[Sca-cooks] Spanish baking question: "breaking" the dough

[Druighad at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/9/01 9:22:15 PM Central Daylight Time,
rcmann4 at earthlink.net writes:

<< I would like to ask the Spanish-speakers on the list what they think of the
 vocabulary issue, and to ask the bakers on the list what they think of the
 dough issue.  How do I know when the gluten is broken down?  How many
 minutes kneading in my trusty KitchenAid are likely to be necessary?
  >>
 Brighid, usually you can tell if a dough is "broken down" when it no longer
has a spring to it. It shouldn't feel rubbery, and should hold it's shape. If
you were to take a piece and roll or pull it very thin, you wouldn't see the
gluten web. Think pie crust. As for kneading in a mixer... When I bake bread
at home, I always uses my hands. It's too easy to over mix, and therefore
overdevelope the gluten. you should also let the dough rest a few minutes
before trying to roll it out. 10-15 minutes is the average.

Finnebhir