kneading bread dough -- baking newbie
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Anonymous
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I have decided to try to bake bread. I don't really like any baked goods that you can buy in a store. I have tried multiple no-knead recipes already, including the NYT one, and although it is better than store-bought, I have decided it is probably worth it to try to knead. I do not have a mixer with a dough hook, so I'm doing it by hand. I started today, and the recipe said to knead for 10-12 minutes. I did it for 10, giving up because my arms got tired lol. But how do I know when it has been kneaded enough? Is it supposed to feel a certain way? I'm using dry yeast, not sourdough starter (would love to try that eventually) if that matters.
Yes, I know about Google, lol, but these days it seems like every time I Google something food related I just get a string of blogs with posts from people who may or may not have actually cooked the thing they are posting about, giving dubious advice. So I thought I'd ask here. FWIW, this is the recipe I tried (lol -- first on the Google search of blogs I'd never heard of, and I tried it): https://www.nelliebellie.com/homemade-bread-recipe-tips-and-tricks/?epik=dj0yJnU9eU5kVl8wTjBLZnRsTTdlN2ZFZ3czS0RDMkl6MHg3U3YmcD0wJm49R3B3X0xVUk5HX0JNb2t2SE5YeXVCZyZ0PUFBQUFBR2R4XzJV Also, I happily welcome any advice anyone wants to give me about baking bread. My dough is proving after the knead now so we'll see how this turns out. Fingers crossed. |
Anonymous
| I'll give you my lazy cheat. I bought a cheap bread maker on Amazon a couple of years ago. Under $100. The bread that it made was disgusting, but when I use just the knead cycle on the machine and then put the dough in a bowl to rise and bake it myself later, it comes out perfect. |
Anonymous
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I really like no-knead bread recipes for the most part. Make sure the dough is truly wet (takes on the shape of the bowl) and let it rest in the fridge for a day or more.
But if you do want to knead by hand, what you are looking for is the dough to feel smooth and elastic. It starts to feel like flesh. It doesn’t stick to the countertop anymore. It doesn’t take time to get there - it builds muscle! |
Anonymous
Sorry, it DOES take time - and effort - to get there. |
Anonymous
| Unless the recipe says otherwise, you want to work the dough until smooth and elastic. When you push a finger in there should be a hearty bounce back. 10 min seems like a lot. Most recipes call for 5-8 min of kneading. So if you can manage 10, you can make anything! |
Anonymous
| Agree that you want it to be smooth (like a baby’s bottom is the common saying) and to spring back when you stick a finger in it. |
Anonymous
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Get on the King Arthur flour website. Get a scale of your don’t already have one AND a bag of King Arthur flour.
Follow directions exactly and click on videos for anything you’re unsure of. I learned to bake from their website in exactly this way during the pandemic and you’ll be shocked by how good your first attempt will be. Using a scale is key because “1 cup” can vary by 20-30% in weight depending on how much you’re packing down the flour. I use their recipes as a default for almost everything i bake because the video links and ingredient weights make it hard to measure up, even for a novice like i was. https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/the-easiest-loaf-of-bread-youll-ever-bake-recipe |
Anonymous
| 10 min is quite a bit of kneading. I often put on some music while I'm kneading. You can do the windowpane test, which you take a small section of dough and it should be cohesive enough to see light through it like a window. It's definitely a feel thing, the dough comes together, isn't sticky anymore, and springs back. |
Anonymous
Super helpful! Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Thanks all. Bread is out of the oven and it looks a little -- short? I think maybe I didn't let the second rise go long enough. Haven't tasted it or cut into it yet, it's cooling. |
Anonymous
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I don't knead much, I mix it together until the dough holds together and isn't too sticky. Then I plop the dough in a plastic bag sealed with a twist tie, and put it in the fridge to let it rise overnight up to several days later (at least 12 hours, and no more than 3 days seems to work best for me.)
The long slow rise tastes better and makes the bread easier for me to digest, IMHO, in addition to skipping 10 min of kneading which is too dang long. |
Anonymous
| Watch some bread week on Great British Bake Off and even they will make some noises about kneading hurting and/or show off their arm muscles. |
Anonymous
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Thanks everyone. Y'all are awesome.
I tasted it and it is amazing. I love it so much more than the no-knead I was making. |
Anonymous
I'm so glad it came out well! I just wanted to echo the scale and KAF recipes/products advice above. And if you want to try no- knead again, this recipe is excellent: https://food52.com/recipes/69714-alexandra-stafford-s-no-knead-peasant-bread And for a focaccia, this is also fantastic: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/easy-no-knead-focaccia?srsltid=AfmBOooyhS0iJjEok1ceKMDKDD4C4l2SBGS77W3nHiQ9u6KgKMiT-YzX Check out the LaceBakes account on Instagram for her "will it focaccia" series, she has such creative and delicious ideas! |
Anonymous
Check out the book Flour Water Salt Yeast. It is a wonderful book for basic home baking. His approach to sour dough is rather wasteful though (for a home baker) and he gives an improved version in his second book. You really don’t need to kneed much to make great bread. |