Kneading dough - significance of warm hands
I made bread the other day and kneaded the dough by hand. The recipes everywhere ask for warm water, which is understandabe for the yeast to rise.
When my mother kneads dough using the same recipe, it turns out much softer and her bread in turn is softer. I wonder if it is because her hands are generally warm and mine cold? Or is it just a different kneading technique.
Best Answer
The temperature influences the speed of rising, but to significantly change the dough hardness, you need a very cold temperature. Even if your hands are "cold", they are certainly above air temperature, and firming up dough through coldness is only possible if you use very cold ingredients, below fridge temperature (4 Celsius).
It could be kneading technique, if by "technique" you mean the amount or type of lubricant added. Some people knead in a bowl of flour until the dough stops sticking. This will give you a very hard dough. Some use minimal amounts of flour during kneading, and yet others may knead without a lubricant, or using oil or water. Again, this is a very likely culprit in achieving different grades of softness.
A somewhat more "hidden" influence would be the direction of kneading (do you align your gluten into sheets or ropes, or do you just knead directionless) and the relaxation time given to the dough during kneading. The length will also play a role, longer kneaded dough develops more gluten and becomes tougher. But while these differences will contribute to a harder (actually "tighter") dough during kneading, they should be reduced after proofing. And the baked bread won't be harder, but slightly more translucent and chewy. This is because they result in more gluten, and what you describe (bread harder after baking) points to more flour.
So, if there is no difference in lubricant addition, one of you is probably measuring differently from the other and ending with a different ratio. Maybe one or both of you measures by volume, or is using a badly calibrated scale.
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Quick Answer about "Kneading dough - significance of warm hands"
Kneading by hand transfers more warmth to the dough as it will need longer to develop and there is more contact from the body. As the rate of dough fermentation increases, the warm dough can soon become gassy. This is when yeast creates a lot of gas.Are warm hands better for bread?
Every one always tell you that to make good pastry you need cool hands, and to be honest, the colder the ingredients and your hands, the better. If you naturally have warmer hands, simply run them under a cold tap for a couple of seconds before patting them dry and work the pastry before the heat up again!Why is it important to keep the dough in a warm place?
Temperature mattersThe longer dough rises (up to a point), the more flavor it develops. Conversely, dough that rises too quickly produces bread with flat flavor. Nail the sweet spot \u2014 warm enough to rise at a decent rate, yet cool enough to develop flavor \u2014 and you're golden.Why do we knead the dough with our hands?
Why We Need to Knead When the dough is kneaded, the proteins begin to line up in such a way that strands of gluten develop and create a structure that allows for the trapping of gases and the dough to rise.87: FIVE signs your Bread Dough is Fully Kneaded, Before and After - Bake with Jack
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Answer 2
How are each of you measuring your ingredients? If, for example, you both use a scale and you both measure to within a few grams, then that's not likely the cause of the difference. If even one of you measures by volume, then there are likely differences in how much flour gets into the dough. One informal poll I read had people measure flour by volume however they normally did that, then weighed that cup of flour. The amount of flour in that cup ranged from around 80 or 90 grams to over 200 grams. Whether someone sifts, fluffs, scoops, or spoons can make a difference in the amount of flour used.
More flour in the dough, the drier the dough and tougher it is. Less flour means a softer, wetter dough. That can account for what you describe.
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