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That baker at the farmers market in Denver told me I was overkneading my dough
I was at the Denver City Park farmers market back in June, and I bought a sourdough from a guy named Tom. He asked how I made my bread, so I told him I kneaded for a solid 15 minutes. He goes, "You're killing the gluten structure, mate. 8 minutes max." I argued with him for a bit, even showed him my loaf from last week that came out tough. He pulled out his own dough and let me feel the difference - it was way softer. Ever since then I cut my kneading time in half and my crumb got way more open. Has anyone else had a total stranger change their whole process?
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dianawilson2d agoTop Commenter
Strikes me how often we're one accidental encounter away from breaking a bad habit. It's funny how a total stranger can sometimes see what we've been doing wrong for years.
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jana5092d ago
The thing nobody mentions is that altitude changes everything. I moved to Denver from sea level last year and my dough turned into a brick until I figured out Denver's dry air sucks moisture fast. Your kneading time might be fine at home but up in Denver that gluten dries out quicker. Tom probably sees this all the time with transplants. Maybe check your flour too - high altitude flour absorbs less water so your dough stiffens up faster than you expect.
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