What is the easiest way to measure bread's rising?

Question

How can I easily measure the volume of my bread as it rises? I usually eyeball it or test for feel, but this isn't very accurate, and definitely isn't getting the full rising potential out of it.

Proofing buckets seem like one possibility, but I don't want to buy a large uni-task kitchen item if possible. I'm also not sure what volumes to expect from a pound of dough.

Asked by BobMcGee

Answer

Do you have a large plastic container? Something like this: .

Use a non-permanent marker on the outside to mark the initial volume.

A small diameter will make it easier to monitor the volume.

Answered by soegaard

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Should I add flour to dough if I already weighed the amount?

Question

I am using this recipe for pizza dough, and I received some seasoned advice from other members of this site to use a precise kitchen scale for weighing the flour and water. The question is, if I already precisely measured for weight ie 1LB flour and 11 oz water - do I forgo following the direction to add more flour as needed?

As you knead, add more flour or water as needed to produce a ball of dough that is smooth, supple, and fairly tacky but not sticky.

Asked by dpollitt

Answer

Once you have learned to recognize good dough consistency by feel, you might decide to add more flour. This is because even when you weigh, your texture can be influenced by small changes in the gluten content in your brand and batch of flour (it is a natural product after all, and the difference between 11 and 11.5% is already noticeable) and by the humidity of your storage room. Before you have learned to recognize the perfect texture by feel, only use additional flour to prevent sticking to utensils, unless it feels terribly wet and flows everywhere (but then you probably measured wrong).

Answered by rumtscho

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How can you tell whether bread dough is ready for baking?

Question

I've tried to make a special bread for making 'torrijas', the Spanish version of French toast. Very popular during easter, here.

Twice, the bread didn't rise correctly in the oven, even after extended rising. The resulting bread was pretty solid, with unbaked lumps in the center.

The second dough was kept in the fridge for 24h, then risen for about 1h, then formed and risen again before baking...

So, the question is if there is an objective way to determine when a dough is ready to be baked?

PD. I'll start a dwarf bread factory, shortly.

Asked by BaffledCook

Answer

Unbaked lumps probably mean you aren't mixing it enough. Try starting with a little less flour and knead in more as you go.

Another issue is you may not be kneading it enough. Next time try using the windowpane test. You don't have to do this every time, but if you're having trouble with a specific recipe this will help you figure out how the dough should "feel" when its ready by giving you a visual indicator. I've found that when I have dough rising problems, it's usually because I didn't knead long enough. This should also help fix your mixing issue.

That being said, there are two good to see if dough has risen enough. One is to let it rise in a marked container (though this doesn't work well for shaped loaves or if you aren't supposed to let it double). The other is the poke test. From a Bon Appetit online article:

To test for doneness, use the finger test: Poke it with 2 fingers; it holds the indentation, it's ready.

Generally I poke it and if it pops right back out, it's not ready. For sourdough, if it holds its shape for a moment and then slowly starts to expand back, it's perfect. For other breads, holding the indentation is a good indicator. This isn't necessarily advisable for delicate doughs. If you're working with a delicate dough, try the test on one loaf that you don't "need" to be perfect. You can use this as a relative time measurement for the future.

Answered by jandjorgensen

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What happens to pasta dough when it is run multiple times through the machine?

Question

Before, when I made fresh pasta, the dough would become a little "brittle" and was hard to work through the thinner settings of my pasta machine. Then I saw a tip on a cooking show to put the dough through the thickest setting several times (about 6 to 8 times), each time folding it onto itself.

The reason given in the show for the tip was that it would improve flavor/texture of the cooked pasta. However, it felt to me as if the dough became easier to handle (less "brittle") as well.

My question: what happens to pasta dough when you run it through the machine on thickest setting multiple times?

Some research I did before asking (that didn't give me an answer yet):

• Remembering it may have something to do with gluten, I read through the Wikipedia article on gluten. It does mention elasticity in the "bread" subsection, perhaps the same thing is at work here?
• Searching this Stack Cooking site I found this highly upvoted answer which mainly mentions gluten's effect on "elasticity" in the context of "chewiness", but doesn't related it to how well the dough can be handled.
• Of course I tried to Google the answer, but that mainly results in recipes for fresh pasta.

Asked by Jeroen

Answer

You're alluding to the correct answer: running it through several times basically kneads the dough and develops gluten.

Gluten provides strength to dough. It forms a flexible, elastic 'net' (the 'net' portion isn't really relevant to pasta dough though) , allowing it to stretch more and is much, much less brittle. Even better, would be to put it through several times, then let it rest for a few minutes so that the gluten relaxes and then continue.

