What size spiral mixer do I need?

Who’s behind this: the team at TheLoveOfDough, the eBay store that sells these Sunmix machines. Links to eBay go to our own listings.

Bowl quarts vs. dough pounds: the number that matters

Spiral mixers are sold two ways: by bowl volume in quarts, and by how much dough they can knead in one go. Only the second tells you what you can make. A bowl can't be filled with dough to the brim; the dough needs room to wrap around the spiral hook and slap against the breaker bar, which is how a spiral develops gluten.

Sunmix makes this easy: the number in the model name is the maximum dough in kilograms. An Easy 6 kneads up to 6 kg, an Easy 10 up to 10 kg, and so on. You'll also see a "max flour" figure, roughly half the dough figure, because a typical pizza dough is mostly flour and water by weight.

One caveat: rated capacities assume a normal, fairly soft dough. Sunmix rates the Easy line for doughs from 60% hydration. If you make stiff doughs, plan on smaller batches than the maximum.

How many dough balls per batch?

This chart shows how many balls each size makes at its rated maximum. Real batches should sit a little below these numbers.

For reference, 250–280 g is a common weight for a 10–12 inch Neapolitan pizza, and around 400 g is typical for a 14 inch New York-style pie. Your recipe may differ, so use your own ball weight in the calculator below.

One big batch or two smaller ones?

A lot of pizzerias mix once a day and cold-ferment the dough for the next day's service. If that's you, size the mixer for your whole day in one batch. Mixing twice in a smaller machine works too, and it's cheaper up front, but it doubles the mixing, resting and cleaning time every single day.

Don't swing too far the other way. Spiral mixers also have a practical minimum: a few kilos of dough in a very large bowl won't wrap around the hook properly. Buy for your normal day plus headroom, not for the busiest day you can imagine.

110V or 220V?

This is the question that catches people out after the crate arrives. The Sunmix Easy and Evo 6, 10 and 15 are US-spec machines: 110V, single phase, drawing 7 to 9 amps. They plug into a regular kitchen outlet, though it's wise not to share that circuit with other heavy equipment.

The Easy 20 (12 A) and the Smart 40 (18 A) run on 220V single phase. That means a dedicated circuit like the one an electric oven or dryer uses. Before you order one, have an electrician confirm you have, or can add, a suitable 220V circuit and receptacle.

Knobs or touch screen? Easy vs. Evo

At 6, 10 and 15 kg, Sunmix makes two versions with the same capacity. The Easy has simple knobs: variable speed from 50 to 300 RPM and a reverse function. The Evo adds a touch screen that stores 20 recipes, an infrared sensor that reads the dough temperature and can stop the mix at a maximum you set, and LED lights inside the bowl. If you mix the same few doughs every day and want staff to get identical results, the Evo earns its place. If you mix by feel, the Easy does the same kneading for less money.

Three real-world examples

The home pizza obsessive or weekend pop-up

Twelve balls at 260 g is about 3.1 kg of dough. A 6 kg machine handles that with plenty of room, and still copes on the day you double the recipe.

A neighborhood pizzeria doing about 100 pizzas a night

One hundred balls at 270 g is 27 kg a day. In two batches that's 13.5 kg each, which fits a 15 kg machine on a regular 110V outlet. If you'd rather mix once, you need the Smart 40 and a 220V circuit.

A bakery mixing 10 kg of bread dough twice a day

A 10 kg machine would be running at its limit on every batch. Step up to 15 kg for headroom, or to the 20 kg Easy 20 if you have 220V and expect to grow.

Bottom line

Work out one batch in kilograms, add about 10%, and buy the smallest mixer whose rated dough capacity covers it, then check the voltage. If you're between sizes or unsure about your power, send us a message through our eBay store with what you make and how often; we'll tell you honestly which size fits.