The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Kneading - Per Dan Lepard

colinwhipple's picture
colinwhipple

Kneading - Per Dan Lepard

According to Dan Lepard: 

 http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/baking/story/0,,2213355,00.html

"For years we used to say that it was important to knead in order to "develop the gluten", but we now know this isn't entirely true. High-speed dough mixing, the sort used in most commercial bakeries, or the ultra-high-speed Chorleywood process used to produce the well-known sliced brands, shows that the final elasticity and resilience in the dough can be increased by the amount of energy put into it. When dough is mixed relatively slowly by hand on a worktop, even by the most accomplished bakers, the changes that occur will be mostly due to the length of time since the water was first added, and the characteristics of and interactions between the ingredients. So you can knead the dough fast, slow, or even not at all, and end up with similar results."

Colin 

Dave W's picture
Dave W

Ive tried Dans method doing it in ten minuet, and half hour then full hour intervals and it works well. I also do it the slapping method ( no im not kinky !)  and I tend to use that method all the time, but it does seem to get everywhere.

Cheers

Dave W

dmsnyder's picture
dmsnyder

Hi Dave W,

You say "Ive tried Dans method doing it in ten minuet."

Personally, I prefer kneading in 4/4 time. 

Sorry. I couln't resist.

David

andrew_l's picture
andrew_l

is what I use all the time now. It works, it's easy, and the resultant bread is ace. What more can we want???!!!

Dave W's picture
Dave W

its not as much fun as slappin though!

Cheers

dave W