Use the capacity cited for a bagel dough and you will be on the safe side. If your pizza dough uses an absorption of 55% or a little higher, as many do, you will most likely be able to increase the flour capacity over that given for a bagel dough by about 25%. As for brands, A number of years ago I had the opportunity to evaluate spiral mixers from at least eight different manufacturers as part of an evaluation for Hobart Corporation. We didn’t find any real problems with any of the mixers tested.Fact was, they all mixed very tough bagel doughs as small as 25% of the stated bowl capacity, and as large as 125% of the stated bowl capacity. We didn’t experience any failures, but one of the mixers, a single speed mixer, had an agitator speed so fast that it redecorated the shop area with a flour and water mixture at both the full bowl capacity, and at the over load of 125%. Not a pretty sight! This was the only single speed mixer in the test, and it was not a common name mixer. I don’t recall the manufacturer, but if you go with a two speed mixer or one of the name brands, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor