Hi, 

I am trying to decide between a wood kneading surface and a silicone one such as the Silpat.

There are many good discussions on TFL about the Silpats but Hamelman says that dough must have friction to develop a skin on the dough when shapig. But the Silpat is a non-stick surface if I understand it.

Can someone who has used a Silpat and a wood kneading surface indicate their experience? I'll be using it mostly for bread doughs, standard and wetter hydrations.

 Meryl