There are lots of good bread making machines which yes do make baking homemade bread a doddle. They do so much of the work for you, turning baking into an easy, fun activity for everyone. Have you ever stopped and wondered how these machines knead dough? In this guide, we are going to find out everything there is to know about how bread machines knead dough, what happens during the kneading cycle, and some tips to ensure your bread is perfect every single time.
Unlike normal bread machines, others use a mixing blade. So, this blade spins around in the inside of the machine, and it mixes and gathers the dough into a nice dough. The mixing blade scoops the dough up and spins it around the inside of the bread pan and this is a very important process because it develops something called gluten. Gluten is a unique protein that keeps bread stretchy and chewy when it is baked.
To start, the bread machine mixes all the ingredients which generally consist of flour, water, yeast, and salt. As the machine does its thing, the dough begins to coalesce into a ball. When the dough comes together nice and high, it goes into kneading cycle. And this is where the magic happens! The dough is kneaded in a bread machine for a set amount of time anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. The mixing blade pushes the dough both back and forth and in circles during these kneading intervals. This step of stretching and folding the dough out multiple times is very important as it allows the gluten to develop much further.
Kneading dough is not simply about combining the ingredients — it’s an essential step toward making good bread. This process determines how the bread will taste, feel and rise in the oven. In kneading, we assist gluten with its hard work to produce a delicious structure in our bread.
Gluten is a PROTEIN that we have in wheat flour. Combine gluten with water and it creates a stickier, stretchier dough ideal for bread. The stirring paddle gives the dough a good thrashing, which aids in lining up the gluten strands so they can cooperate. As we bake the dough, however, the heat of the oven causes gluten to set and captures the gas the yeast produces. This is what gives our bread a light and fluffy texture, which is exactly what we all want from a great loaf of bread!
The kneading cycle is a very vital step in making the best bread possible. This cycle typically takes around 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your machine and recipe. The first time you use a bread machine, the machine works the dough during this time without stopping, which means the dough is properly worked. The kneading cycle is a series of steps that bring the dough to perfection:
Don’t over-knead: Like with many things, too much is often a bad thing, and so it is with kneading; over-kneaded bread can become tough. To prevent this problem, always Listen carefully to the recommended kneading time for your particular bread machine.
