Iowegian-- I made excellent breads and rolls for years without using dough conditioner. If you don't want to add anything to the purity of homemade bread, that's certainly understandable. Having said that, I discovered dough conditioner about 2 years ago, and find that bread stays fresh and moist longer. I often make a sandwich for lunch, and the bread doesn't crumble or break when sliced after it's been on the counter for a few days. Nor does the conditioner turn homemade bread into Wonder Bread squish. A friend uses Rhodes frozen loaves, and while they smell great baking, they're so light and flimsy that the loaf is difficult to slice without smashing it, and a slice of bread seems to weigh almost nothing. The conditioner I use, following the recommended 1/2 teaspoon per loaf, doesn't do that to my bread.
As for using a food processor to make dough, I've been doing it since the mid 1980's, and the texture is great! I've used the KitchenAid mixer a few times just to compare, and there is really no difference in the finished product--with or without dough conditioner. I will admit to having never kneaded dough by hand, so I can't make that comparison. I've made thousands of loaves (used to cater) of French, Italian, and white sandwich bread as well as countless dozens of dinner rolls, hamburger buns, and sweet rolls (cinnamon or caramel) and I'll stand up my processor-kneaded bread against all comers.
I always use a dough blade, not the sharp steel blade, for kneading. Have never tried using the steel blade, so, again, I can't compare the finished product between the two.
