Earlier this year, several of my readers asked about the Breville Bakery Chef Mixer. I had been using my Breville model BEM800XL which was the model before this one and loving it. But I have to admit, I was curious and also wanted to answer their questions. So I contacted Breville and asked if they would supply a machine for me to test. And they did. Here is what I found.
As a pastry chef for a top restaurant, the best equipment is important to me. While I use larger equipment at the restaurant, this is the closest thing you can get to what I bake with at work.
One of the most popular posts on this site is the Breville vs. Kitchenaid Mixer review for the former mixer which I loved. And this model has a couple of new items that makes it even more special. And I am here to tell you this one is even better.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Mixer
The first thing you will notice is how beautiful the box is and well packed the mixer is. It was exciting to go down and down into the box and find yet another attachment, cover or bowl (yes it comes with two bowls, more later on that). While the color of the mixer above is Royal Champagne, It comes in a variety of colors which can be seen on their website including:
- Sea Salt.
- Black Truffle.
- Damson Blue.
- Oyster Shell.
- Royal Champagne.
The next thing that will amaze you is the beauty of this tilt head mixer. It just plain looks fantastic sitting on a counter. Breville is known for its sleek, modern designs with all of it's equipment and this mixer is a perfect example. It not only mixes perfectly, it looks gorgeous while doing it.
The Perfect Gift
The Breville Bakery Chef and an autographed copy of my latest book, Craving Cookies is the perfect gift for yourself or for your favorite baker.
You can buy one or buy both. When buying both, they have to be ordered separately and will come to you separately.
(As an affiliate of Breville I make a small commission when the mixer is sold. If you decide to buy the mixer, I would very much appreciate it you bought it from my site.)
Let's Talk Bowls
The Bakery Chef comes with two bowls. A 5-quart glass bowl and a 4-quart stainless steel bowl. One more than other mixers because they know you'll need each one!
5 Quart Borosilicate Glass Bowl
I'll be perfectly frank. I was not a fan of glass bowls for a couple of reasons. They are heavy - even empty - and this one has to be hand washed due to the rubber gasket on the bottom. But it won me over when I could see how the batters or mixtures were coming together and how completely they were or were not mixed. No more wondering if the bottom of the mix was being incorporated. Just take a look! It also has a pouring spout and is marked with cups, milliliters, and fluid ounces.
Borosilicate Glass is extremely durable which is what you want in a mixing bowl. Taken care of, it will last a life time.
Ok, I get it! You really want something lighter that can go in the dishwasher. Well that's covered too. There's a 5 quart stainless steel bowl that can be purchased separately. It's the same size as the glass bowl and is just as efficient.
4 Quart Stainless Steel bowl - Why?
Why would you need a second, smaller bowl? Well, sometimes small amounts of ingredients just don't do as well in larger bowls. Take the 2 egg whites in my recipe for Haselnussmakronen - German Hazelnut Macaroons. The smaller bowl did a much quicker job of whipping the whites than if they were in the larger bowl.
It's also ideal when two mixtures are needed in a recipe such as egg yolks and sugar mixed in one bowl and the egg whites in another. There's no cleaning of a single bowl to continue if that's all you have.
The Attachments
The whisk is used to areate and increase the of volume of buttercreams or increase the volume of egg white – think meringues, angel food cakes, and chiffon cakes as well as anywhere air is the main leavening agent. This Perfectly Easy Angel Food Cake whipped up even higher with this mixer. My only concern with the beater is I think it is a strange design. The previous one whipped egg whites and cream really fast. This one seems to whip the center really well and then it takes a bit for it to pull in the edges. It does a good job, but takes a bit longer.
The dough hook is indispensable for bread baking. It's the mini version of those used in professional bakeries. It incorporates all of the ingredients, cleaning the sides and the bottom of the bowl so well it almost looks clean. It mixes everything including at the very bottom of the bowl which is where so many other mixers fail. There is no floury mix left unincorporated. Consequently, less time is used stopping and scraping the bowl. In the photo below, you can see the sides of the bowl are clean and the rest of the dough is mixed in the bottom of the bowl.
The double sided scraper attachment is my very most favorite attachment. It scrapes the side of the bowl and cuts the mixing time down by 60%. It is best used when ingredients are to be creamed or with light ingredients. Just look at how well it cleans the side of the bowl in the picture. Even better, it picks up everything in the bottom of the bowl and incorporates that also. Having said that, I made peanut butter fudge using the scraper and it worked like a charm.
There is literally no reason to ever scrape the bowl when mixing with this attachment. I don't know about you, but stopping and scraping down was my least favorite thing to do when mixing but really necessary for smooth batters and good results. However, this should not be used with heavy doughs. The next attachment is best for those.
The Paddle Attachment is used for heavier batters, doughs and cookies or when mixing but not necessarily blending everything completely as when making crumbs, crumbles or crisp toppings where you want them to form crumbs.
The mixer also comes with a cover for the mixing bowl that allows you to mix bread and then cover it to rise in the same bowl at room temperature.
Here you can see the yeast dough has risen in the same bowl as it was mixed. Just cover it with plastic wrap and put the black top on. Set aside and let it rise. However, if using the oven as a proofer (see the notes in the ingredient card for (Pumpkin Dinner Rolls Two Ways), I suggest removing the dough to a different container.
Last, but not least is the pouring shield with splash guard. At the restaurant, the pouring shield for my large mixer falls 3 inches away from the bowl so everything is poured on the floor. This all encompassing design won't do that. It prevents larger amounts of cream from splattering out of the bowl before it thickens as well as keeping hazelnuts from flying out of the bowl when skinning them as in Hazelnut Gianduja Cake. Ingredients can be added by pouring them down the extension.
Innovations That I Love
- THE LIGHT - as someone who photographs food, I go for brighter pictures to make sure you can see what is going on. Well, there is a light under the head of the mixer that turns on when you start mixing. I can't tell you how much you'll love this. No more peering into dark bowls to see what's happening. And it is a boon to the photos. This alone is worth the price.
- On the side of the machine there is digital timer that, by default, counts up, but it can be changed to count down and the machine will automatically stop if that is preferred.
- There is a dial on the side of the machine with 11 speeds within 4 groups including folding/kneading, light mixing, cream/beating and aerating/whipping. There is also a pause button, that allows you to interrupt mixing without stopping the timer. If you turn the machine off, the timer will start all over.
- A handle at the front of the machine makes it much easier to lift and move the mixer.
- A thermo-cutoff will automatically stop the machine if it begins to overheat. The only time this happened for me was when making Italian or French Buttercream due to their extended time beating at a higher speed. It was easily managed as the machine restarted within a minute.
What I Tested
Everything! Here are a few of the recipes but there were many more. All of these can be found on my blog.
- Cakes: Angel food cake, Spirited Chocolate Cake, Double Chocolate Mousse Cake, and Strawberry Cake, as well as Coffee Cakes, big cakes, little cakes, butter cakes, sponge cakes, heavy cakes, light cakes.
- Buttercreams: Strawberry buttercream (American), Italian Buttercream, and French Buttercream
- Breads: Large batch of flatbreads (pizza dough), No Knead Bread, Chocolate Cherry Bread and Wine and Cheese Baguettes for just a few.
- Sweet Bread: European Nut Roll, Conchas, Gibassier and Fresh as a Daisy Doughnuts
- Cookies: Levain Style Chocolate Chip Cookies, Spice Bars, Langue de Chat, Baci di Dama, and Mocha Kahlua Brownies,
- Miscellaneous: Hazelnut Meringues with Raspberry Mascarpone Mousse, Individual Wedding Cakes,
What I Found Out
THIS IS THE PERFECT MIXER FOR BAKING AND PASTRY!!
I have seen reference to the head of the machine bobbling and the mixer moving around when mixing. So, let's address these.
I can only remember a few times in all the months I have worked with this machine that there was slight bobbling of the head of the machine. It was insignificant and in no way affected the mixing, end product or the machine itself. This most often occurs with heavy mixtures that are being beaten at too high a speed. All mixers will do this in the same conditions.
