VERY surprised to say the least! My amazingly sweet husband ordered this for me for Christmas. It is such a wonderful machine! I had the chance to use is for the first time yesterday and so far I have made pie crusts, corn bread and THE best buttermilk pancakes, all with terrific results! Not to mention I was able to make double batches of all of these without worrying about overfilling the bowl!
This mixer is a Kitchenaid Professional 5 Plus. If you are considering buying one I would highly suggest this model. It has a 5 quart bowl which can mix up to 12 cups of flour (yes, you read that right, TWELVE cups!) The motor is 450 watts and it comes with the spiral dough hook as opposed to the 'C' hook that most of the Kitchenaids come with. The spiral hook is much better at mixing large quantities of heavy dough such as bread dough.
Here's the recipe for the buttermilk pancakes, they are SO GOOD! I made a double batch so we now have breakfast in that freezer that will last a couple of weeks :0)
Buttermilk Pancakes
(adapted from The Joy of Cooking)
3 c. all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
3 c. buttermilk
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add buttermilk and eggs. Mix well. Slowly add butter and blend in well. Stir in vanilla. Heat griddle or skillet to medium-high and pour pancakes by the 1/3 cup full. Allow to cook until bubbles form and edges look dry. Flip then cook until the center springs back when pressed down. Serve hot with your favorite pancake toppings. Makes about 18 pancakes.
