Success Secret: How to Knead Dough

Kneading dough is a key step in making homemade bread.

Who doesn’t love the aroma of fresh baked bread…it’s heavenly!  

Here are my success secrets:

Start by combining your bread dough ingredients.  It’s best to use a glass or plastic bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface.  I like to use a silicon mat for kneading dough.  Start with about a 1/4 of a cup of extra flour on the mat.  You will use this on your hands as you knead the dough and to sprinkle on the dough as you work with it to make the dough less sticky.

If the dough is very sticky, sprinkle some flour on top.  You will also need to flour your hands as well.

Gather the dough together and then begin by pressing the heels of your hands firmly into the dough – pushing it forward slightly.  Fold the dough over and rotate it too.

Repeat this press -fold-turn process and you are kneading dough!  You may add additional flour as you work the dough until it is no longer sticky.  Most bread recipes require 10 minutes of kneading to develop the gluten.  This whole process is what gives bread it’s texture.  So set the timer and enjoy you new found experience of making homemade bread!

Here is what the dough should look like after 10 minutes of kneading.