36 — Wednesday, January 16, 1991 - North Shore News

rFoOD

Knead away the day’s stresses

WHEN CAROLYN talks
about kneading, she uses
the word relaxing and the
phrase ‘‘grass-roots cook-
ing.’*

To watch her knead is a
pleasure. Her motions are grace-
ful, smooth and fluid. The finish-
ed loaves are a reminder of how
good homemade bread can be.

Kneading makes a big dif-
ference to the texture and velume
of finished yeast breads because it
develops gluten. This protein por-
tion of the wheat kernel becomes
stretchy when moistened and mix-
ed, giving the dough strength to
hold its shape when baked.

Gluten is also found in rye, oats
and barley, but in much smaller

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inquisitive

Cook

ANNE
GARDINER

SU
WILSON

quantities than in wheat. So reci-
pes using these grains generally
add wheat fMour to boost the
gluten content.

Begin kneading as soon as the
dough is too stiff to stir, Knead
by firmly pushing the dough away
from you with a slight rolling mo-
tion. Use the heels of your hands,
since your fingers will break the
gluten strands.

Then fold the dough toward
you and give it a quarter turn.
Push, fold, turn with vigor. Add a
gentle rocking motion and you've
soon got Carolyn’s rhythm.

Sprinkle your hands and the
surface under the dough with just
enough flour to keep it from
sticking. You can knead in the last
cup or so of flour.

But stop as soon as the dough

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ceases to stick. Amounts will vary
according to the humidity in the
air and the amount of moisture in
the flour.

Well-developed dough is elastic
so it can expand over many hours
as yeast gives off carbon dioxide.
And, strong, elastic doughs hold
leavening gases, so as the yeast
grows, the dough rises.

Since fermenting yeast creates
heat, kneading equalizes the
temperature throughout the
dough, and it rises more evenly.

The business of constantly
folding incorporates oxygen which
stimulates yeast activity. Then
carbon dioxide produced by the
yeast expands existing air pockets.
in this way, kneading determines
the final texture of the bread.

Hand-kneaded doughs generally

MATTRESS

th to Saturday, Jan. 26th, 1991, while quantities last.

Mon.-Fri. 9:30-9:00
Sat. 9:30-6:0
Sun. 11-5

require a minimum of 10 minutes
of steady kneading. When the
dough is sufficiently kneaded, it’s
shiny, smooth and resilient. As
you push the dough, it pushes
back. Small gas bubbles may ap-
pear beneath its taut surface.

Doughs high in sugar require
longer kneading since sugar com-
petes with flour for water, slowing
the formation of gluten. These
recipes are also usually higher in
fat, which by its slippery nature,
interferes with the development of
gluten, making sweet doughs more
tender.

Carolyn says it’s never hard to
find help with kneading. After a
hectic week, this warm earthy art
is as good for those who are
kneaders as it is for the rising
dough.

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