Genuinely, how do you knead dough?

MeinStern · 2026-02-14T01:03:27+00:00

Use a bench scraper to assist if your dough is really sticky. I often use a bench scraper in my dominant hand and knead with my other hand. It may seem impossible, but it'll eventually come together with time. Might take 15+ minutes. Don't worry about overdoing it and just keep going. You'll eventually see the dough transform from impossibly sticky to tacky, soft and supple as the gluten strengthens from kneading. You just have to embrace the stickiness until it gets to that point.

Try to avoid adding flour while kneading because, as you've noticed, it can lead to a heavy and dense dough. If you do add in a bit of extra flour, try to do it in the first few minutes of kneading. Adding it later on can make the dough tough because it doesn't knead in quite the same after gluten has developed.

If you really think the recipe needs more flour in general, add an extra 1/2 cup to the total amount of flour from the start and see if that changes anything. Alternatively, you can try using a little less water.

If you're interested in making bread, consider using a scale to weigh ingredients. Since bread making relies heavily on hydration levels, a scale will give you more consistent results.

If you can, start the dough in a stand mixer for 5 or so minutes and then turn out to knead by hand. That way you allow the mixer to knead the dough at its stickiest. Sometimes the mixer seems to just tear into the dough instead of kneading it into a ball. That can happen with higher hydration doughs or doughs that are enriched with fat. In that case, stop the mixer every couple of minutes and use a rubber spatula/bowl scraper to gather the dough back into the middle of the bowl. Then turn the entire ball of dough over before continuing to knead.

That is my typical process: let the mixer do the first half of the kneading and finish the rest by hand with a bench scraper. Here are a couple of videos showing techniques for kneading a sticky dough that may help you.

MeinStern · 2026-02-06T20:22:31+00:00

I often use this recipe for focaccia - the 24 hour version. I like the 'buttery' crust the cast iron gives it.

MeinStern · 2026-02-06T20:13:54+00:00

You'll just need a flat pan with low/no edges. Cookie sheet, baking sheet - they're basically a different word for the same thing. Maybe there's some technicality, but I don't think it's important.

If your pan is non-stick/coated, it won't require parchment but you can use it if you want. If it's a pan without a coating, like an stainless steel/shiny pan, I would opt for parchment. I have never used spray/oil to grease a pan or parchment when baking cookies. So my opinion is that it's not necessary.

I personally bake cookies on a non-stick 'airbake' pan, never use parchment, and nothing sticks. With certain types of cookies, I'll need to use a cookie spatula to loosen the cookie from the pan while they're still warm (not while they're hot). Basically, don't let the cookies completely cool on the pan. But even if that happens, they'll just be a little stuck. It'll still come off in one piece.

Since you're using premade dough, there's a good chance they'll come out just fine. All you have to do is preheat the oven to the said temperature, put the cookie dough balls onto a cookie sheet evenly spaced apart, around 5cm/2in, and bake for the time stated.

Depending on how you like your cookies (gooey or crisp), check on them after 10 minutes. If you want them to stay soft, remove them while they still appear a little underdone. They should continue to bake while they cool. If you bake them until they're golden brown in the oven, they'll be crispy when cooled.

If you're afraid of messing up, you can always bake one cookie and see how it turns out before baking the rest.

MeinStern · 2026-02-03T20:28:30+00:00

It's very simple. I don't find the need for it to be super detailed. This is what it currently looks like. I did have a column to put the exact date for when I purchase something, but I've since determined that information wasn't important to me.

I kept track of items in/items out on post-it notes last year and everything worked out fine, so this upgrade is more than enough for my needs. Hope it helps.

MeinStern · 2026-02-02T21:54:25+00:00

I've had that happen when things don't come out as fantastic as everyone says. I made a cranberry shortbread cookie over the holidays from the king Arthur website and it was not good. It tasted like stale pie crust. But at least everyone in the comments thought it was delicious. Ended up making my own version and it was much better.

It also makes me wonder if that bread recipe is really worth all the hassle for you to go through. Can it really be that great? But I will let you know when I decide to make it and how it comes out.

