Kneading vs. Mixing

• Kneading dough is not the same thing as mixing together the ingredients. Mixing comes first, and kneading comes second. When your wet and dry ingredients are combined, you will have dough with a thick, wet consistency that holds itself together. To knead by hand, place the dough on a floured board or countertop. Choose a surface that has 1 1/2 to 2 square feet of space so you have enough room to work.

Shape

• Kneading is the most work you will do when making this kind of bread. It can be done by hand, or you can use an electric mixer, food processor or bread machine. You start with the sticky and formless mass of your dough, and end with a smooth, elastic ball. Kneading is what gives your dough shape and structure. The process of pulling and pushing on the dough allows the gluten in the dough to be stretched and strengthened.

Gluten

• The gluten in the dough forms when the flour is added to water, making strands of protein. These strands are what must be stretched so they can later accommodate the air bubbles in your rising bread. Not kneading your bread enough can result in a loaf that doesn’t rise properly. You are finished kneading when the all the gluten molecules in your dough are moistened and joined together.

Elasticity

• You cannot see the gluten molecules in your dough, but you can feel the dough becoming more elastic as you knead. As you push and pull on the dough, it starts to offer resistance, and retracts back into shape. Your goal for most bread recipes is to render the dough smooth so when you run a finger over its surface, nothing grabs or sticks. You will also see a sheen on the dough’s surface. This is another indication all the gluten molecules have been joined together.