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I used to think you had to knead bread dough for 10 minutes straight, but a baker in my town set me straight.
For years, I'd stand there at the counter, timer set, working the dough until my arms hurt. I thought that long, hard knead was the only way to build proper gluten. Then I took a class at the local community center here in Springfield, and the instructor, a guy who runs a small sourdough bakery, showed us the 'autolyse' method. You just mix the flour and water and let it sit for 30 minutes before adding yeast and salt. That rest lets the flour hydrate and starts gluten development on its own. Now I barely knead for 2 minutes, just a few folds, and my loaves have a better, more open crumb than ever. It completely changed my weekend baking routine. Has anyone else switched to a no-knead or minimal knead method and been shocked by the results?
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emma_clark11d ago
Honestly, I read about that autolyse trick in a library book and it blew my mind.
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evan_wilson1811d agoTop Commenter
Blew your mind" is a bit much for just mixing flour and water early. That trick is basically just resting dough, which happens anyway during normal bread making. It adds an extra step without much real change in the final loaf. I've tried it side by side and honestly couldn't tell the difference.
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