It creams butter and sugar better than I’ve ever seen. The double edged scraper attachment creams so thoroughly and quickly producing a lighter, fluffier mixture that enhances any recipe. Using this attachment, I didn’t need to scrape the bowl at any point from the start to the finish of mixing. I just put in the pans and baked it.
About Making Bread
Most breads, especially yeast breads are heavy, sticky doughs by nature.
For most bread recipes, the mixture should clean the sides and bottom of the bowl when mixed unless it is a batter or artisan breads that tend to be very wet. This mixer, even on the low speed as suggested, accomplishes that.
I particularly like the design of the bowl as the dough hook pulls all the flour in, whether from the sides or bottom without having to stop and scrape it down or push the flour into the center. The doughs cleaned the bowl without any help from me. The bread dough from the dough hook photo was removed from the bowl and this is what the bowl looked like. It wasn't cleaned at all.
This Breville incorporates ingredients more thoroughly and completely than any machine I have used. And faster! One of the things I like about using the glass bowl for bread is that it cleans the sides of the bowl with no scraping or help. It just keeps picking up the flour and incorporating it.
I have heard comments about the head of the machine “bobbling”. I have found that, especially with bread, this can occur if the speed is raised too high. It is recommended to keep it on folding/kneading, which is the lowest speed. Truthfully, I thought it was too low, but it isn’t. Even the leading American mixer suggests that speed for bread.
As to the machine moving or bouncing when running, my testing did not find that it happened at any time with any recipe.
Conclusion
This heavy duty mixer will help make you the best baker or pastry chef around. It uses the same planetary mixing action in my professional mixers and has full 360° coverage like the ones I use at work to produce beautiful desserts.
There is free delivery within 5 to 7 days of ordering with a 30 day return. The Warranty includes 1 Year Repair with 5 Year Motor Warranty.
If you are wondering at this point if I am just blinded by my love for the Breville Bakery Chef, here are a few other reviews for your consideration.
The 7 Best Stand Mixers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed by Real Simple
We Tested 21 Stand Mixers — Here Are Our Favorite Models by All Recipes
The Best Stand Mixers of 2023 by USA Today
The Best Stand Mixers for Cookies, Cakes, Bread, and Beyond by Epicurious
The Techy Stuff - Equipment Specs
Attachments: Scraper Beater, standard flat beater, dough hook, whisk, splash guard, pouring shield and bowl cover.
Bowls: 5 quart Borosilicate Glass Bowl, 4 quart stainless steel bowl.
Construction: Die Cast Metal Mixer Body
Wattage: 550 watts
Voltage: 110-120 volts
Warranty: 1 year repair with 5-year motor warranty
Dimensions - (WxDxH)11.4" x 14.8" x 14.3"
Construction Materials - Die Cast Metal Mixer Body
LED Display - Counts up when starting, or use the arrow buttons to set timer to count down.
Load Sensing Technology - Detects when heavy dough and batters are being mixed and automatically adjust the power to maintain the selected speed
Pause Button - Rotate dial to PAUSE to temporarily stop mixing
Missy says
I'm thinking of buying this, as my first stand mixer, but I often do very small batch items (small cakes, and bread loaves). Will the Breville mixer be okay for small batch baking? Thanks!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Missy, not sure what small batch baking is. A loaf of bread, a 6" cake? How are you making them now? There is a 4 quart stainless bowl as well as the larger 5 quart. I have made large and small batches of everything including beating egg whites in the small bowl.
Cat says
Helen - your review for your previous Breville was so informative, I shared it countless times on social media every time anyone requested input on which new mixer to get! I'd already bought a Kenwood, so never did go down the Breville mixer path, although I'm getting increasingly frustrated with its mega deep bowl (it's the DeLonghi iteration) which requires frequent scraping and sticky fingers, for all it does a wonder with egg whites and so on. If it gives up soon I'm definitely treating us to a shiny new Breville though! Thank you for yet another thoughtful and insightful review. Breville are very fortunate to have you!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Cat, thank you for your wonderful words. I do agree those deep bowls are a problem. The Breville is my fav as you can see.
