difference between the Universal (that I used to have) and this new Universal Plus?
I do. I love the overall style of the Universal Plus. I could tell right away that the motor is more powerful than the older model. I love the suction cups on the bottom- it really stays where it should. I love the pulse switch. Over all I could tell right away that I was using something more powerful and more efficient than the Universal that I had 9 years ago.

Please check out all of the attachments for yourself by visiting Pleasant Hill Grain Company’s website. Click HERE.

More information from the website:

• The Bosch Universal Plus Mixer has even MORE Power: The new Bosch Plus features an 800 watt motor, the strongest ever from Bosch. Our biggest competitor (the sales-volume leader) calls their strongest model the “Professional.” Its motor is rated at 525 watts. The Universal Plus motor is more than 1.5X stronger. The Universal has always had the power to mix better and last longer than competitors — now the advantage is even greater.

• The Universal Plus has a Stronger Transmission: Even more important than a mixer’s motor, is its transmission, which converts motor power into work. Our mass-marketing competitors build transmissions with inexpensive spur gears. The first shortcoming of spur gears is that they break under stress. Stress is a bowl full of bread dough or a triple batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Things you need your mixer to handle. Buyers tell us frequently that they’re getting a Bosch Mixer now because their other mixer, often brand new, failed. The Universal Plus has a new sealed oil transmission for ultra-longevity.

• The Bosch Mixer is More Efficient: The second major problem with spur gears is that even before they break, they transmit torque poorly. Torque is the ability to exert power at low turning speed — exactly what’s required of a good all-purpose stand mixer. The Universal’s competition starts with a much smaller motor, then squanders power on the friction that is inherent to a gear drive system. Which is why many “big” mixers have surprisingly little oomph.

• The Bosch Belt: The Universal Plus transmission uses a belt drive design so strong that fewer than 1% have failed within twenty years. And that’s twenty years of much heavier work than most mixers ever see, because the Universal’s reputation as a workhorse causes it to be purchased by a larger percentage of cooks who place high demands on their equipment. The belt drive of the Bosch Mixer also prevents motor failures from the heat that develops in the cramped gear enclosures of overhead-drive mixers, a major cause of “mixer meltdown” in other machines.

As you can see in the video it is easy to make a batch of homemade bread in no time. Eimilee is 16 and did it with ease. I think even my 11 year old could handle it. It sure is nice to know that your children could handle baking a batch of bread if you are not able to.

Now for my bread recipe:

Whole Wheat Bread

6 cups hot water
2 tbsp yeast
1.5 tbsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil or canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup gluten flour
13-15 cups whole wheat flour.

Mix together the water, 6 cups of the flour, oil, honey, yeast and gluten flour. Mix just until blended. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes- until all nice and bubbly. Then add salt and flour- a couple of cups at a time until the dough clears the sides. Then let knead for 5-6 minutes.
Remove dough from bowl onto floured counter. Roll into a log shape (not a tube as I said in the video and cut into 4-6 equal pieces ( 4 will produce a good sized loaf, 5 will produce loaves like in the video, 6 will produce smaller loaves). Shape into loaves and place into oiled bread bans. Cover with a kitchen towel and let raise until doubled in size. When ready preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When ready place pans in oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool. Slice and enjoy!