Do not let mixing dough by hand intimidate you. It does take energy to get the dough adequately kneaded, but even a half-hearted attempt will produce bread that tastes good. It
Step 1. First comes the incorporation step. Begin by measuring out your flour. Measure out your yeast and mix it into the flour.* Next add water. Then just mix! The point is to get rid of the dry lumps of flour—squish them between your fingers. Your hands are going to get gloppy. A bowl-scraper or stiff rubber spatula will help you keep the ingredients together, not stuck to the bowl. (*Note: Instant yeast can be added directly to flour.
Technically, active dry yeast should be activated first with some of the water from the recipe. It is so much easier to mix it directly into the flour, however, that you may want to try it and see if it works with your brand of yeast. Fresh yeast can be added to flour or later to the dough.)
In general, pay attention to your dough, not just the recipe. If the dough seems too wet or dry, as described in the following pages, then fix it by adding flour or water. As a beginner, however, be patient if the dough seems too wet. You must get used to sticky hands. Wetter dough is harder to work with, but it tends to make better bread. When you begin mixing, you might think, “This recipe can’t be right!” Resist adding extra flour; give the process a chance. If the dough is indeed too wet, you can fix it later during kneading.
Step 2. Once you get the ingredients incorporated, stop and let the dough sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Cover it with plastic wrap. This is the autolyse step. During the autolyse, the flour becomes hydrated. Water molecules work their way into starch granules and surround proteins. Dough usually feels less sticky after the autolyse.
The chemical reactions begin, and the pH of the dough begins to fall. This affects the dough in two ways. First, the alcohol and acids produced by fermentation alter the structure of proteins, causing them to uncoil and stretch out. This makes them more like the protein in finished dough. [1] Second, proteases go to work, breaking protein bonds.
(Remember that the proteases work better at a low pH, but before the dough is fully mixed
and before salt is added.) When kneading begins, the gluten will be ready to form new bonds; a gluten network will develop with less kneading. Your dough will reach a “final state” more easily.
If you are using a recipe with a preferment, it can be added before or after the autolyse.
Preferments are already hydrated; their reactions have started and their enzymes have been at work, so they do not need to be autolysed. It may be easier to incorporate your ingredients, however, if you include the preferment at the start. Also, the preferment will be more acidic than the newly-incorporated dough and can therefore lower the dough’s pH and help protease activity.
Step 3. After the autolyse, flatten your dough and sprinkle the salt evenly over it. Mush the salt in with your fingers. Kneading will distribute it throughout the dough.
Now it is time to knead. Start with clean, dough-free hands. Transfer the dough onto a table, a countertop, or some other clean surface, at a comfortable height. (I work on my cutting board, on top of a towel to hold it still.) As mentioned before, kneading dough is a way to strengthen it by breaking the gluten and allowing it to reform in a network. Any form of pushing, pulling, smacking, or cutting will work. Since you have to do it for awhile, find motions that are comfortable for you.
A traditional kneading method (shown below) involves pushing your lump of dough with the heel of your hand (or hands). Between pushes, fold and rotate the dough so the entire dough ball is kneaded. Watch your dough as you knead to make sure the entire dough ball is being kneaded.
Kneading dough requires a balance of energy (it is work!) and care (do not maul your dough). Use the force of your whole body behind your arms. Keep your energy up and knead quickly; think of it as a workout. If you do not start to sweat, you are not properly kneading the dough. On the other hand, you are trying to build a network of gluten in the dough. If the dough is constantly ripping, you are hindering the growth of this network.
Also, kneading adds heat to the dough. Make your motions efficient; touch the dough as little as possible. If you get tired, rest for a brief period and then keep going.
Instead of watching the clock, I use a CD to keep time. I now have a favorite dough-mixing CD:The Sinners of Daughters by the Charlotte, NC band The Talk. Since they are a slightly punk rock band, the songs are all fast-paced (and full of curse words—be warned!) I have found that if I knead in time to the music for the whole CD, my dough will be well-kneaded.
Flouring the surface is not recommended because this adds flour to the dough and dries it out. A bench-scraper (pictured below) in one hand can be used to keep the dough ball together and off the table. Kneading quickly also helps. As you knead, the dough should begin to stick more to itself. Once a layer of dough has covered your palm, the rest of the dough may stop sticking to you. Leaving the layer of dough on your palm will make kneading easier. On the other hand, if you notice small bits of dried dough getting into your dough from your hands, you should wash them.
Step 4. If the dough is too dry, it will be stiff and hard to knead. If the dough is too wet, it will have trouble holding together. An easy way to add water or flour is to wet or flour your hands and then keep kneading. This adds a little at a time, giving you control over how much you add. Adding flour to sticky dough can be addictive—be careful not to
overdo it! While a layer of dough on your palm can help, goppy dough hands increase sticking—try washing your hands to see if it helps. Hot dough also sticks more—try putting your dough (and the kneading surface, if possible) in the freezer for two minutes;
then continue kneading.
An alternative kneading method is to hold one corner of your dough, slap it out onto the table, and then fold it back into a lump. Repeated slapping and folding accomplishes the kneading. (This is loud and less meditative, but could be therapeutic in its own way.)
A different method entirely involves flattening your dough into an oval with your hands and using your thumbs to “cut” it, making many cuts up the length of the oval. The dough is then folded back together, turned 90°, flattened into a new oval, and cut again. This method accomplishes the same restructuring of the gluten; however, it requires extremely strong thumbs. An adaptation is to use a bench-scraper to cut the dough. Place your dough on a flat, sturdy surface. Press it into an oval. Use your blade to cut several horizontal lines into the dough. Fold the top down, turn it sideways and cut more horizontal lines.
Scoop up the dough and mush it together (with a traditional kneading motion) until you cannot see the lines any more. Then cut it again. These methods are shown below.
There is not one correct way to knead dough. Find a method you enjoy.* (*Note: Step 5, assessing the dough to decide if it is finished, is described below.)
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