June 6, 2014 - 7:14am
Is my kneading causing layers?
I've been baking bread in fits and starts for over 2 years, but not consistently. The recipe I've made the most is the "hearth bread" recipe from the King Arthur website (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/hearth-bread-recipe).
I'm actually happy with most aspects of the bread, when ever I bake it everyone seems to love it. However, there is one issue I'm not sure how to solve, and thus this post.
My loaves often have layers or sections to them, where I have folded the bread during kneading. Am I not kneading enough? Kneading too much? Not kneading the correct way?
Your thoughts and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Drew
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A photo that shows what you're describing might help! 8)
Thanks Bob, most of the evidence had been eaten when I decided to post here. I'll take PaddyL's suggestion on flour, and if the the problem continues, I'll post a pic.
You have to be careful not to pick up extra flour when you're kneading. Before you fold the dough over, you could brush away whatever bits of flour are on the surface before kneading it back. Or put less flour on your kneading surface.
Generally I knead using no flour on my countertop as I've gotten too many dry doughs/loaves in the past.
Pockets in your dough will happen if you don't knead until your dough is uniform OR if you use too much flour when you shape.
Make sure you knead thoroughly enough so there are no more dry ingredients visible anywhere in your dough.
When shaping, use the least amount of flour on your work surface and dough to keep the dough manageable. Brush off any excess flour during and after shaping.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for all your input, I followed PaddyL's recommendation and reduced the amount of flour I use when kneading, and it solved my problem.