Baking with friends turned me into a hand-kneading believer

I always used my mixer for bread dough because I thought hand work was too hard. During a weekend bake with pals, the mixer quit right when we needed it most. We all took turns kneading, and it was actually pretty fun and calming. The loaves came out so fluffy and tasty that I was shocked. Now I ditch the machine for most of my baking, and I enjoy it more.

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyw691mo ago

Hand kneading is weirdly satisfying, right? That texture really is different. Machines just can't do the same thing.

raym681mo ago

You know, that reminds me of when I used to help my grandma make pasta from scratch. She'd always say the feel of the dough told her when it was right. Ever notice how your hands just know when something's done? I tried using a mixer once, and the pasta turned out gummy. There's a connection you get from doing things by hand that machines can't replace. Makes you wonder what else we've lost by letting machines do everything, doesn't it?

emery_lane1mo ago

Baking bread by hand last week showed me, like @raym68's pasta story, how we lose touch with simple skills.