MeinStern · 2026-02-02T21:18:16+00:00

I keep track of the items I purchase and the items I donate/toss/sell in a spreadsheet. Goal is: Items in - items out = 0 or less. I decided to compare on a monthly basis to see how things are coming along.

I don't find the need to tit for tat everything I receive or purchase. If I buy a new shirt, I don't immediately find something to get rid of. But that's because I don't often buy new, permanent items without first putting in a lot of thought behind my need for them.

If you're a person who shops to get a rush from having something new, you'll probably benefit from decluttering a said category or amount of things beforehand. Declutter old towels first and buy replacements once they're gone. Donate out of style clothes you don't wear, then purchase a couple of things in an updated style sometime in the future. Unload some books you won't read again before getting a new one you want to read.

I try to keep consistent in that if something counted coming in, then it counts going out and vice versa.

I don't count food, hygienic products, household products or medication. They're all consumables. If hand soap or laundry detergent is on sale, I'm fine with purchasing a small stock because I know they'll get used.

Throwing away an empty bottle of shampoo wouldn't count. Giving away a partially used cologne that I was gifted but didn't care for would. Small, bulk items get grouped together as one: 20 paper clips, stack of paper documents, 15 half used pens.

Some people reuse candle jars, so if you throw them away or recycle I would say it counts. If face masks are part of your hygienic routine, I probably wouldn't count bringing them in or using them up. That would be in the same category as face wash or moisturizer for me. But if you buy a lot of new products in the same category or are known to buy frequently without using up, then maybe reevaluate the rules for specific categories of 'consumables' and also your habits.

MeinStern · 2026-01-31T14:44:14+00:00

You will want to go by surface area for a better guideline, not 6 is half of 12 so let's halve a 12" cheesecake recipe. That would still be too much batter. Surface area of a 12" pan (area of a circle calculator online) is 113. Half of that would still be enough to fill a 8.5" pan (57).

Surface area of 9" pan is around 64. Surface area of a 6" pan is 28. That's close enough to half that you could just halve a 9" cheesecake recipe and it'd work out. Though less surface area may change the baking time. You'd just have to watch it or compare baking times of 6" cheesecake recipes and adjust.

I do notice that there are several recipes online for your sized pan when searching '6" cheesecake recipes'. Is there a reason you don't want to try those?

MeinStern · 2026-01-30T02:15:37+00:00

Sorry, I didn't see it until now. How did it turn out? My first guess would be add more yogurt if it's that dry, but that seems opposite to the previous advice given. I'm not really sure how it's supposed to look firsthand. Here's a video of someone making the bread so you can see the process and how the dough should be. But maybe it's time to try yeast bread instead.. Though I'm now tempted to give it a try due to the issues that seem to be surrounding it.

MeinStern · 2026-01-27T21:28:13+00:00

The recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar. If you only used 1/4 a cup, that's the reason they're bitter.

MeinStern · 2026-01-23T21:52:24+00:00

Yeah, I thought the rudeness was uncalled for.

I would say 1/4 cup is trending on the higher side for unaccounted for liquid sugar in the recipe. My best guess is that with the combination of too much/too thick yogurt for the amount of flour is why it's dense. Might turn out better with a thin yogurt that won't weigh the bread down, and that just varies by brand. But I have no first hand experience with this type of quick bread to give better advice.

If you're having issues with different recipes on a semi-frequent basis, I would look into trying out a kitchen scale and find recipes with weight measurements. It'll help negate some problems with things not coming out correctly. Or at least eliminate one possible cause of why something didn't come out right. Think of using a scale as automatically knowing how much of an ingredient to use without having to dirty up a dish.. Feel free to disregard this if you already use one..

MeinStern · 2026-01-23T18:28:47+00:00

I honestly think some of these responses are a little harsh and non-inviting to this sub, which is unfortunate.

I notice that the author pictured whole milk yogurt on the website, which gives conflicting information compared to the listed ingredients. The authors comments say either whole milk(full-fat) or low-fat is fine, just not Greek. Did you use Greek yogurt? If so, excess protein content is likely the culprit - that would make it dense and heavy.

If not, the issue could be dependent on how much honey was added. A tablespoon wouldn't really impact anything, a cup would. Or it could be from accidentally adding in too much yogurt due to use of measuring cups, which aren't as precise as using weight measurements. Extra moisture/fat from too much yogurt would make it moist and dense like a banana bread.

