A few of you have been asking me to put up a basic tutorial on dough kneading for a while, and this seems like a good time. I’m normally a machine guy, I do most of my kneading with a mixer and a dough hook, however there are times when only the personal touch will do. The process is very simple. Starting with your mass of dough…
…you plant the heel of your hand in the middle and push the half that’s furthest away from you even further away:
Fold the elongated mass back down:
Give it a quarter turn:
And do it again:
And that’s all there really is to that!
Hand kneading seems to be easy. I’ve always done my homemade loaves by Kitchen Aid; however, my machine recently went
‘Kurplunk!” and I’ve started to look into kneading by hand. Do you feel it takes longer or the same time? I own Peter Reinhart’s “The Baker’s Apprentice” and he swears by the hand method. I’m curious. I’ve come to admire your site and follow it religiously. Thanks for all the insight. Your response would be greatly appreciated! Btw, hope the fishing trip was amazing. I’ll be taking one soon myself!
What will you be fishing for and where?
To answer your question, the hand method does take longer, but as you point out, some people find it to be superior. I don’t really have an opinion on that. I’ve always thought machines worked very well. I’m sure you’ll have excellent results either way. But thank you for all your very kind words, I wish you all the best on your trip!
- Joe