Ok, I've been making bread several months and have not encountered this until I've become overly ambitious. I have a problem that started folding some dough that I stashed in the fridge for several hours, now with dough I'm kneading on the first go. It seems to begin to break down?! It goes from being elastic and having surface tension, to being a very slack, non elastic, stringy, taffy-like substance. What have I done?!
I just picked up Reinharts book, The Bread Bakers Apprentice. In it he mentions a detail about kneading and goes on to say that the home mixer will burn out before it overkneads dough and the human body will cramp up before IT over kneads the dough. Anyone have other ideas about this. I feel the home mixer ie. Kitchen Aid could break down the dough before it burns out. Opinions? Or personal experiences ?
I was making a chocolate bread today. After putting all ingredients I kneaded the dough well, it felt a little harder than usual, I decided to add a liitle water and finally it came together. I put it aside to proof. Then It suddenly dawned on me that I didn't add in sugar. Instead of throwing itbout or leaving it as is ( it'll be alittle bitter because of the cocoa), I decided to take the risk and add in the sugar and knead some more. Adding the sugar in the middle of the dough a little at a time, I managed to incorporate the sugar in.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
For what it's worth, you will find below a handful of links to videos that demonstrate hand-kneading technique. I encourage others to add comparable links herein, so this thread might become a reference point for TFL posters with questions on the topic.
Links were current as of Nov. 25, 2010.
The first video features world-class baking teacher Richard Bertinet demonstrating his slap and fold technique. He is working with sweet dough, but I believe he recommends a similar approach with other doughs.
The Bertinet link:
If this has been discussed and I missed it I'm sorry, but I didn't see it.
I tried a new recipe:http://artisanbreadbaking.com/bread/french_baguettes
recipe for a 60% hydration French Bread dough, the so called French Bread
Yesterday, I decided to tackle Richard Bertinet's "slap and fold" method of hand kneading after watching his video on Gourmet Magazine's website. I was extremely inspired. His motions and his hands make it look easy and in fact, overall, I found that it wasn't difficult to master.
I just read the following blog on the KA website.
Near the end there is a photo that shows two slices of bread, one kneaded in a bread machine, one by hand and points out the machine kneaded one is much lighter and airier. It doesn't say why!
I need some input on this one. I have a KA Pro. 600 Stand Mixer. Have baked bread years ago and kneaded by hand. Unless a type of bread that might be like a cibatta bread that you add flour table spoon by table spoon until the bread starts to breakaway from the side of the bowl.
If I use exact measurments it never does that. If I add more flour and I mean more flour a cup or more to get a workable dough my bread just does not taste good and the crumb is lousy. It might do a good rise but when baked not a satisfactory loaf.