You could also simply knead the dough longer. Many pasta doughs are extremely dry and very difficult to knead by hand - so the kneading mainly happens at the roller stage. If you're using a good mixer or feeling especially hulk-like, then you could knead further by hand.

Answered by rfusca

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What is the difference between a poolish and a biga?

Question

Both poolish and biga are pre-ferments. Poolish is a French name, biga an Italian term. What other differences are there between the two?

Just to give some direction: are there differences in making them? Can you both keep them as long? How does the dough feel with it? What difference does it make in the end result? Is there a difference in flavour/colour/texture?

Asked by Mien

Answer

I had to consult my copy of Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart to be sure, but here is a quote:

There are two types of firm, or dry, pre-ferments and two types of wet pre-ferments. The firm pre-ferments are known as pâte fermentée and biga. The wet pre-ferments are called poolish and levain levure.

...

Biga, an italian style of firm pre-ferment, differs from pâte fermentée in that it doesn't have any salt in it. Also, rather than cutting off a piece of finished bread dough to hold back as an improver, a biga is made specifically to be used as a pre-ferment.

So, it seems the main difference lies in the hydration of the dough, where a poolish is made with a ratio of equal water and flour. There also seems to be a few other differences. A biga apparently uses .5 percent yeast to flour, while a poolish uses .25 percent.

Mr Reinhart does not say anything about a concrete difference in final result between these methods - just that a 'wet' pre-ferment is faster. Faster in the sense that in the same time-frame a poolish will develop more flavor and character than a dry pre-ferment.

Sadly I've personally only used a wet pre-ferment, since it is easier to handle. Just whisk it prior to bed time with a wire whisk and mix in the rest of the ingredients the next day. Having a full blown dough makes it more difficult to incorporate the rest of the ingredients.

Answered by Max

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Salt 'n pizza (how much salt should be in the dough)

Question

I've made a pizza today and thought the dough could use a little more salt. I've looked at this answer and have a question about the salt ratio. How is it calculated? The percentage of flour, or the percentage of dough?

My pizza recipe calls for 300 g flour, 150 ml water and 3 g salt. That is 1% of the flour weight, but less of the total weight. If 3% is the recommended salt level for bread, I should be using 9 gr for the flour, or 13,5 g for total weight. That is a huge difference.

Edit: The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 bag of dry yeast (but I use my own mother dough), and 60 ml oil.

Edit: I believe I measured one tablespoon to be 3g :-(

Asked by BaffledCook

Answer

When you have a (good) bread recipe, the weight ratio is always given as percentage of the flour. This tradition is known as a baker's percentage. It may sound counterintuitive at first, but when you are measuring, or scaling, ingredients (which add to the total weight by themselves) you soon notice how convenient it is.

So, if you recipe calls for 300 g flour and 3% salt, it needs 9g salt. The water at 150 ml is 50% - a rather low hydration, don't do this with bread flour unless you have another liquid in the recipe you didn't mention (eggs, oil, or additional water for a poolish). It will be stiff with AP flour, but I like it that way, while other people find it too hard. It is up to personal preference, I guess. Also measure the other ingredients (yeast) as a percentage of the flour weight. And if you are given a recipe for fresh yeast, don't forget to convert it to instant dry if you are using it, or vice versa - the conversion factor is 3:1.

Answered by rumtscho

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How should I clean, or care for, a banneton (brotform, proofing basket)?

Question

How should I care for a rattan (cane) banneton? It would seem that washing it in water would eventually warp or ruin the basket since the wood can easily absorb moisture. I've seen people suggest that a quick washing is OK, but it still feels like the wrong thing to do if I want to prolong the life of the basket.

I usually just tap out any loose flour and store it. Some people are concerned about bacteria, but if used regularly, I don't see it as too much of a concern.

If one makes too wet a dough, it's possible that it could stick to the banneton and make a good mess.

Asked by MarkS

Answer

A stiff brush and a set out in bright sun is about all I've felt the need to do with mine.

• Normally I'll just tap out any extra flour.
• If I've got a dough that sticks (like last night when I didn't flour enough), then I just take a stiff brush and get all the bits off.
• If they do get a bit wet, dry them with a towel and then in a warm oven.
• If I think there's been enough moisture to be concerned about something growing, I'll set it in bright sun (or my UV exposure box). Strong UV is a good inhibitor for much of that.

Answered by rfusca

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How to make sweet-tasting noodles?

