The Kneading Mistake That Kills Your Bread Before It Rises

The sight of bread rising slowly, like a Cinderella ball gown, can inflate your heart. But when that inflation doesn't happen, it deflates like a punctured tire. To unpack the reason behind this disheartening sight, it's essential to understand a key (and too often overlooked) element in the art of bread making –- gluten. A great way to tell a good loaf of bread from a bad one is by looking at the size and number of air bubbles in it. A diverse range of bubbles is a good sign as they add an inviting softness and textured crumb to the bread. But when these bubbles aren't formed, the bread might refuse to rise at all.

While the bubbles themselves are created due to the release of gases during the fermentation process, the ingredient responsible for trapping these gases (and directly impacting the bread's ability to rise) is gluten. For the uninitiated, gluten is a protein found in grains that gives elasticity to the dough. If you've ever looked at cooked pasta or ramen and admired its stretchiness, you have gluten to thank for it. It is also the structural backbone of bread dough. The problem of bread not rising occurs when either too much gluten has been released or not enough.

To make good bread, you need to put the right amount of time into the kneading process. Striking a balance is essential as under-kneading the dough can limit the release of gluten, making it insufficiently stretchy. If the dough tears easily or flops around, that's a good sign for you to keep going. Over kneading, on the other hand, can make the gluten too tight; preventing the yeast gasses from expanding the dough effectively. It makes the dough too springy. Performing a few checkups during the kneading process can help you gauge if you need to give it more time.

The type of flour also determines the amount of gluten, so it's always a good idea to keep that in mind. Bread flour typically has the highest amount of gluten, at 12-14%. In case you're curious, cake flour has the least amount of gluten, at around 7-8%. However, specialty grains in the dough can also affect the amount of gluten.

The kneading time also depends on the type of bread you are making. High-hydration breads, like focaccia or brioche, need to be kneaded longer, as high water content requires more time for gluten to be released. For low-hydration breads, like sandwich bread or burger buns, you need less time. Though other factors, like dough temperature or baking time, also affect the rise of bread, getting this one right can be a game-changer. Even if you get it wrong, each failure brings you one step closer to homemade bread success.