When you get really familiar with a particular dough you can sometimes tell if it is kneaded enough just by the feel of the dough underneath your hands, but this test isn’t foolproof. So I prefer to use the windowpane method of testing the gluten development of my dough. After you have been kneading your dough for awhile (8-10 minutes) and it has started to become less sticky you can try a windowpane test on a hunk of dough. What I like to do is cut off a dinner roll sized piece of the dough with a bench scraper. I then gently stretch the dough out using both hands. I place my fingers underneath the dough and wiggle it back and forth to see how thin I can get it. I want it to be so thin that I can basically see through it. If your dough tears before you can get it stretched thin then you know that you need to give it a few more minutes of knead time. Knead your dough until it passes this test and you will have beautiful high rising loaves.
Comments
Trackbacks
-
[…] 10-12 minutes or by machine for 7-10, or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and passes the windowpane test. Incorporate your raisins. I do this by hand because I find that it does not break the raisin up […]
-
[…] should be a medium consistency, with good dough strength and gluten development. It will pass a windowpane test when it has been fully kneaded. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it ferment for 1 1/2 […]
-
[…] it and knead for 8-10 minutes or until you have a dough that is smooth and elastic and can pass a windowpane test. If you are kneading by machine mix on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Your dough will have the same […]
-
[…] the counter and knead for 2 more minutes. The dough will be quite smooth and will pass a medium windowpane test (it will get pretty thin when you pull it, but will tear).Give the dough two business letter turns, […]
-
[…] Remove the dough to an unfloured counter-top and knead by hand for 7-10 minutes or until it passes the windowpane test. […]
what is a business letter turn?