October 11, 2010 - 6:44am
One handed slap & fold
This all started as a joke in the Spanish forum http://www.elforodelpan.com
I commented on my way of kneading, which is basically the slap & fold method using just one hand. It's a very convenient method for the amount of dough I use to make, about 1.2 Kg or 2.65 lb, but I've used it with up to 2.5 Kg of dough.
Good-humoured discussiong followed, with some forum members ironically questioning the possibility of such a thing as one-hand slap & fold, so I decided to make a little video and this is the result.
Share
Comments
Well, you certainly proved the naysayers wrong. I was forced to use this method for two months when I lost the tip of my middle finger in an alternator belt accident. It was awkward at first but it didn't take long to get into the rhythm. Still, it is not a method I would use everyday. It is a lot quicker with two hands. Less tiring, too. However, perhaps you are like Danielle Forestier and want to keep one hand clean lest you need to answer the phone.
Funnily enough, I always use a one handed slap and fold technique.
As I usually only work with 1kg of dough at a time I found it tricky to use two hands so I developed a method where I scoop up the dough with my bench scraper in my right hand then slap and fold with my left hand. Works a treat.
Cheers,
Gary
I occasionally use this one-hand method, too. Since I don't use mixers and knead by hand every time, I often get bored with one method and switch to another. Sometimes when I do the "traditional kneading" (press, fold, rotate) and the gluten just doesn't want to develop even after minutes of doing so, I slap it around with one hand several times until it stretches out, fold it and repeat. This often leads to a quick jump in gluten development so I can switch back to the other technique afterwards. It also increases the fun of kneading; especially if you had a bad start of a day it can be a nice therapeutic treat to aggressively slap the dough on the table :). And the dough really seams to like this treatment, too :).
I always use this method after letting the ingredients autolyse for 30 minutes, but I wet the counter and my hand and only slap until I get a nice smooth dough. Then back to an oiled bowl and several stretch and folds before proofing, 30 minutes in between each. Great fun but does tend to splatter white spots around, A.
Is no one going to comment on the totally awesome musical accompanyment to this amazing technique? Great choice of music.
I've done this, too. Not lately, though, as most of my breads have been nothing more than sandwich lately.
Hehehheh..
ahhem... Nice bread, thumbs up to you!
Pretty good method and you didn't get the curtains!
Eric
do you play the soundtrack while working the dough. Talk about inspirational!
Great choice of music by the way!
I saw this technique on a Julia Child show many years ago. I believe she was talking about little old Polish ladies slapping and throwing the dough. In Julia fashion she imitated it and cranked the dough almost over her shoulder. It was hilarious.
In all seriousness, it is an effective way to knead and not too tiring. Great way to de-stress,also!
I was sure I hadn't invented anything new :)