Kneading and Proofing Bread
Is your bread coming out dense or are you just curious about the bread making process? Well count this as your guide to all things bread. Learn everything you need to know about kneading and proofing bread dough.
Why is kneading and proofing bread dough so important?
Kneading bread and allowing it to rise, or proof, are the two most crucial steps when baking bread as both contribute to fluffy bread. Without kneading, you won’t get the proper gluten development needed to retain gases during the proofing stage. Without either, you’ll be left with a sad, dense brick of a loaf of bread.
Equipment & Ingredients for Basic Bread Dough
- Bead flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content which is optimal for bread baking. All purpose flour is fine in a pinch, but do not use cake or pastry flour.
- Yeast: Used to make bread fluffy by converting carbs to carbon dioxide. Breads that don’t use yeast are called sourdoughs and use a levain.
- Salt: In addition to boosting flavor, salt tightens the gluten structure and thus strengthens the dough.
- Water: Your dough hydration. Different types of beads use different hydration percentages.
- Stand mixer with hook or paddle attachment: Used to knead the dough until you pass the windowpane test. If using a stand mxier, you’ll need the dough hook and sometimes paddle, and for a hand mixer, you’ll need the dough attachments.
What Desserts Use Bread Dough?
- Fried donuts but not baked (uses a cake batter)
- Danishes and croissants and any laminated pastry
- Babka or anything that uses a brioche dough
- Any bread based item including cinnamon rolls
All About Kneading and Proofing Bread:
Why do I need to knead bread?
Flour is composed of starch and protein and the proteins are called glutenin and gliadin which are long and tangled. Together, glutenin and gliadin form gluten. Kneading rubs these “subproteins” together to stretch them out then lines them up and cross-link themselves to create a net to retain gasses during the proofing stage. Kneading also incorporates oxygen in the dough which helps yeast breath and produce carbon dioxide. The windowpane test proves if you have developed enough gluten strands for proper structure to help retain those gasses for the final rise.
How do I know if I’m done kneading?
Test for the windowpane by taking a small portion of dough and roll into a ball. Stretch it out gently starting in the middle. Stretch it into a square and until the center is a thin film. If your dough stretches thin enough to see the gluten strands and you can see your finger through it then the dough has developed enough gluten. If it rips easily, then you need to develop more gluten strands by more kneading/mixing. You should see the network of gluten strands. It’s called the windowpane test because light should be able to pass through like through a window.
What happens when bread dough proofs?
After all that work of mixing and providing a GREAT net of gluten strands, the dough needs a break. During that break the yeast activates, eats the carbohydrates, and releases carbon dioxide which leads to rising. That net of gluten you weaved kneading is capturing and holding in that gas. The amount of time it takes to proof will depend on your environment. The warmer it is, the faster it will proof; the colder, the longer. See my tips for speeding up proofing times if your environment is not ideal.
Know the different yeasts:
There are several different kinds of yeasts, and they are treated differently when baking. There is fresh, active dry, and instant. While it doesn’t matter what type of yeast you use, you do need to understand if and when you need alter your recipe and the conversion factor. Active dry needs to be activated by warm liquid, but not too warm otherwise you’ll kill the yeast. This happens at 120*F. Fresh yeast activates faster and stays active for longer giving a richer taste. It has to be whisked with the liquid until it blooms or becomes foamy and bubbles. With instant yeast, you can add directly to the dry ingredients.
Getting hung up or lost on all the baking terminology? Study up here.
Considerations When Kneading Bread Dough
While baking bread may be intimidating, it doesn’t have to be! I highly recommend always using a stand mixer. Using a hand mixer and especially hand kneading are not optimal to achieve enough gluten development. However, since bread baking can be rough on the mixer depending on hydration level, I will always mix on low to medium low. Sometimes I’ll even put it on the floor so it doesn’t shimmy off the table. When done mixing, round it into a ball, place back in the bowl, cover, and allow to proof.
How to Speed Up Proofing Bread Dough
- Turn your oven on. When it reaches 110-120*F turn off your oven and place your dough (covered) inside. Shut the door. Do not allow the temperature to exceed 120*F as that is when yeast starts to die.
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Place inside your oven (while it’s off) with your dough, covered, inside with the door shut. Do not place the dough directly above the water.
- Place next to or in front of a heating vent or in direct sunlight.
- If it’s a hot and humid summer day, set it well covered outside.
Troubleshooting Kneading and Proofing Bread Dough
- I can’t get the windowpane! Just need to keep kneading. If your dough is getting too warm, reduce the speed to low. Also make sure you are pulling at the bread dough gently when forming your windowpane.
- My bread dough is not rising at all! You definitely have an issue with the yeast. It’s either expired, you killed it, or didn’t use it properly. If you used a different type of yeast than in the recipe, you may have converted it incorrectly.
- My bread dough is proofing too fast! Place in the fridge to slow down the yeast development, technically known as retarding.
Have questions or something else is going on? Reach out and I’ll try to answer it for you!