Donna L says
Hi Helen,
I wanted to reread your Breville mixer reviews from years ago when you replaced your Hobart mixer. I can't find it. All the links which I find (Breville vs KitchenAid, Breville 6 month update) take me to this exact page - this review of the newest Breville Bakery Chef mixer. I think things may have gotten mixed up amidst publishing and site updates?
Thanks for looking into this! I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving with your family!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Donna, This is correct. There isn't a lot of sense in having reviews of machines that no longer exist so the only one now is the newest one. If you have a specific question or interest, I can try to address it. Happy Thanksgiving to your and yours also.
Kere Griffin says
Hi Helen,
It's because of a review you wrote about 7 years ago I brought the exact mixer in the royal champaign colour, and I am really happy with it. I was tossing up between a kitchen aid and Breville, and Breville won me over. I only wished they did the lid for the glass Jug back then. Would you know of they sell them separately?
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Kere, I went to their site and found the lid here. I'm assuming the bowls are the same. Here is their customer service number if you wish to call them and confirm. 1 855 683 3535. Hope this helps.
Kere Griffin says
Thank you for the link, I am on to it. All the best
Kere
Helen S Fletcher says
You're welcome.
SallyBR says
I absolutely loved the review, and of course, I am tempted but my KitchenAid is just 3 years old, I cannot quite justify getting a new mixer - but wow, so many bells and whistles.... which, I must say is what worries me a bit - so many things can potentially break, and then what? I have bought extended warranty in the past only to have the darn machine break AFTER the extended warranty expired, or to have to deal with shipping a super heavy piece of equipment and the hassle was not worth it. So, I don't know - if I had a full-time well paying job, I could very well go for it, but as things stand right now..... not a good move ;-( I love love LOVE your review, though. I shared it with hubby... (wink, wink)
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Sally, interesting comment. I never buy extended warranties and, for some reason, I have not ever needed one. I will tell you that my previous Breville which I had for 7 years prior to this one, never had a single problem. I don't anticipate any with this one either. In all the reviews I researched there wasn't a single mention of something going wrong with the machine. That's not to say it wouldn't or won't on some rare occasion. I never had to return a food processor, mixer, blender, etc. and, as you know, I use my equipment a lot more than the average person. My thinking is if the light ever goes out, it goes out. If the timer on the side of the machine ever stops working, I'll use a manual timer. It isn't the bells and whistles that got me, it's the two bowls, the scraper, its overall mixing ability which I think is superior and it's priced right compared to other machines. You know me, I wouldn't suggest anything if I didn't believe in it. Thanks for the comment though. I think it is very helpful.
Leslie B. says
Hi Helen. I thought I posted a question about where the Breville mixer is manufactured earlier, but I don’t see it here. Can you shed some light on that, please. Thanks. Your review is very persuasive!!
Helen S Fletcher says
You did. I am awaiting an answer from Breville. Can I ask why this is so important. I'm assuming China since everything seems to be made there.
David Stong says
Helen, I have a Kitchen Aid mixer from 1970 (Harvest gold no less). I love it, but I read your original comparison between the new Kitchen Aids and Brevilles and swore that if my mixer gives up the ghost, I’d get a Breville. This post is excellent; I think I won’t wait for my mixer to grind away. I see a new Breville for Christmas. Thanks for your excellent work , Helen. Your column is always a dependable source for recipes and information.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi David, You will love it. Wait till you see the light shining in your bowl. Thanks for the kind words.
Rosemary Mark says
What an incredibly detailed review! I'm not quite ready to replace my (30+yr Kitchenaid) but I am very tempted by your enthusiasm for this mixer. Maybe just for the mixer light alone :)
Helen S Fletcher says
Thanks Rosemary, The light is a game changer. My husband was always trying to figure out how to put a light on my previous mixers. Interesting, they thought of it also.
Leslie B. says
Helen, thanks for this review. Hard to imaginge me parting ways with my mother’s KA at this point in my life, but I enjoyed learning what you experienced. Where is the Breville made?
Helen S Fletcher says
Answered above.