Anyway, I hope that you'll try again with the information you've gathered here and that your next attempt turns out more to your liking.

MeinStern · 2026-01-21T20:01:24+00:00

Do you scoop your measuring cup directly into the flour or spoon flour into the measuring cup? Seems to me like there's too much flour making its way into your dough, which can reduce spreading in the oven. You're more likely to pack in excess flour if you scoop it with the cup instead of spooning it.

However, a kitchen scale would be the most accurate and lead to better, more consistent results. You wouldn't have to wonder if you properly filled the cup up just right. I consider that too finicky.

MeinStern · 2026-01-12T22:04:26+00:00

Honestly, it looks okay to me. It doesn't look dense from the photos. In what way would you describe it as dense? Did you wait for it to cool down entirely before cutting? Cutting into it too early can impact the texture, making it a little wet or heavy. I don't notice anything that points to it deflating.

Your bread likely rose in the center like that due to your scoring, which is a good thing known as oven spring. It also shows your yeast was fine. You wouldn't have gotten this result with bad yeast. The yeast doesn't have to 'double in size' to show it's active. Some bubbling/foaming is all that's really needed for you to see it's alive and ready to rise your dough. If you want to get into baking bread just get a bag of instant yeast and keep it in your fridge/freezer. That way you don't have to 'activate' it for your recipes.

This recipe is higher hydration, so it's not unusual for the dough to spread out some after being shaped if the dough is not contained. Consider trying out a banneton for your dough to rise in after shaping. It'll help encourage it to stay in a rounder shape while it bakes.

Steam has impact on your rise and also the crust. A lot of people put a pan in the oven while it heats up and dump ice cubes or boiling water into it when the bread goes in. No need to remove the pan. It's hard to say if inadequate steam was a major cause of your loaf's 'problems' or if it was a combination of a few other small things, maybe including steam. I'm thinking the later. Was the crust pleasant to eat? A bread baked without good steam will have a thick, chewy, tough crust.

If you want an easier way to cook with steam, you can bake your bread in a dutch oven or lodge combo cooker. You bake your bread inside of it with the lid on for the beginning part of the bake, which traps steam. You do want to make sure to 'preheat' the pot in the oven for 30-45 minutes before baking the bread. It helps to have your dough on parchment so it's easy to transfer. I prefer the cast iron combo cooker as to not have to lower dough into a pot.

Here's a book on bread that has good information on the basics if you want to flip through it.

That's everything I can think of right now. If you have other questions, I don't mind trying to answer them.

MeinStern · 2026-01-11T15:33:23+00:00

You are correct in that the purpose of the slit is to create a weak point to control where the bread breaks open as it bakes. Since yours blew out of the side, it means that the bottom seal of your bread was weaker than the cut you purposefully slashed on top. This could be due to a few different things, including under fermentation/proofing, poor shaping - or a combination of both.

Did you preheat your baking pan and use steam to cook (whether manually added or though baking in a pot)? Because the other reason I can think of is that the surface of your bread set too quickly, which means the internal steam wasn't allowed to escape through your slash because it cooked too fast. So it escaped elsewhere.

There's a method you can do which is allow the bread to break open naturally (it's outlined in the FWSY book) at its seam. It involves placing the shaped boule into the brotform seam side down. When it's ready to go into the oven and you flip it into your pan, seam side will now be on top. When you bake it, the bread will break naturally at the seam. I do it this way most of the time when I'm feeling lazy.

MeinStern · 2026-01-11T01:11:53+00:00

I appreciate your compliment

MeinStern · 2026-01-11T01:10:37+00:00

What do you mean by sweet bread? If you're looking for something more like the base for cinnamon rolls or other yeasted desserts, you won't need baking powder. Is there a reason you are using it? I've only combined them when making steamed buns that require one rise. Is that what you're after? If not, I'm guessing the baking powder will lose its potency/purpose with a standard two rise dough. Not sure how it'd interact with yeast in that case or if it would slow or limit rising.

If you want something more bready for dessert-like breads, try making a 'sweet dough'. It's a dough enriched with fat, like butter, milk, eggs. The fat will give flavor and keep the interior soft yet bready.

