If the dough feels very dense and tough when you knead it against the counter, that is a sign that it's starting to become over-kneaded. It will be difficult to flatten the dough out and fold it over on itself in a normal kneading pattern. And when you do, over-kneaded dough has trouble integrating the new folds.
You can tell you've kneaded dough too much if it becomes difficult to stretch. Sometimes this happens when you use a stand mixer or food processor. Overkneaded dough will be tough and make tough, chewy bread.
Kneading with a KitchenAid mixer for 2 minutes is equivalent to kneading 10-12 minutes by hand. KitchenAid does not recommend kneading bread dough for more than 2 minutes at Speed 2, and that the total mixing and kneading time does not exceed 4-6 minutes.
For a normal loaf, the more you knead it the less sticky it becomes. Dough is always wet and sticky at first but, once you've kneaded it for five to six minutes, it becomes less sticky and more glossy as it develops a skin, which is the gluten forming.
Resting the dough gives the gluten structure a chance to loosen and unwind, and it will give you a better final product.
Smooth Dough – The dough will start out looking like a shaggy, lumpy mass and will gradually smooth out as you knead. By the time you finish, it should be completely smooth and slightly tacky to the touch. 2. Holds Its Shape – Lift the ball of dough in your hand and hold it in the air for a second.
Stickiness is related to the hydration in your dough, no more and no less. A focaccia dough is going to be very sticky, and it is meant to be. Unless you knead with oil (a valid technique for sticky doughs) you will be cleaning dough off your hands, and a lot of it.
One of the top reasons for a sticky dough is adding too much water. As stated earlier, high hydration makes the dough stick from everything. Thus, it is essential to understand and learn how to control the hydration level. In addition, adding more water to your dough will require a longer kneading process.
Dough doesn't become sticky during the rise. It was probably sticky when you put it in the bowl or proving drawer. To avoid sticky dough, add water in drip by drip during the kneading process. Stop when the dough is soft and springy even if you have water left over.
Bread Loaves made with over-kneaded dough commonly end up with a hard crust and dry interior. Often upon cutting, slices will crumble. If your perfect bread loaf turns into a crumbly mess, don't worry. The overworked dough will work great when used as croutons or breadcrumbs.
Fully kneaded dough will hold its shape, look smooth, be slightly tacky when touched, and bounce back when pressed inward (via Kitchn). The Spruce Eats warns that if your bread is under-kneaded, it will spread flat out instead of rising, and may collapse in on itself.
Yes. After the first rise, you can knead the dough lightly to remove some gas that causes air bubbles. This step is ideal if you want your dough to be flat and dense or if you want bread with a close crumb, like sourdough. If you prefer sourdough with an open crumb, just knead the dough lightly.
It's lumpy yet well-mixed (no dry spots of flour); it's a cohesive ball but not a smooth one; it sort of looks like the inside of a soft pillow. Next time you need to make a shaggy dough—for hot water crust, pita, shortcakes, pie! —you can use this photo (and also your hands and eyes!) as a reference.
Dense or heavy bread can be the result of not kneading the dough mix properly –out of many reasons out there. Some of the other potential reasons could be mixing the yeast & salt together or losing your patience while baking or even not creating enough tension in the finished loaf before baking the bread.
Knead it two to three times before forming your desired shape or placing it into a bread pan.
Spraying or brushing loaves with water while they bake will produce a crispy and crunchy crust with a nicer (in my opinion!) colour than the unglazed one. Water keeps the dough skin from forming the crust, enabling the dough to expand. It also smooths out the crust, creating a more refined appearance.
Too much kneading and the dough might not be dry anymore, but now it's tough. You want to add the additional liquid slowly, otherwise you aren't giving the dough enough time to absorb it. Only use whatever liquid the recipe originally calls for whether that's water or milk.
If you are using the proper flour there are two options. You haven't kneaded it enough, and the gluten network isn't well developed. Or you have overworked it and the gluten network has broken down. The third option is that you are making dough with lower protein flour.
How to tell the difference between “sticky” and “tacky” when it comes to dough: The easiest way is to press your hand onto the dough and then lift it up. If the dough pulls up with your hand and then releases (so your hand comes away clean), the dough is tacky. If you end up with dough stuck to your hand, it's sticky.
How to Handle Sticky Bread Dough. If your dough is so sticky that it sticks to everything, you need to add a little flour to it. As you are kneading it, make sure that your hands and your work surface are coated in a light dusting of flour, and add a few teaspoons of flour at a time. This will get rid of the stickiness ...
If the dough doesn't spring back when pressed with a finger, or tears when you pull it, it needs more kneading. If it springs back immediately when lightly pressed, and doesn't tear when you pull it, it's been kneaded enough and is ready to rise.
For most recipes, it's hard to over-knead your dough by hand, but you do risk overheating it, and that could prematurely kickstart proofing. Follow the recipe and don't be afraid to push your dough around a bit—you've gotta get that gluten in line.
The structure of gluten plays a massive part in how your bread is formed and the gas production it creates is what develops the air pockets in bread, allowing it to rise. If your dough is not kneaded enough, the right amount of gas will not be released and it will result in a very dense bread with little moisture.