How long should I knead bread dough by hand?

How long should I knead bread dough by hand? - Woman making pastry on table with flour

Is there a general rule to the amount of time I knead dough? Some recipes will say "until it is considered soft and smooth". Regardless of what the recipe claims, I am kneading the dough for a minimum of ten minutes when it asks for it.



Best Answer

Time isn't the main factor, gluten development is. You should knead the dough until the gluten is sufficiently developed to give the dough elasticity, and the final bread good structure.

There are two simple tests you can perform to check whether your dough is kneaded sufficiently. First, the Poke Test. Form the dough into a ball, and with a floured finger, give it a light poke. If it springs back to its original shape, you're on the right track.

Secondly, you can do the Windowpane Test. Grab off a chunk of dough, then try and stretch it apart. If the gluten is sufficiently developed, the dough shouldn't tear - it should stretch to a point where you can see light through it, hence the name.




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How long should I knead bread dough by hand? - Unrecognizable female kneading soft fresh egg dough on cutting board with flour in kitchen
How long should I knead bread dough by hand? - Cook making homemade dough for pie in cafe
How long should I knead bread dough by hand? - Low angle of unrecognizable person stretching soft dough on rolling pin while preparing food in kitchen



How long does it take to hand knead bread dough?

On a practical level, it takes up to 25 minutes\u2014and some well-developed forearm muscles\u2014to knead dough by hand, and just about 8 minutes to knead in the stand mixer with the dough hook. However, if you do not own a stand mixer, you can still mix dough by hand and make a good loaf of bread from most doughs.

How do you tell if dough is kneaded enough?

Perhaps the best way to tell if your bread dough is properly kneaded is the windowpane test. To do this, tear off a chunk of dough and stretch it between your fingers. If the dough tears, you haven't developed enough gluten and it needs more kneading.

Can you over knead bread dough by hand?

Over-kneaded dough will also tear easily; in under-kneaded dough this is because the gluten hasn't become elastic enough, but in over-kneaded dough, this means that the gluten is so tight that it has very little give. If you think you've over-kneaded the dough, try letting it rise a little longer before shaping it.

How long do I have to knead bread?

An easy way is to hold the dough with one hand and stretch it out over the work surface with the other, then bring it back to a ball and repeat with the other hand. Keep kneading until it has a smooth texture and can be stretched without tearing \u2013 this typically takes 10 minutes.



How to Knead Dough




More answers regarding how long should I knead bread dough by hand?

Answer 2

I agree with ElendilTheTall that we should not use a fixed time to identify a well-kneaded dough. A lot of factors such as brand and type of ingredients used apart from weather climate and temperature plays a part in the development of gluten. If you want to see how a well-kneaded bread dough should feel and look like, you can check out my link, where I have posted some pictures and videos to help. http://eelistan.hubpages.com/hub/how-long-to-knead-with-stand-mixer

Have fun and enjoy experimenting with the texture of your bread dough while kneading! :)

Answer 3

I agree that each dough is different but I usually let the just-mixed dough (shag stage) sit for 5 minutes before working it into a ball and then knead a one-loaf country loaf of dough by hand for about 8 minutes. (And I put the timer on for 8 minutes to be sure I reach at least the 8-minute mark, going on a couple of minutes more as needed.) Most dough seems to transform to softer and more supple by 6 or 7 minutes into the kneading work and then feels "alive" and soft by 8 minutes.

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