Question

I've never made noodle dough before, and I want to try it today. However, I'd like to make the noodles more sweet.

Is the base ingredient ratio for making the noodle dough one egg per 100g flour?

How can I make it sweeter? Would I just add sugar or is there a better ingredient to add that will not change the texture of the noodles?

Will adding butter and milk change the texture of the noodle?

Asked by thejh

Answer

Butter and milk will add fat and water which will definitely change the consistency of the dough (the noodles may possibly fall apart when cooked). You will have to adjust the ratios if you add them (surely more flour if you add milk).

If you want sweet noodles my best bet would be to add sugar, although I wouldn't do sweet egg noodles... maybe sweet rice noodles?

Why don't you just do plain noodles and then make a sweet condiment instead?

Answered by nico

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How far in advance can I stage pizza?

Question

We're having friends over and I'd like to make 3 or 4 pizzas. I'm considering stretching out the dough and put on the toppings ahead of time, say an hour ahead of when I pop them in the oven. How long can the pizzas sit on the counter in this pre-oven state?

Asked by Neil Fein

Answer

You can stage pan pizzas (chicago style, or pizza hut style) for up to four hours as long as you keep them covered. You can stage a stretched dough for up to an hour and a half between two pieces of wax paper. However, you need to take the time into consideration when proofing your dough so that you don't get blown dough as that will not be delicious. You should not sauce the crusts or top them as pre-saucing will change how your dough cooks in the oven.

If the dough forms a harder crust/ dries out, you should consider tossing it as it will not result in good pizza after cooking.

Answered by sarge_smith

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What should I cover bread dough with while it's rising?

Question

If you let (bread) dough rise, the recipe always asks to cover it. Years ago, I read to cover it with a wet towel. Nowadays, I see more and more recipes that ask for plastic wrap (aka saran or cling wrap).

The towel lets air through, the wrap does not. What is the difference between the two in the end result? What is best to use and why?

I'm taking about the first as well as the second (proofing) rise. If there is a difference between the phases, please inform me.

Asked by Mien

Answer

The goal is to keep the surface of the bread from drying out.

A wet towel works fine but plastic wrap is cheaper and easier than constantly cleaning wet towels.

I have used both methods and haven't noticed a difference in the bread produced. In very dry climates, when I made bread with multiple rises I sometimes had to redampen the towel which was an added inconvenience.

Lately I have been proofing large batches of bread in a large stock pot and just use the lid of the pot as the only cover.

Answered by Sobachatina

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How careful do you have to be with adding flour for kneading?

Question

When you're working a dough (kneading or rolling out), instructions often say to flour the surface you're working on and your rolling pin or hands. This helps the dough to stick less. However, I always am very careful that I don't use too much flour, because I'm afraid this will change the recipe. Is this fear irrational or would I need to use a lot to have an effect on the result? Is there a certain percentage of original amount of flour that you can't surpass?

I'm particularly asking about bread dough, but I think this will also apply to other doughs. I guess it would have more rapidly an effect on wetter doughs in general, but I'm not sure. So feel free to include broader answers.

Asked by Mien

Answer

Don't worry too much about it.

Be careful that some doughs are wet (high hydration - look at my question here), so they tend to stick more and are harder to manage.

If a dough is hard to manage, just let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. It will become tougher and easier to handle.

If you keep on adding flour, this will alter the bread formula (affecting the salt content and hydration), an additional percent or two flour won't make much of a difference.

Answered by BaffledCook

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Lightening Bread

Question

Is there a generally accepted method for lightening bread dough that is pretty general for a variety of breads; pizza crust, whole grain bread, dessert breads, etc.

Asked by Canuteson

Answer

Heaviness is caused by fiber and lack of water. A dry wheat dough will make a very heavy bread.

On the other hand a very wet dough that has a lot of protein will be lighter. The steam when baking will inflate the protein structure. The extreme example would be angel food cake which is light enough to not really be bread anymore.

Obviously you don't want it to be too light because then you get wonder bread. A lot of the things that make bread taste good also make it heavier.

The variables you can play with are:

• Water- the wetter the lighter (as long as it isn't so wet to no longer have structure)
• Protein- High protein flour or adding gluten will help.
• Fiber- lower fiber flour will be lighter. (but also less tasty)
• Additives- Chunky additions, such as whole grains, can damage the protein structure if overdone.

Answered by Sobachatina

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Windowpane test - Why does my dough fail it, and what is it good for?