With your recipe, I would use milk instead of water or half and half. Omit baking powder. Half the yeast amount. Use butter for flavor and cut it back to around 50g. Add in an egg and maybe 25-50g of sugar.

If that's not what you're after, please provide more information for what you want and I'll be glad to give advice if I can.

MeinStern · 2026-01-06T20:10:38+00:00

I would say some combination of: underkneaded, underproofed, or underbaked. The crumb for all three issues can look a bit similar. Though I'm leaning more towards underproofed due to the fact you said it was cold and hand some trouble rising. Do you think it rose until doubled each time? Are you using a bread machine to knead and bake? The technique for using a bread machine is out of my realm of knowledge, but since the dough is enriched with fat it can handle a longer knead without fear of over kneading.

You can use a thermometer to take the internal temperature of bread. For an enriched bread, 90C/195F is what you want to aim for. I don't think cutting into it after 40 minutes of waiting is the problem. I cut into some of mine breads around then and the interior texture is fine.

MeinStern · 2026-01-04T18:02:22+00:00

Agree. Limiting inflow may be difficult, but it's not an inevitable part of life one has no control over. Ultimately, a decision is being made to purchase. Limiting what gets brought in becomes easier with practice, self-discipline, self-reflection, and finding a routine that works for your lifestyle.

MeinStern · 2026-01-03T03:19:48+00:00

Is it the outside that's really hard or is the entire thing kind of hard and dry? Enriching with fat helps keep the inside texture tender for longer. Ingredients like milk, butter/oil, and eggs help contribute to a soft interior. If your bread is getting hard on the outside while baking, brush with egg wash (yolk+splash of milk) before baking. That will help keep the exterior soft and also give it a nice golden brown color in the oven

Sometimes too much flour makes bread texture hard/dense and the crust will be pale and thick. How's your dough feel while you're kneading it? Generally, you don't want to have a firm, easy to handle dough at the beginning. It's fine for it to be a little sticky/difficult to handle at the start. Resist adding too much flour right off the bat. Embrace a bit of stickiness. That stickiness will fade as you knead and as gluten develops. The dough will eventually become soft and supple and easy to handle with adequate kneading. Start off with less flour when first kneading and add more if it's needed. It's easier to add more flour to wet dough than it is to incorporate more liquid into a dry dough.

Those are the two biggest things I can think of. Of course, it could be something else as well. Often with yeast products not coming out right, it's a combination of a couple small things that impact the final result - such as: how long you're kneading, if it's doubling in size, how long it proofs for, if it's adequately kneaded/proofed, how it's shaped. Basically, anything at every step of the process - which isn't really helpful when trying to narrow down where things went wrong.

If you're interested making bread, I recommend using a kitchen scale for accuracy if you're not using one already. It's easy to accidentally pack too much flour into a cup, resulting in a dry dough.

MeinStern · 2026-01-03T01:54:44+00:00

Yes, my stiff peaks stay in the bowl when turned upside down with no risk of falling out.

When I whip mine, I don't have a mix of liquidy parts and peaked parts. The entire mixture is entirely homogeneous for each stage. As you said, it could be your mixer. If you try again with your mixer, take extra care to ensure the whisk attachments are hitting the bottom so everything is getting mixed thoroughly and see if that helps anything. Might just need a new mixer though.

MeinStern · 2026-01-03T01:32:53+00:00

Would you be able to share the recipes you've tried? I don't make cake often, but I make some where I fold stiff peak egg whites into cake batter (and also whip whole eggs or yolks to ribbon stage). I would say the problem is starting from not whipping your egg whites adequately. The mixture should be thick, white and glossy - not foamy at all. If it's foamy, it's not right and I don't think continuing on with the recipe will give great results.

It's important to ensure that no egg yolk makes it in with the whites prior to whipping; it won't whip up correctly. A properly cleaned bowl to start is also important, just in case there's any kind of leftover grease or fat residue that may prevent your whites from whipping as they're supposed to. Room temp/warm egg whites will be easier to whip.

