Realized I was kneading bread way too rough for 2 years straight

I used to pound my dough like it owed me money. Every batch came out dense and flat. Then I took a class at a local bakery in Portland and the instructor watched me for 2 minutes. She said 'you're tearing the gluten, stop fighting it.' I switched to gentle folds and stretches instead of slamming it on the counter. Now my crumb is actually open and airy. Anyone else have a moment where you found out your whole technique was off?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_gibson2d ago

Same thing happened to me with pizza dough. Was manhandling it for months until someone pointed out I was bruising the yeast.

spencer_wood2d ago

Read somewhere that yeast is actually alive and you can kill it with too much handling. Made me way more gentle with my dough.