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dough or if you have a particularly stiff , resistant dough. In a proper kneading technique you use
the heels of your hands with a powerful pushing motion directed down against the dough and away
from you. With this pressing movement you develop the gluten sheets. Repeat this a number of
times. Then press the dough down hard, pick it up, stretch it, fold it over, and repeat. Turn the dough
from time to time so the entire mass gets worked. Pick it up and stretch it occasionally, then throw it
down hard against your kneading surface. It soon develops into a smooth, elastic, rubbery stuff that
gets easier and easier to work. Keep dusting the working surface with flour should the dough start
sticking.
How do you tell a fully kneaded dough? Break off a small piece and stretch it until it is as
thin as pizza crust. Hold it up against the light—the fine lines you see throughout are the gluten
sheets you just developed. A fully kneaded dough feels firm and when you gently poke a dent into it
with your finger, it slowly springs back. Bakers call this a ready or fully-aged dough.
If you use an electric mixer, follow the instructions of the mixer manual. You may have to
mix and knead half the ingredient at a time if your mixer is small, then combine the two halves. The
larger, more powerful home electric mixers can handle large enough dough for two large loaves at a
time (that is 10 cups of white flour or 8 cups of part white, part whole wheat flour). Mixing should
take 2 to 3 minutes once you learn the trick of adding liquid slowly and gradually. After the dough
has formed, their recommended kneading time is 3 to 5 minutes.
TASTINGS Hint for food mixer kneading
A trick some bakers use for mixing bread dough ingredients, but manuals may not
mention, is to use the flat beater first. This starts forming a dough within a minute.
As soon as the machine starts complaining that the work is too hard, take the flat
beater off, scrape it clean and switch to the dough hook. A little more cleanup to
do but it is quick and efficient.
You can also use a food processor to mix dough. A larger powerful processor can take 5
cups of whole wheat flour or 8 cups of white flour. The second batch will bake into two medium
loaves. Again, follow your processor’s recommendation on how much to mix. Mixing takes just
seconds in a food processor, kneading takes a minute or two.
In an kitchen experiment I baked three identical loaves but kneaded the dough by three
different techniques: by hand, in a food processor and with a food mixer. The results were not very
different and unless the three breads were side by side, you could not tell them apart either in flavor,
texture or shape. Closer inspection revealed slight differences. The hand-kneaded bread loaf was
somewhat smaller, with slightly smaller air holes, while the food processor loaf was the tallest and
lightest, suggesting that this method develops the gluten structure the best. The difference is small
enough, however, that I recommend you use whichever method you prefer.
Let the dough rise till double in size
The first rise, depending on the type of bread you are baking, takes one to several hours. The
ideal temperature for rising is 80°F (27°C), but the dough will do fine anywhere between 75º and
8
5°F (24º and 30°C). If it is much cooler, it rises too slowly, and the texture of the bread will be
coarse. Besides, it takes for ever before it doubles in size. If much warmer, the dough rises too fast,
and thriving bacteria produce unpleasant-tasting sour by-products giving your bread off-flavors as
well as making the texture uneven.
play © erdosh 267
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