If the dough doesn't spring back when pressed with a finger, or tears when you pull it, it needs more kneading. If it springs back immediately when lightly pressed, and doesn't tear when you pull it, it's been kneaded enough and is ready to rise.
The windowpane test lets you see just how strong and elastic your dough is at any point. Try it when you've first started kneading, and the dough will break almost as soon as you start stretching it. But after sufficient kneading, you'll be able to stretch it much more thinly.
Gently press your finger into the dough on the top. If the dough springs back quickly, it's underproofed. If it springs back very slowly, it's properly proofed and ready to bake. Finally, if it never springs back, the dough is overproofed.
During the process of kneading dough, two key proteins within the flour, gliadin and glutenin, combine to form strands of gluten. Kneading warms up those strands, which allows the proteins to expand during fermentation and encourages the molecules to bond, making for a more elastic dough with better structure.
While you're still in the kneading stage, you can tell if your dough is under-kneaded if it's floppy and loose, tears easily, and still looks shaggy.
Many types of bread dough should be kneaded until their gluten structure is fully developed. The kneading process generally takes around 10 minutes by hand, but you'll notice the gluten structure developing right away: The dough becomes harder to work with and looks shiny.
You'll know your dough is kneaded enough when it feels smooth and elastic. Test Kitchen tip: Check it often to prevent over-kneading. This can create too much gluten, which results in hard, doughy bread.
If you peter out and don't knead your dough enough by hand, or if you don't allow it enough time in your mixer, the dough will lack strength. It is a tell-tale sign of not enough kneading if your bread dough cannot hold its shape or acts listless and fails to inflate. Instead of rising, the dough will spread out flat.
For most recipes, it's hard to over-knead your dough by hand, but you do risk overheating it, and that could prematurely kickstart proofing. Follow the recipe and don't be afraid to push your dough around a bit—you've gotta get that gluten in line.
Simple Steps for Kneading
Begin kneading the dough, pushing it down and then outward, only using the heels of your hands. Fold the dough in half toward you and press down. Then use the heels of your hands again to push down and outward, lengthening and stretching the strands of gluten and dough fibers.
Add water slowly, and keep mixing until all the water is absorbed by AASHIRAAD atta. If you feel like the dough is too hard, add some more water and keep kneading with your knuckles and fingers. Gently stretch the atta dough while kneading to make it even softer and easier to work with.
Bread dough should be sticky and wet when you begin kneading it. I encourage everyone in my classes to embrace the stickiness! When water is first added to flour, the flour takes a while to fully absorb it all, making that dough even more sticky.
Why is my dough so sticky? Your dough can become sticky when you add too much water or the flour isn't suitable for the type of dough you are making. Over proofing or fermenting the dough can also result in the gluten structure weakening causing sticky dough.
When you cut into an over kneaded dough, you will notice that the interior is very dry and crumbly. The slices will likely fall apart rather than holding their shape. While the general taste of the bread may be the same, it will not have a nice mouth feel but, again, be dry, dense and crumbly- no thank you!
These gases get trapped inside the dough buy the mesh the gluten makes. This is what causes your bread to be airy and fluffy. This mesh is formed by kneading the dough. If you do not knead a dough enough you do not give your bread a chance as the gluten did not have enough time to build that mesh.
The Science Behind Kneading Pizza Dough
Basically, through the basic process of kneading you're changing the molecular structure of the gluten the dough contains. This helps to give the dough strength and structure.