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For dividing a batch on a work surface
OXO Multi-Purpose Scraper & ChopperA rigid stainless bench tool for portioning dough and clearing the board.
Stainless, ruler marks every 1/4 in
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Kneading bread by hand, and the slap and fold
Kneading builds the gluten network that holds gas. For firmer doughs, push, fold and turn on the counter for 8 to 10 minutes, the time Red Star and KitchenAid give. For wet dough, from about 67% hydration (King Arthur uses its wet-dough methods from 67 to 80%), use the slap and fold: lift the dough, slap the bottom onto the counter, stretch it toward you and fold it over. Either way, stop when the dough is smooth and stretches thin without tearing quickly.
Firm dough: classic kneading, 8 to 10 minutes. Wet dough (about 67% and up): slap and fold for a few minutes (King Arthur's whole wet-dough method takes about 6 to 8), or skip kneading and use stretch and folds during bulk.
Classic kneading
Use as little extra flour as you can: every spoonful changes the hydration. A bench scraper gathers sticky dough without flouring it.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter.
- Push it away with the heel of your hand.
- Fold the far edge back over and give it a quarter turn.
- Repeat with a steady rhythm for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and springy.
Slap and fold for wet dough
Pick the dough up with both hands, let the bottom slap onto an unfloured counter, stretch the top toward you and fold it back over the bottom. Turn it 90° and repeat. It looks messy for the first minute, then tightens quickly. Wet hands help; flour does not. A few minutes is usually enough before the dough rests for bulk fermentation.
Kneaded enough?
The windowpane test: stretch a small piece between your fingers. Well-developed dough stretches thin enough to let light through before it tears. For sourdough with folds ahead, a rough windowpane is enough; strength keeps building during bulk.
By machine
A stand mixer with a dough hook does the same work on a low speed: KitchenAid says speed 2, never higher for yeast doughs, for anywhere from 2 to 15 minutes depending on the dough. Watch the dough, not the clock, and keep the dough temperature in check: mixers warm the dough.
Questions bakers ask
Can you over-knead by hand?
It is very hard to over-knead by hand; you will tire first. Stand mixers can over-mix, leaving a sticky, slack dough.
Do I need to knead no-knead or sourdough bread?
No. Time and a few sets of folds build the gluten instead.
Equipment for this job
Keep what you own when it does the job. These are the other exact models we profile.
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