Question

I am very new to pizza making, but after only 5 tries I am pretty pleased with the results. (I get passable Neapolitan-style and thin-crust pies.)

However, one thing I've noticed is that my dough has never passed the "Windowpane test," even after kneading (hand-kneading) my dough for much more than 10 minutes.

I have two questions:

1. What am I doing wrong?
2. What do I gain by getting my dough to the point where it does pass the test?

Asked by anon

Answer

I had this exact same problem for years. And it was all about letting the dough relax. I'd get beautiful crusts, but never EVER pass the windowpane test. I was so confused.

Turns out, all I had to do was leave it alone for about 10 minutes, much less and I'd still run into issues. The window pane test is intended to show that enough gluten has been formed that you can stretch the dough. It's a completely non-exact test. It's just to ballpark if there is 'enough' gluten. By leaving it alone for 10 minutes or more, the gluten has relaxed and can be stretched to form the window pane.

This relaxing is the same thing that you may need to do while forming your pizza. If you find that your pizza dough will stretch out some, and then pull back constantly - its good because you've probably got enough gluten. Let it relax for several minutes and then pull it back - go too far and you'll likely accidentally form a window pane!

Enough gluten means that you've formed an efficent 'net' of gluten that will trap gases from the yeast and also provide some 'chew'. You'll get better rise and your bread will have a better crumb. Yeast breads without much gluten development are often denser.

When hand kneading, an autolyse will also help (well, it always helps, just especially when you have to do the work manually). By giving the dough a short rest after initial mixing, you let the dough fully hydrate and some gluten will start to form on its own. When you come back to knead the dough, you should find the dough more workable and a little easier to get to the 'kneaded' point.

_{What's going on with 'relaxing' gluten? Kneading forms gluten, but it often also tangles them up a bit. With a short rest, they untangle a bit and will pull out into long strands easier.}

Answered by rfusca

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The Mother Dough Blues

Question

I wanted to expand my answer to this question by adding info about the color blue.

Both mother and sour doughs are very stable, but can be 'invaded' by a bacteria that'll give it a bluish taint. I'd throw that dough in the bin (actually, I did once), but I can't find any information confirming that.

So, there's the question: how do you recognize the mother is spoiled?

Asked by BaffledCook

Answer

The sour dough (including the 'mother') should be considered spoiled when:

• It smells very bad (like voimit or feces). The natural sour dough smell may be not very pleasant to some, but spoiled dough smells really afwul
• It grows hair. That means mold. And even if it is visible only on the surface, whole dough is spoiled.
• It gets strange colour. Generally the dough should be white/gray/brownish, maybe with some darker spots when whole grain flour is used. When it becomes black, red or blue – it is bad.
• It doesn't work. Good sour dough will raise when fed and put it warm place. When it is spoiled it usually won't work any more. Good bacteria and yeast are usually mostly dead when bad bacteria or mold took over the dough.

Answered by Jacek Konieczny

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Does resting kneaded dough for few hours change the taste/texture/softness of parathas?

Question

We use the kneaded dough for making parathas.

Does resting kneaded dough for few hours (covered, on shelf) change the taste/texture/softness of the final outcome?

P.S. After kneading the dough, all we have to do is to make small balls out of it and flatten them till they are thin enough.

Asked by Anisha Kaul

Answer

I know of four reasons to let your unyeasted dough sit for a while:

1. Gluten relaxation. user9074 has already explained this. The gluten that has formed during kneading needs time to relax, which will make the dough easier to work with and cause the cooked bread to be more tender.

2. Gluten formation. Kneading isn't the only way to get gluten molecules to link up. Time works well too. There are "no knead" bread recipes where you just mix the dough and then let it sit in a cool spot overnight, or in the fridge for a day or two. A few hours sitting on the shelf may improve your dough by letting more gluten molecules connect.

3. Autolysis. The flour itself contains enzymes that will break down some of the starch and proteins in the flour and improve its flavor. The effect of autolysis will be greatest if your dough doesn't include salt, but it may be a factor even with salt added.

4. Hydration. It takes time for the flour to really absorb the water that you add. If you've ever made a pie crust you'll know that pie dough changes dramatically during the rest period. It becomes soft, smooth, and pliable. That transformation happens because the rest period gives the flour time to soak up the water. I expect that giving your dough time to hydrate will improve it as well.

These are just some reasons why resting could improve your end result. Ultimately, there's an easy way to answer your question. Make up a batch of dough and give it time to sit. Prepare another batch just before cooking. Cook up some parathas from both batches and compare. I bet you'll find a noticeable difference.

