How Do You Knead - I Wouldn't Have the Staying Power!

Peggybabcot

peachyprice wrote: »

I use my Kenwood now, but before I had it I used to do the same as Pigpen. It was the only good use I found for the breadmaker.

I agree. I bought my breadmaker last year and I've never really taken to bread cooked in it but I do use it daily to create the dough. It's great for just throwing the ingredients in, coming back one and a half hours later, slapping it in a tin then cooking in the oven. This I found to be the best combination. I have a kenwood food processor too with dough hook but find it struggles with the 500g loaf it claims to be able to handle. I much prefer the dough the breadmaker creates and of course you can just leave it to its own devices unlike the food processor x

Anne_Marie_2

The sole reason I bought a bread maker, many years ago, was to save me making dough due to skin problems, and it was cheaper than buying a Kenwood at the time. Lot less work than kneading yourself, and saved my hands from cracking up.

I'd really love to have a bash at the slap and stretch method, and funnily enough was just watching a video earlier on. Wonder if I could do it wearing plastic gloves?

http://www.waitrose.com/home/tv/player.richard+bertinets+white+bread+masterclass.1.2322993709001.html

lazy_daisy

I use my Kenwood food mixer with dough hook too and it's brilliant - about 7 minutes should do it. I have hand and arm problems, probably RSI or whatever it's called nowadays...
Thanks Ciderwithrosie - slap and stretch sounds fun, might try that next time!

Funky_Bold_Ribena

Anne_Marie wrote: »

The sole reason I bought a bread maker, many years ago, was to save me making dough due to skin problems, and it was cheaper than buying a Kenwood at the time. Lot less work than kneading yourself, and saved my hands from cracking up.

I'd really love to have a bash at the slap and stretch method, and funnily enough was just watching a video earlier on. Wonder if I could do it wearing plastic gloves?

http://www.waitrose.com/home/tv/player.richard+bertinets+white+bread+masterclass.1.2322993709001.html

Yes, you could easily do this method using gloves - latex would be better or you will just have to tie them round your wrists to stop them sticking to the dough. It is easily the best method that I have ever used and it was how I was taught to make bread. The trick is to make the dough wetter than one that you knead; I use 500g flour to 350g water, 7g yeast and 7g salt.

It does work your upper body and you need space to move the dough around. Plus a scraper. Essential to keeping the dough in the right place!

Anne_Marie_2

Thanks Bold Ribena, I have some Nitrile gloves, latex is a no-no for me, will give that a try and see how it goes. Plastic ones are fine for slicing onions/tomatoes and other foodstuffs which irritate my skin, and work out cheaper than the Nitrile for everyday use. I go through reams of the dashed things.

Thanks also for your recipe and the tip about the scraper....will invest in one.

Winchelsea

1. I do "slap and stretch" with my sourdough. On a warm day I often walk out on to the patio with my lump of dough and give it a nice swing about in the warm air. But one day it obviously hadn't reached the right degree of stretchiness, and a whole lump went flying through the air - what a waste!

Hasn't stopped me though - have done it since with no mishaps!

(Don't know why there's a no. 1 and a paragraph - can't delete it either - bother the new technology!)

PasturesNew

That's the other thing isn't it: space for kneading.

My food prep area's about 18" square.

Allegra

I have problems with my joints, too, but I still manage the kneading - a couple of minutes at a time usually suffices though. A mixer with dough hooks also does the job..... And as for preparation space, I have a bit more than you, but it's still not huge - so I have often kneaded in the mixing bowl, more to save cleaning up than anything else.

All in all, if you can't, or don't want to knead, you don't have to - as you say, there are no-knead recipes aplenty. If you really want to, though, there are ways that make it nowhere near as hard as it appears at first.

enabledebra

I don't use my bread maker much but I make soda bread often, no kneading and no waiting. Mix, shape, and straight in the oven.

lostinrates

I use the bread maker now, or mixer, but my hand mixer has a dough hook and cost less than a tenner some years ago now. Hand mixers are so useful.