Diane G Perris says
Hi there, Helen! Well, you and I have communicated and played detective about this mixer for a long time. I so appreciated all your help as I struggled to work through the kinks that I was experiencing.
I've been using the Breville for almost a year now and for the most part I've come to like it a lot better. I still think my Kitchenaid Pro bowl-lift does a better job with heavy batches of cookie dough and bread but that's just personal preference. I haven't pulled it out at all in the last 6 months.
One thing that is really important to note, I think, if people are thinking about ordering this as a Christmas gift, is that Breville has a 30 day return policy. This was a bit of a conundrum for my husband, who wanted to make sure he ordered the mixer for me last year in plenty of time for it to get here by Christmas. So it sat under the tree for a few weeks, and then I didn't get to trying it out for a few more weeks. By the time I tried it out and wasn't a huge fan, it was too late to return it.
Fortunately, as I've said, I've come to really like it but that return window can bungle things up if you're trying not to have someone receive it until a particular date.
Happy holidays! Can't wait to make your Sable Breton cookies next.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Diane, I'm happy to hear you are enjoying the mixer. Thank you so much bringing my attention to the 30 day return policy. I have reached out to see what can be done about it. Maybe something, maybe nothing. I'll post it as soon as I hear. The Sables are one of my favs. Happy Holidays to you and keep up the good work in those high altitudes.
Meg Adler says
Helen,
Thanks so much for making yourself reachable.
I am so glad that I have reconnected with you. I fondly remember you from U. City.
I will for sure look into this mixer.
Meg Karsh Adler (Petie and Bob’s daughter)
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Meg - so excited to hear from you. I'll be in touch shortly.
Kathy Parathyras says
Hi Helen, Thank you for your extremely thorough review of the Breville mixer. I still use my Kitchenaid which my husband purchased for me for Christmas, 1976. There's a small part of me that would love to ask for the Breville for Christmas - but my Kitchenaid has served me so well for the past 47 years I think I would feel a little disloyal. (LOL) What would you do?
By the way, I look forward to your blog posts every week.
Best Regards and Happy Thanksgiving,
Kathy Parathyras
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Kathy, You are so kind and appreciate it. Here is how I came to buy my first Breville mixer years ago. I had the original 5 quart Hobart lift bowl mixer that Julia Childs used on her first show. It took a while to track it down, but when I found it, I snatched it up, even in those days we didn't have a lot of expendable income. It was literally on it's last leg making weird noises and I knew it's time had come. I started researching mixers and came across the previous Breville. I bought it and loved it. Kitchenaid bought the patent for the original Hobart. I am loyal to a fault with many things. But equipment is important to me and I just feel this machine is the best one yet. Your machine is not going to last forever. It's had a great run, but I would definitely go for this newer machine. As someone besides me said, the light is worth the price. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Kathy Parathyras says
Thank you, Helen. I've decided to ask for the Breville for my 70th birthday. (In February)
Helen S Fletcher says
I really think you will love this machine. We formerly young ladies have to stick together. So happy to hear you are still baking.
Mark Mayer says
Helen,
I bought the Bakery Chef a couple of years ago based on your recommendation. It has been much more reliable than my past two Kitchen Aids, takes up less space, makes less noise and looks nice, too! My 63 year old eyes also appreciate the light and the glass bowl!
One side note- I returned from visiting my family in Italy just as you published the cuccidati recipe. I picked up groceries that day and noticed that the checker accidentally threw some European salted butter in my bag. What would I do with it? I always purchase unsalted. A lightbulb turned on. Why not make Helen Fletcher’s Gâteau Breton and fill it with this instead of the prune or apricot? As always, thanks for the education.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Mark - What a great solution. This filling would be wonderful. Love how clever you are.
Amy says
Just for clarity, did you have to return the machine, or did Breville allow you to keep it? Thanks.
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Amy, I bought my first Breville and reviewed it. It was working fine but several people asked about the new one. Breville gave it to me to keep.
Nan I. Kitagawa says
Hi Helen,
I appreciated the thorough review and your fans for asking about the Breville mixer.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Nan
Helen S Fletcher says
Thanks Nan and Happy Thanksgiving to you also.