All that said, I'd also bet that unrested parathas are better than no parathas at all. Don't let short time prevent you from making them any way you know how. If you're into experimenting, there are ingredients such as dough relaxers that you could add to get some of the same benefits that you get from a long rest, but in a shorter time.

Answered by Caleb

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What can I substitute for rice flour?

Question

I am going to try to make gluten-free pizza for my wife, and I'm going to start with this Serious Eats recipe.

The recipe calls for white rice flour, but my wife has just about everything EXCEPT that. She has: corn, oat, potato, rye, sorghum, soy, and tapioca flours.

Which of these (if any) can I substitute for white rice flour? Or should I just go out and buy some?

---

For posterity, the recipe is:

• 1 (7.5 ounce) package Chebe Original Bread Mix (not Pizza Mix)
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water plus an additional tablespoon or two, if needed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Asked by anon

Answer

I would go out an buy some.

Dough textures for gluten-free breads are fragile and the result of extensive testing with various non-wheat flours (at least, good ones like Serious Eats are). None of the other flours you have available will have the same water absorbsion or starch content which rice flour does. If you substitute, you'd have to make the recipe several times in order to recalibrate it.

Besides, rice flour is generally pretty useful if cooking for someone who can't eat gluten. So you'll use the rest of it. And if you can find it in a bulk foods store, it's quite cheap.

Answered by FuzzyChef

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Egg replacer for bread dough?

Question

I've been reading (most) questions and answers (here) about baking bread (which I love) and how to replace eggs in many recipes (which I wish I didn't need). Turns out, I too have egg allergy (not too severe) and a few of my favorite breads require one or more eggs.

So far I've seen two options, in many threads, that look promising: Ener-G egg replacer and replacing eggs with flax. However, not a single use case I've seen here is about bread. I'm looking for an option to replace 1-3 eggs in a bread dough with: 500 g of white wheat flour, 200 ml of milk, 50-80 g of butter, a variable amount of sugar (5-50 g) and 20-30 g of fresh yeast.

Examples of this dough are the Swiss züpfe, the Polish chałka and a similar recipe from Galicia (northwest Spain) with even more eggs. And so many other breads, but these are my favorite ones :)

Has anyone tried flax or ener-g on a similar bread dough?

Answer

As eggs are a very versatile ingredient: when substituting, it is important to determine whether the eggs are being used as a leavening agent or binder (or both). In recipes where the egg is used primarily as a leavening agent, I have used a mixture of baking powder (not soda), water, and vegetable oil in a 2:3:3 ratio, though you may want to experiment with the proportions depending upon your recipe. You may also need to vary the amount of other liquid in the recipe.

Where the egg is used primarily as a binder, you could use banana, applesauce, or gelatin, depending upon the recipe (obviously, you'll probably want to avoid the fruits in a savory recipe). I've used, and been thoroughly disappointed with, the available commercial "egg replacers" and don't recommend them for any purpose. I've heard of using flax, but have no personal experience with it.

However: as the father of (and resident chef for) a young child with egg and milk allergy, it is my experience that successfully substituting for eggs is very difficult. For breads in particular, I don't even bother with recipes that call for eggs or milk, and favor those that use the basic 3 (4): flour, water, yeast (salt).

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How can I modify corn bread recipes to accomodate a wet filling?

Question

I am hoping to make dough cups using a corn bread style dough. My approximate recipe would be, presumably, to par-bake initially, then fill with a pot pie style liquid/solid mixture, top with a corn bread puck, and bake until it is molten and exterior browns.

Standard style corn breads I have eaten are too spongy for this kind of application, and would not be able to be pressed against the walls of the muffin pan to form the walls; to give an idea, my initial idea was to try something more like beer dough for the par-baked crust.

Is there something in between? Even if corn-bread is throwing off my search results, I am guessing perhaps there is a molten cup cake batter/dough recipe or something that can be modified to have a savory corn-bread flavor and still really stand up to baking with a liquid inside.

• How can I modify standard corn bread recipes to accomodate a wet filling?
• Am I underestimating the resilience of corn bread to not succumbing to exploding from its filling?
• Would it be possible to use a standard corn bread recipe, but then, in effect, laminate the inside with something toothsome but not too distracting in texture (for instance, egg wash might prove a good laminate, but I am looking for vegan solutions)?
  • I have done similar things with egg wash before, would a wash of flax/Chia egg produce the same result?
  • melting something like cheese on the inside might work, any vegan options spring to mind (other than daiya)?

