Kneading and Proving
Cooking Skills: Bread 1
Chapter 2 · Kneading and Proving
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The basics
Kneading and proving are the two things that turn flour paste into bread. Kneading develops gluten; proving lets the yeast fill that gluten network with gas. Get these two right and nearly any recipe will work.
How to knead
- Hold the dough with one hand and push it away from you with the heel of your other hand.
- Fold it back over itself, turn it a quarter, and repeat in a steady rhythm.
- Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by hand. It starts sticky and gradually becomes smooth, elastic and less tacky.
- Use as little extra flour as you can: too much makes a dry, tight dough.
Short of arm strength or time? Try stretch and fold: leave a wet dough in the bowl, stretch one side up and fold it over, turn the bowl and repeat four times, then rest for 30 minutes. Do this three or four times. The gluten develops without any kneading.
Proving
Proving is the rise. It needs warmth, time and a covered bowl so the surface doesn't dry out.
| Where | Time for a first rise | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Warm room (about 24 to 27°C) | About 1 hour | Quick rise, good flavour |
| Normal room (about 20°C) | 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours | A good all-round rise |
| Fridge overnight | 8 to 16 hours | Slow, more flavour, easy to fit into a day |
These are guides: the dough, not the clock, is the judge. The first rise is ready when it has roughly doubled. The second rise (in the tin or on the tray) is ready by the poke test.
Knocking back
After the first rise, press the dough gently to push out the larger bubbles, then shape. This spreads the yeast evenly and gives a finer, more even crumb.
Try it
A classic white loaf with soft crumb
The butter makes a softer crumb and a slightly richer flavour. Follow the kneading steps closely and use both tests in this chapter.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 sachet (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 15 g butter, softened
- 320 ml lukewarm water (or half milk, half water)
- 1 tsp oil for the bowl and tin
- Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter, then add the water and mix to a rough dough.
- Turn out onto an unfloured surface (a little oil on your hands helps if it sticks) and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. It starts sticky; keep going and don't add much extra flour.
- Do the windowpane test: pinch off a golf-ball piece and stretch it gently between your fingers. If it forms a thin, see-through membrane without tearing, the gluten is ready. If it tears, knead for another 2 minutes and try again.
- Shape into a ball and put it in an oiled bowl, turning it once to coat. Cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Knock back (gently press out the large bubbles), shape into a loaf and place in an oiled 900 g tin, seam side down. Cover and prove for 30 to 45 minutes. Do the poke test.
- Bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 30 to 35 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding underneath. Cool on a rack.
A wholemeal loaf
Wholemeal flour absorbs more water than white flour and its bran cuts the gluten, so the dough is stickier, takes longer to rise and gives a denser, nuttier loaf. Resist adding extra flour.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 500 g strong wholemeal bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 sachet (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- 370 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp oil, plus extra for the tin
- Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water and oil and mix to a sticky dough. Leave it for 15 minutes so the bran can absorb the water.
- Knead for 8 to 10 minutes. It will stay slightly tacky: wet your hands rather than flouring the surface. It won't pass the windowpane test as thinly as white dough does, so look for smooth and springy.
- Cover and prove for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until doubled.
- Shape, put in an oiled 900 g tin, cover and prove for about 45 minutes, until the dough has risen just above the rim.
- Bake at 210°C (190°C fan) for 35 to 40 minutes. It should sound hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a rack.
A half-and-half loaf
The everyday loaf: half white flour for lightness and half wholemeal for flavour. Use the poke test to decide when to bake.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 250 g strong white bread flour
- 250 g strong wholemeal bread flour
- 1 sachet (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 1 tbsp honey or treacle
- 340 ml lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp mixed seeds (optional)
- Mix both flours, the yeast, salt and seeds. Add the water and honey and mix to a rough dough. Rest for 10 minutes.
- Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Prove in an oiled bowl for about 1 hour until doubled.
- Shape into a loaf and place in an oiled 900 g tin. Cover and prove until the dough has risen about 2 cm above the rim: use the poke test to check. A gently floured finger leaves a dent that fills back slowly.
- Bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 35 minutes, until deep golden and hollow underneath. Cool on a rack.
Experiments
Kneading time
How much is enough?
- Make two small batches of the white loaf dough. Knead one for 2 minutes and the other for 10. Do the windowpane test on both. Bake side by side.
Look for: The 2-minute dough tears when stretched and bakes dense and crumbly. The 10-minute dough stretches thin and makes a taller, softer loaf.
Proving place
Warm, cool or fridge.
- Divide one dough in three. Prove one in a warm place, one on the counter and one in the fridge overnight. Bake all three at the same temperature.
Look for: The warm one rises fastest; the fridge one has the most flavour and a slightly blistered crust. Note the time each took.
The poke test
Under, ready or over.
- Shape three tin loaves from one dough. Bake one after a 20-minute second prove, one at 40 minutes and one at 90 minutes.
Look for: The first is dense with a split side, the second is well risen, and the third is wide, pale and slightly collapsed. This is the difference the poke test is detecting.
White, wholemeal and half-and-half
The flour effect.
- Bake the three loaves in this chapter. Compare height, crumb and flavour.
Look for: White is tallest and softest, wholemeal densest and nuttiest, half-and-half in between.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic white loaf | ||||
| Wholemeal loaf | ||||
| Half-and-half loaf | ||||
| Kneading time | ||||
| Proving place | ||||
| The poke test | ||||
| White vs wholemeal |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Dough sticks to everything | Normal early on, or too wet | Keep kneading with oiled hands; add flour a spoonful at a time only at the end |
| Dough tears when stretched | Not kneaded enough, or rested too little | Knead 2 more minutes; rest 10 minutes and try again |
| No rise after 2 hours | Cold room, old yeast or very hot water used | Move somewhere warmer; check the yeast date; start again if needed |
| Big holes under the crust | Not knocked back and shaped tightly | Press out the gas and roll up tightly |
| Loaf collapses in the oven | Over-proved | Shorten the second rise; use the poke test |
| Dense, pale loaf | Under-proved or not enough kneading | Wait until the dent fills back slowly |
Allergens: bread contains wheat (gluten). Check the recipe for milk, butter, egg, sesame and other seeds, and nuts, and label them if you share the bread. Gluten-free bread uses different flours and methods and isn't covered in this course.
Mould: if bread has mould on it, throw the whole loaf away: the spores spread through the soft crumb where you can't see them. Don't sniff it. Keep bread in a bread bin or freeze slices to avoid waste.
- I can knead by hand and do the windowpane test.
- I know when a dough has doubled and when the poke test says ready.
- I can adjust the water for wholemeal flour.
- I know how to slow a dough in the fridge.
- I can spot an over-proved dough.