Mixing cannot be reduced to a simple mixture of water and flour in well established proportions. For having a well formed dough, it is necessary to provide it with a certain amount of energy in specific conditions that will benefit the work leading to a suitable texturing for the type of bread produced. This task corresponds to the establishment and the preservation of a glutinous network that cannot be carried out correctly but by applying well suited mechanical stress. (See Mixture Know-How – Specific case of mixing dough for bread)

The desire during the history of the bakery, to incorporate more water to the flour has made mixing techniques more complex and, in particular, accelerated the willingness to mechanize the baker's work. The ancestral techniques of mixing with the fists, feet, by beating or stirring have been replaced by mechanized mixers which were expected to both best replicate the baker's gestures, but also to improve the quality and increase the quantities produced. Particular attention was paid to the capacity of these machines to produce three mechanical actions:

-         compression,

-         shearing,

-         extension.

The art of mixing is based on the perfect use of these 3 actions depending concretely:

-         on the shapes of tools, of eventual pivots and of bowls,

-         on their dimensions and respective roles,

-         on speeds and rotation times.

The VMI mixers, whether fork, spiral, vacuum horizontal or continuous, have all been subjected to specific developments aimed at optimizing all these mechanical parameters to which we must in some cases add thermal considerations. It was only through a perfect technological mastery (See Technology @ VMI) and the multiplicity of proposed solutions over the years that VMI has managed to develop what is today regarded as the state-of-the-art dough mixing.

In the case of an artisanal bakery, it is advisable to use a plastic scraper or a plastic horn. Indeed, the iron scraper is not suitable for cleaning bowls because it would not only risk scratching the bowl but also form chips which would integrate the next dough. In the case of an industrial bakery, it is advisable to clean mixers or blenders once a week, either with a karcher, or with specific cleaning products that do not react with the stainless steel or aluminum.

The role of mixing is to well incorporate water in proteins, i.e. gluten, and to well inflate starch. It is reasonable to say that we have obtained a good mixing when there won't be a single free grain of flour if you raise the dough from the bowl. In addition, our own experience shows us that in many cases it is better to increase by one minute the mixing phase duration and reduce for the same value the dough mixing to get a good dough.

Dough mixing refers to the amount of energy transmitted to the dough. It is the air incorporated into the dough that would produce a good oxygenation and that would allow us to obtain the desired cavities.

When we made an English loaf, we want to get a tight crumb with fine cavities, the dough will then be vigorous. On the contrary, if you want a very hydrated dough, use a slower dough mixing that is less vigorous.