Typical Bread Dough Problems And Solutions, Rising

Adding liquids

All liquid should be added through the feed tube while the machine is running. Add liquid in a slow, steady stream, only as fast as dry ingredients absorb it. If liquid sloshes or splatters, stop adding it but do not turn off the machine. Wait until ingredients in bowl have mixed, then add remaining liquid slowly. Pour liquid onto dough as it passes under feed tube opening. Do not pour liquid directly onto bottom of bowl.

Follow the recipe carefully. It is important to add enough liquid to make the dough soft enough to knead. Kneading dough that is too stiff can strain the machine.

All liquid except that used to activate yeast should be cold, to minimize the possibility of overheating the dough. You must never knead a yeast dough to a temperature higher than 100°F (37°C). Doing so will slow or even prevent the action of the yeast.

Kneading bread dough

Do not try to use the machine to knead dough that is too stiff to knead comfortably by hand. Doing so can strain the machine.

After the dough starts to clean the inside of the work bowl completely and forms a ball, process it for 60 seconds to knead it. Stop the machine and test the dough to be sure it’s proper- ly kneaded. Typical bread dough should have a soft, pliable texture and it should feel slightly sticky. Stretch

the dough with your hands to test it. If it feels hard, lumpy or uneven, continue processing until it feels uniformly soft and pliable. Make sure that the blade is firmly pressed back into place after removing the dough to test it.

Kneading sweet dough

Process dough for at least 30 seconds after all the ingredients have been incorporated. It will not clean the inside of the work bowl. If necessary, scrape the bowl and process for 5 more sec- onds.

Rising

Put the dough in a large, resealable lightly floured plastic bag. Squeeze out all the air and seal, allowing space for the dough to rise.

Or put the ball of dough in a large bowl coated with soft butter or veg- etable oil. Roll the dough around to coat its entire surface. Cover it with a damp towel or a piece of oiled plastic wrap.

Let it rise in a warm, draft-free place, about 80˚F (26˚C). The rising time is usually about 1-1/2 hours but will vary from

45 minutes to several hours, depending on the type of flour and the humidity of the air. To test if the dough has risen enough, stick a finger in it. An indentation should remain. If it doesn’t, let the dough rise more and test again.

When it has risen enough, punch the dough down.

Shaping, finishing and baking

If you shape the dough in loaf pans, fill pans only half full. Let rise until dough is just slightly above the top of the pan. If shaping free-form loaves, let them rise on an oiled baking sheet until at least doubled in bulk.

Making consecutive batches

You can make several batches of bread dough in a row. The motor in the Prep 7™ Food Processor is extremely efficient.