Application Guide

along to be able to tell whether it is too dry or too wet. Those baking by hand feel the
consistency of the dough under their fingers and make allowances, adding more liquid
or more flour, as they go along. You will need to open the lid of the machine in order
to assess the dough. (You can set a kitchen timer to remind you when to check.) Open
the lid, and, taking care to avoid the moving kneading blade, poke the dough ball with
your finger to feel the consistency. Look for a springy, soft feel in white doughs and a
very soft, almost loose feel in country bread doughs. Whole wheat and rye doughs tend
to be denser, wetter, and tackier to the touch than white doughs. The level of humidity,
the amount of moisture in the flour, and the amount of initial beating are all variables
that may have affected the dough by this time. Every batch of dough is unique in the
exact amount of flour used. Individual recipes will specify the proper consistency of
the dough ball when necessary.
Now adjust the dough consistency, if necessary, by adding more flour
or more liquid. Remember that a little goes a long way in this medium. Sprinkle the
flour down the sides of the pan and let the dough ball pick it up, or dribble liquid, only
1 teaspoon at a time, onto the top of the dough ball. If an adjustment is necessary (most
of the time it shouldn’t be) the amount of flour or liquid to be incorporated at this point
will vary. It is important not to add too much of either, and to give any additions time
to be kneaded in before reassessing the consistency of the dough. Remember, too, that
more flour will be absorbed into the body of the dough during the rising process. Just
as is necessary when kneading by hand, this is also the time to make sure the dough is
uniformly moist throughout. If there are dry bits collected on the bottom of the pan and
wet dough on the top of the dough ball, I use my plastic spatula to push the bits into the
center so the dough ball can pick them up as it journeys around the pan with the action
of the blade.
The dough ball changes a lot during the kneading cycle. What it
looks like in the first ten minutes of being worked is not at all what it will look like
when it is almost done. When baked, a standard loaf will smooth out and be springy.
Be patient and let the machine do its work. I find a dough ball can change as many as
three or four times during Knead 2. You will now have a dough ready to be “fer-
mented,” or “proofed,” during the rises.
RISING THE DOUGH/RISE 1 AND RISE 2
Rising, also known as proofing, is a period of rest that allows the gluten to become
smooth and elastic through a process of fermentation. During this stage, an amazing
transformation takes place—a firm, heavy dough ball changes into a puffy mass that
increases in size. To carry out this step, bakers working by hand would grease their
dough and its bowl at this point, cover it loosely with plastic wrap or with a damp
cloth, set it in a warm place, and leave it alone to rest. The nonstick coating of the
bread pan eliminates the need for greasing, and the closed, warm environment keeps
the surface of the dough from drying out.
It is difficult to predict how high a dough will rise during the rising
phases, as it will depend on the temperature of the dough after Knead 2, the amount of
yeast used, and general atmospheric conditions. Usually on Rise 1, the dough ball will
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