Kneading

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Kneading can have more than one context:

[edit] Massage

To work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles.

[edit] Baking

Kneading is a process in the making of bread, used to mix together the ingredients and add strength to the bread.

Kneading can be done with a breadmaker, a mixer, a dough hook or by hand. The typical process of making a dough is performed (for a typical bread dough this will involve mixing flour, salt, water, oil and yeast). The dough is put on a floured surface, pressed and stretched with the heel of the hand, folded over, and rotated through 90º repeatedly. This process continues for around 10 minutes, until the dough is slightly elastic and smooth. The dough can then be proofed.

Once baked, this will allow a strong, well-risen bread with many small air pockets. If the dough was to be proofed and baked without kneading, the ingredients would not mix very well and the resulting bread would be very weak, and full of large air pockets. For a similar reason, it is better to use strong bread flours rather than normal plain flour.

Similar to kneading is punching down the dough, which is sometimes performed after proofing the dough. It is done in order for the bread to undergo a second proofing. It's aim is to remove any large air pockets which have formed in the dough.