Kneading
Working dough by pushing, folding and turning it to develop gluten, making the dough smooth, elastic and able to trap gas.
- Techniques and preparation methods
By hand, knead by pushing the dough away with the heel of the hand, folding it back and turning it, usually for 8 to 12 minutes. In a stand mixer with a dough hook it takes about 5 to 8 minutes on low to medium speed.
Kneaded dough should be smooth and springy. The windowpane test, stretching a small piece until thin enough to see light through, shows that gluten is well developed.
Bake it at VanillaGoods
Tools for this
KitchenAid 7-Qt Bowl-Lift Stand MixerA big, powerful mixer for stiff doughs and large batches.See it on Amazon
Stainless Bench ScraperLifts, cuts and squares off dough cleanly.See it on Amazon
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Related entries
Sources
Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
- Yeast Bread Baking - A Kitchen Science "Drama", Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (AnswerLine)
- Enjoy Yeast Breads Both Plain and Fancy (FN 283), Utah State University Extension
- Wheat Proteins - The Foundation of Breadmaking (S. P. Cauvain, 2012), Cereals & Grains Association (Cereal Foods World)
- Kneading (Q3089784), Wikidata