Why does dough break when kneading, and how to prevent/ameliorate it?
I'm very new to bread-making in general; don't assume I'm necessarily doing anything right.
During my last attempt at making quick (baking-powder-based) flatbread, I was attempting to flatten and knead the dough after having let it rest. What happened was that rather than bending or spreading as one would expect, the dough kept cracking/breaking into pieces here and there.
I have several questions related to this, feel free to answer any/all of them:
(a) What mistakes might have been made ahead of this point, in the recipe or the technique of preparing the dough, to cause this?
(b) On the other hand, what can be done to prevent it from happening in the future?
(c) Given a hunk of dough with this tendency on the table, what can be done to salvage and/or rectify matters? This can be in terms of kneading technique, or adding anything to the dough to make it more cohesive.
Best Answer
It sounds like it didn't have enough liquid in it. Assuming we are talking about a normal wheat-flour bread dough, I can't think of anything else that would lead to cracking and breaking. Properly hydrated bread dough should be quite moist and elastic, and the only way you can "break" it is to stretch it hard and fast with a pulling motion.
Fixing this situation is hard. You can try to knead more water into it, but it has a tendency to just slip off the surface. Try spreading it out as thin as possible, spraying or rubbing on a little water, folding and kneading and repeating the process.
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Quick Answer about "Why does dough break when kneading, and how to prevent/ameliorate it?"
Cracking is caused by insufficient elasticity, which is usually caused by insufficient moisture. Adding more moisture into the recipe would almost certainly help you out there. You can go with a 70% dough hydration for example, utilizing the stretch and fold technique to achieve stability.What to do if your dough keeps breaking?
A sign that the dough is lacking gluten development is when it tears easily when stretched out. If it's tearing, just knead it for a few more minutes and try again. Before you try this, it's a good idea to let the dough rest for a few minutes so the gluten can relax. This makes it easier to stretch without tearing.Why does my dough tear when kneading?
When dough tears, it's most commonly caused by a lack of gluten development or dry dough. Make sure that you're kneading your dough enough to pass the windowpane test and you're using enough water to keep the flour well hydrated. Avoiding adding too much more flour to your dough when you're kneading.Why is my bread dough splitting?
You need to make sure that you do not leave air pockets in the dough. These air pockets can be a result of a bread that is too loose and can end up close to the surface of the bread. The baking process will expand and push out of the crust wherever they are, causing a burst or split in your crust.More answers regarding why does dough break when kneading, and how to prevent/ameliorate it?
Answer 2
I've found the easiest way to re-hydrate your dough is to simply keep dipping your hands in warm water as you're kneading until you reach the desired texture. If you hydrate too much and your dough becomes sticky, add more flour again.
Answer 3
I had that problem and found a adding both oil (just a little and working that in) and water (same) and repeating the process as needed with water only until the dough became more elastic and less resistant. I worked quickly because yeast has a timing issue (as do I!) and it is a challenge for me to get it just right. I managed to do this without overshooting and having to add more flour which I don't like to do. It seemed to do the trick and bread still rose beautifully.
Answer 4
Cracking is caused by insufficient elasticity, which is usually caused by insufficient moisture.
Adding more moisture into the recipe would almost certainly help you out there.
You can go with a 70% dough hydration for example, utilizing the stretch and fold technique to achieve stability. This would give you bread with large uneven holes in your crumb, like a rustic bread or a ciabatta.
I heartily recommend checking out a book called Flour Water Salt Yeast, by Ken Forkish. He also has a very good book on Pizza, if that's of any interest.
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