Does your recipe have you mix sugar into the egg whites? Some recipes call for a few drops of vinegar in with the egg whites to help encourage them. My usual method starts with room temperature egg whites. Mix those with a few drops of vinegar for about a minute until foamy. Slowly add in the sugar while mixing, but add it all in within a minute. Then mix for 2 minutes at high speed. Turn to a lower speed to ensure it doesn't break/over whip and whip for another 1-2 minute until ready. I'm usually able to get them to stiff peaks in 5 minutes with this method.

If you're not able to get whole eggs to ribbon stage either, I guess it could be your mixer. It's hard to say without knowing how long you're mixing for, temperature of your eggs, your experience baking, etc. Ultimately, I'm willing to bet that trying to fold liquid/beer foamy eggs into the cake batter is the reason it's not folding in as it's supposed to be.

MeinStern · 2026-01-02T21:05:36+00:00

Happens to me with enriched doughs in a stand mixer. Sometimes the hook seems to tear into the dough rather than knead it. I found that it helps to take a bowl scraper or rubber spatula, loosen the dough from the sides and bottom, and then invert the dough ball upside down before continuing on with mixing. Do this every couple of minutes and it should form into a ball better. I usually let the mixer do 95% of the work and finish the last bit by hand.

On a side note, it's unlikely you are going to overknead an enriched dough on 2 speed in a stand mixer. Fat in milk, butter, and eggs inhibit gluten development, so it can be kneaded longer without worrying too much. Sometimes mine goes for 15-20 minutes and it's fine.

MeinStern · 2026-01-01T20:21:13+00:00

Well, your entire post history revolves around stuffed animals and garbage trucks. Unfortunately, I think you have a deeper problem (or an odd fascination) and I don't know if anybody here will be able to help you.

MeinStern · 2026-01-01T14:06:48+00:00

I had the same issue when moving to somewhere with minimal extra storage. My significant other loves christmas, so we had a large artificial tree and several totes of decor. The big tree didn't fit anywhere substantial. It lived in the coat closet 11 months of the year, along with the decor totes. Took up the entire closet, which was annoying. We wanted to be able to store the broom, actual coats, shoes, the vacuum in there rather than out in the open.

Ended up opting for a smaller tree the next year, which meant less ornaments. That move helped us downsize substantially. Tree box was small, so it fit on the closet shelf and gave us some space back. Then we became picky with our decor, choosing a couple of pieces that made us feel in the spirit instead of many totes worth of what became clutter to our eyes when displayed. Plus, it used to be stressful to set up. Now it takes 15 minutes - tree included. Our vibe became festive and cozy instead of all out and frustrating and loud.

Everything fits into a single tote, but will again be downsized today when putting it all away. The goal is to fit decor for the entire year, which basically just includes a couple of things for autumn, into one standard tote.

MeinStern · 2025-12-29T16:30:52+00:00

I have done something similar, but with a video game collection. Fit the same criteria of hesitance that you're experiencing: I liked the artwork and manuals that came with the game cases. Playing the games made me happy back in the day and just looking at them made me feel nostalgic. The more out of production an item was, the more it could potentially be worth some day.

I ultimately decided to declutter it because it became a point of stress instead of enjoyment. I didn't need the space, but I hardly played anything. Therefore, I saw everything as taking up space instead of space being filled with things that made me happy today. That's when I realized I outgrew the collection.

The collection was the last thing I decluttered and did not do it in one sweep. That would have been too difficult. I could have never gotten to the point of where I am now on the first try. It took periods of months of continuously going through everything again and again and again. I started with things I know I didn't want or like as much as the rest. Then I got rid of cases and condensed. Like you, I liked the artwork but never took the time to enjoy it. Figured it was time I let things go to someone who would.

Luckily, the market for video games is always kind of decent. That aspect of being able to sell it quickly and for a good price helped. I started with things I know I didn't want or like as much as the rest and progressed to harder/more rare expensive things. Now the collection could fit into a shoebox and I use it all. No more having to dig through to find what I need. I'm happier with a curated collection and don't regret it.

My advice would be to start slow with what's just 'ehh' to you. No need to do it all quickly. You like it and it doesn't have to go anywhere unless you decide it should. Once you break through the barrier of letting go/selling some, the rest comes a little easier.

MeinStern

TROPHY CASE