Jim Eberhardt <jim@jacysplace.com> wrote:
>My question today has to do with the windowpane test to check for
>gluten development. In short, I can't seem to get my dough to
>"pass", or even come close. I've tried making the French bread
>dough in "Breadbaker's Apprentice" and kneaded by hand for over 20
>minutes, and the dough still pulled apart readily.
I have Reinhardt's "BA" and used to be concerned with the window pane
thing as well. I used to fret that I can never get my dough to look
like the photo in the book. I tried various ratios of
flour/water/salt, various types/brands of flours, ingredient
temperatures, procedures, etc. No dice. My dough simply cannot be
stretched _THAT_ thin without breaking.
After about five years of working on perfecting my French bread, I've
come to the conclusion that, while the book is a _REALLY_ good
starting point, observation and experimentation contribute the most
to the result. It does not matter what the book says, as long as you
are happy with the result, AND_ you can repeat the result, that's all
that matters.
>Any suggestions as to why the gluten won't develop properly? Is it
>kneading technique or perhaps the dough was too moist?
Other than the failure to pass the "windowpane test", are there any
other symptoms that might indicate lack of gluten development? Does
the dough rise? Is it reasonably rugged and can stand up to a little
handling without deflating? If there are no other symptoms, then I'd
say you're doing fine and just forget about the windowpane test.
Andy Nguyen