Are there any negative effects to kneading bread dough longer?

Question

Is there such a thing as over-kneading bread dough. From what I understand, kneading the bread dough is what allows the gluten strands to align and form the beautiful gluten networks that create bread with all the little air bubbles.

If that is the case, is it always, "the more you knead the better", or are there any negative effects that occur if you knead it longer than what your bread recipe states.

Asked by Jay

Answer

There are several negative effects from over-kneading bread dough:

• Overheating - if the dough gets too warm, it will ferment too quickly (or over ferment) and will therefore lack flavour.
• Oxidisation - kneading for too long can cause the flour to oxidise and bleach, again impairing flavour.
• Breaking down - eventually the molecular bonds of the gluten will break, which is obviously not what you want to happen!

The latter two are really only possible with electric mixers, however.

Most doughs are ready for fermentation when they reach an internal temperature of 77-81ºF. You can also check the gluten development with the Windowpane Test: pull off a chunk of dough and stretch it with your hands. It should stretch to form a very thin translucent sheet, without tearing.

Answered by ElendilTheTall

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