Kneading Dough

[Kitchen Witch]

Kneading Dough

Place the dough on a lightly-floured work surface.
Fold the dough in half, pushing with the heel of your hand. Turn dough about a quarter turn.
Repeat process anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes depending on the amount of dough. Scrape up any dough that sticks to the work surface and continue. Well-kneaded dough will be smooth and elastic. When stretched, the surface should be smooth and even. It should be even, not webby. There also should be some resistance from the gluten when you pull on the dough. Doughs made with whole-grain flours should look the same but will feel less springy.

Kneading transforms dough into a pliable mass suitable for baking. The process stretches and expands the gluten strands allowing the dough to hold gas bubbles formed by a leavener, which in turn allows the dough to rise.

Kneading can be done by hand or with assistance from an electric mixer equipped with one or two dough hooks or a food processor with a plastic blade.

By hand, kneading is accomplished with a pressing-folding-turning action performed by pressing down into the dough with the heels of the hands, then pushing the dough away from the body.