(Vegan options preferred, but I can make substitutions as necessary)

Answer

I agree that cornbread will not have the structure you need since it's close to a sponge cake. Instead of modifying a cornbread recipe, I would recommend modifying a pie crust recipe.

A standard pie crust is approximately 3 parts flour : 2 parts fat : 1 part water. To achieve the cornbread flavors, replace some of the flour with the cornmeal, as it can serve the same purpose as flour in this case. You can also replace some or all of the water with milk or buttermilk. If you do not like the grainy texture of the cornmeal, soak the cornmeal in the liquid you choose for several hours to overnight.

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Should you freeze pastry lukewarm? If so, why?

Question

I have a book about baking in general. In the chapter 'Preserving pastry in the freezer' is the following sentence (I translated it for practical reasons):

Pastry should be frozen as fresh as possible, don't let it cool completely and put it in the freezer lukewarm (at 35°C = 95°F).

There is no information why you shouldn't let it cool completely. It's the first time I've heard this (and it's a pretty famous and often used book here; it could be wrong though).

While I was searching on this site whether the question was already asked, I've found this question. The accepted answer claims the opposite.

So, I want to know if the claim in my book is correct and why or why not.

Answer

I think it's because freezing tend to dry things out. At lukewarm temperature, it's still 'steaming' a bit, which means evaporating liquid, so losing moist. If you can stop the drying out process at that point, the pastry won't be as dry as when you let it cool completely. Of course, a too high temperature can do harm to already frozen things, or would cause condensation in the package, so that there would be ice formed.

This could be the reason, and therefore, the statement can be true.

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What are the impacts of common pizza dough errors?

Question

I'm diving into the world of making pizzas from scratch, and I'd like to take a systematic approach to the possible mistakes I could make with regards to the dough.

What impact do each of the following errors have on the final taste/texture of the pizza crust?

• Quality (using old yeast) and quantity (too much/too little) of yeast
• Too much or too little water to flour ratio
• Overworking or underworking the dough
• Too much or too little resting time of dough

Answer

I don't see anything in the question that is peculiar to pizza dough. Anything I answer will apply to any kind of yeast-risen, glutenous dough.

The goal with any such dough is a well hydrated protein matrix that has been arranged in sheets that will trap the gas produced by yeast.

• If the yeast is dead it won't be able to produce gas and your bread will be somewhere between a cracker and shoe leather- depending on how thick you roll it out.
• Using too little yeast is not the same as dead yeast. If you use too little yeast (within reason) they will take a long time to reproduce, eat, and blow up your stretchy proteins. They will be producing a lot of flavor during this period. This will generally taste good.
• If you use too much yeast (within reason) the yeast will act very quickly. This is nice for speed but it will result in a much less developed flavor. Neither is a problem so you can choose for yourself.
• Using too little water will result in not enough gluten development and a dry, or crumbly dough. The dough won't hold gases and there will also not be enough steam when baking so the dough will be more dense.
• Too much water and you have a batter that can't be worked with.
• Over working a dough isn't so much of a concern. It is possible to over knead but it is hard to do. See: Possible to over-knead dough?.
• Under working the dough will result in less gluten development and very similar results as using too little water- basically you will have unleavened biscuit dough. The exception is if you are following a "no-knead" recipe. In this case the dough is allowed to rest for days which lets the protein sheets form on their own.
• Resting the dough is necessary both to relax the protein mesh that you created as well as to allow the yeast a chance to blow it up with some CO2. Not long enough and you won't be able to roll out the dough because it will be too tight and it won't be risen because the yeast haven't eaten. Too long and the bubbles will coalesce into large open cavities. A good rule of thumb is "doubled in volume". Usually about an hour but this is highly dependent on how much yeast you use, how much water, and the ambient temperature.

The end result is that you don't need to worry about most of these things. The biggest mistakes I see people make is making a dough too dry or simply not kneading enough. It is easier to add flour than water so put in less than the full amount of flour, knead for a while, if the dough stays too sticky then add a bit more flour and knead in.

As answers to other questions have said- you want a dough that is "smooth and elastic" it isn't sticky and looks homogeneous. After just a couple tries you will get a feel for how wet that means and you'll be an expert.

For pizza dough in particular- almost as important as the dough construction is the baking temperature. You want to cook it as hot as you can. 500F in an oven or on a grill. It will only take 5-10 minutes. The fast hot cooking will do a lot for your crust texture. It makes the difference between a crispy, chewy pizza crust and a soft, bready (and soggy under the toppings) crust.

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