Expert: Elyse Grau - 2/14/2010

Question
I am trying a recipe from James Beard and I'm puzzled by something. When I start adding the flour it seems like there is already enough flour when I'm still 2 cups short of the flour suggested. This seems excessive regardless of what flour I use or atmospheric conditions. Since I'm new at this maybe I just don't have a feel for when the flour is right. If a dough keeps wanting to separate at the crease created when folding over while kneading does that indicate too much flour? I don't know anyone who bakes bread to show me how to tell when it's right.

Answer
Ken:
It depends on the type of bread you are making, and also the flour. If you have that much flour left over, I am assuming you are making a French or Italian style baguette, which are usually very dense. These doughs take much more flour than you would think possible. I take it the recipe does not describe what the dough should feel like? Sometimes they will say something like "you will have a very stiff dough" or "add flour until the dough is no longer sticky but still soft".

You will certainly have a satisfactory product if you stop at the point you are describing, it just may not be what the author had in mind. If the result isn't what you envisioned either, try to add more of the flour next time. The way I do it when making this type of bread is to rub the flour in, a bit at a time. I coat the dough with some flour, then fold it over on itself. I just keep pushing down and folding until it has been incorporated and then repeat. You don't have to use all that the recipe calls for. On the other hand, sometimes you will find you need more than stated in order to make a soft but not sticky dough. Bread making is part science and part art - ant the beauty of it is that there is so much variation between recipes, that you can rarely fail completely (unless the dough doesn't even rise - but even then the result may still be edible), you just come out with something slightly different.

Elyse