Table of Contents
Kneading is the process of developing dough into a smooth, elastic ball. When flour is mixed with liquid, GLUTEN strands are formed. Kneading develops the gluten by making it stronger and more elastic for better volume and gas retention. Well-developed gluten allows the yeasted dough to stretch and expand as it rises.
What happens when you knead dough too much?
Overworked dough can happen when using a stand mixer. Dough will feel “tight” and tough, as the gluten molecules have become damaged, meaning that it won’t stretch, only break, when you try to pull or roll it. Over kneaded dough can’t be fixed and will result in a rock-hard loaf, so be careful with this mistake.
How do you know when dough is over kneaded?
If your dough feels dense and tough to handle when you stop the mixer, it is a sign that it is becoming over-kneaded. Over-kneaded dough can become very hard to work with and produce a more flat and chewy bread.
What happens if you add too much water to bread dough?
There is always some point at which you can put in too much water where no matter how strong you make the dough the loaf will not hold its shape and will flatten out during baking.
Does dough get less sticky as you knead?
For a normal loaf, the more you knead it the less sticky it becomes. Dough is always wet and sticky at first but, once you’ve kneaded it for five to six minutes, it becomes less sticky and more glossy as it develops a skin, which is the gluten forming.
Is sticky dough bad?
Sticky dough isn’t necessarily a bad thing since it often produces bread with plenty of flavors and a great crumb. If you’re kneading dough and it’s not the slightest bit tacky, you’ve most likely added too much flour. High water content and a lack of gluten development both contribute towards a sticky dough.
Is sourdough dough supposed to be sticky?
Sticky sourdough isn’t something anybody wants to work with, but it is completely normal and something that you need to get used to if you’re going to get good at making sourdough bread.
What speed do you mix dough?
For most bread recipes, you should run your mixer on speed 2 for about 2 minutes. Some bread doughs might take a long as 4 minutes and up to 7 minutes to come together. The type of flour and other ingredients might influence the overall kneading time.
Can you knead dough after it rises?
After the first rise you should knead your dough very briefly, and gently, to avoid tearing. This allows the large bubbles to be deflated and dispersed, ready for another rise. Being gentle prevents tearing the gluten network which is delicate after resting, and crucial for a good bread.
Does kneading dough make it softer?
The dough is not worked (kneaded) enough: Kneading improves the structure of your dough by stretching gluten molecules and getting them to link together, making your dough stretchy and pliable, and forming a structure that will trap air for a rise.
What is the importance of kneading dough?
Why do we knead dough? Kneading stretches and develops the gluten strands in the dough. The protein strands line up and this creates a gluten matrix in the bread which traps air and lets the bread rise. This is arguably all the fun of bread making!Mar 14, 2018
How long should you knead dough?
Kneading can be done by hand or by a stand mixer, food processor or bread machine. Kneading by hand takes about 7 minutes, sometimes more or less depending on your recipe and how you knead the dough. Make sure the height of your kneading board is comfortable for you.
Can I knead dough in a stand mixer?
You can knead most bread doughs by hand or in a stand mixer (we’ll show each technique in detail below). On a practical level, it takes up to 25 minutes—and some well-developed forearm muscles—to knead dough fully by hand, and just about 8 minutes in the stand mixer with the dough hook.
How long should you knead dough in a stand mixer?
Kneading for 2 minutes in your mixer is equivalent to kneading 10-12 minutes by hand. If you knead too long, the dough will start to climb up the “c” shaped dough hook. The dough should form a ball and clean the sides of the bowl.
Why does my dough get sticky when I knead it?
The most common reason for bread dough that is too sticky is too much water in the dough. Use approximately 60% of what the recipe calls for, and after kneading the dough so that it is soft and smooth (don’t overdo it), slowly add the remaining water a few drops at a time until the dough is the consistency you want.
Does using a dough hook replace kneading?
Rather than spending 10 minutes kneading the dough, let the mixer take over the effort, freeing you to do other things. Anything which requires kneading can benefit from the use of a dough hook. Unlike the beater attachments, the dough hook consists of a single hook which turns and folds the dough in the mixing bowl.
What happens if dough is not kneaded enough?
If you peter out and don’t knead your dough enough by hand, or if you don’t allow it enough time in your mixer, the dough will lack strength. The dough may even fall back onto itself and collapse as the gases produced by the yeast escapes. Once baked, an under-kneaded bread loaf will be flat and dense in texture.
How do you fix Overworked dough?
You need to place the dough in a bowl, cover it and let it rise overnight in the fridge. Shape the dough quickly and try not to play with the dough too much after rising. Let the dough do its second rise, again allowing it to rise a little longer and then bake.
