When and how much flour do I add when mixing dough?

I am a rookie bread baker and I have been following some recipes that range in amounts of water and flour. I have a Kitchenaid artisan mixer that has been doing the hard work of kneading for me. My problem is knowing when to stop adding flour during mixing/kneading.

Some recipes say add flour until the dough is workable and then knead. My questions is, when they say use 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups of flour but no more. How do I know when to stop, I have ruined a few loaves as they came out heavy and dense.

How do I know when to stop adding flour and let the gluten take care of the stickiness? I often find myself adding flour until the dough balls up and pulls from the sides but by then it's too late.

On the other side, I have kneaded for 15 - 20 minutes waiting for the dough to pull sides of the bowl and it never happened.

When do I add flour and when do I just wait?

Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Best Answer

I'll convert my comment into an answer, based on your request for help or suggestions. Bread formulas are created using the "Baker's Percentage Method". It is expressed in the amount of liquid in ratio to the amount of flour. This percentage varies according to the style of bread, but within each style produces accurate results when using weight measurement.

Using volumetric measurement, especially for flour, is highly inaccurate because many variables can influence how much flour fits into a measuring cup (grind, humidity, compaction...etc). That is why these kinds of recipes often suggest a range, and put the baker in the position of guessing.

Using a scale, and weighing your ingredients according to the baker's percentage of a recipe, removes the guess work.

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Quick Answer about "When and how much flour do I add when mixing dough?"

The dough should feel sticky, firm, and a bit stretchy once it has been mixed together. Rule of Thumb: Add flour in 1 Tbsp. increments to avoid adding too much and drying out your dough.

Do you add flour when kneading dough?

Dough Recipes

Get yeast and salt ready.

Put flour in a mixing bowl.

Crumble yeast on one side, salt on the other side.

Create a hole in the middle, and pour water into the middle.

Combine with a dough scraper.

Place dough on the bench.

Work the dough by throwing, folding and letting go.

Doughy hands are okay!

How do you mix flour into dough?

The Ratio: 5:3, Flour to Water The ratio for bread is 5:3, flour to water, plus yeast plus salt and sometimes plus sugar.

What is the flour to water ratio for dough?

I always recommend avoiding adding flour when you knead your dough unless you haven't added enough in the first place. If you're adding more flour during the kneading process because it's sticky, you're drying your dough out even more and it's likely to ruin how it turns out.

Mixing and Dough Development

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Images: Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen, Katerina Holmes, Klaus Nielsen