Bread Thought

[debka_notion]

So Dad baked bread today- Walnut Bear Bread, which was very good, and which Em had made for Thanksgiving. He kneaded it, we think (we didn't time well) significantly less than was called for, and it turned out much lighter and softer than when she did it. I figured that that was due to less formation of gluten, but really, I know zilch about this. Other thing being- the purpose of kneading: formation of gluten and/or getting rid of air bubbles? ANyone (well, shirei_shibolim I'm sort of looking in your direction in particular, since you're notably good at this stuff) have input?

Comments

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

Formation of a gluten network. There are actually some methods of kneading (which don't really look like what we think of as kneading) that are designed to degas the dough as little as possible.

Gluten is a polyprotein made up of two single-strand amino chains: glutenin and gliadin. If you sufficiently hydrate wheat flour and leave it for thirty minutes, it will form gluten. The purpose of kneading is to "develop" the gluten, which means stretching the dough in every direction so as to form longer gluten threads in a web throughout the bread. The web is what catches the bubbles from the yeast.

As for the walnut bread, which I assume contains no actual bears . . . underkneading doesn't sound like a likely culprit. Underkneaded bread is more likely to be dense and crumbly. Lighter bread can result from (1) more yeast, (2) more active yeast, (3) longer and/or warmer fermentation, (4) less salt, (5) higher-protein flour, or (6) more gluten development. If he followed the same written recipe as Em, we can probably rule out 1 and 4. Not sure beyond that.

[jakal88.livejournal.com]

Normally I don't have anything to say in livejournals, but I really had to chime in with my dissappointment that there's no actual bear in the bread. Its just like Welsh Rabbit: no rabbit included.

[qianian.livejournal.com]

In non-yeast bread, kneading the dough more makes it tougher and more springy.