Working with wet dough

Is there any secret to working with wet dough? Is there a point where dough is wet but not wet enough that it sticks to everything? Or is wet dough messy - period. Any help is appreciated.

Reply to
Frank103
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Wet dough is just messy. The easiest way to knead a wet dough is with a dough hook on an electric mixer. A wet dough can be hand kneaded by dropping it down on a floured surface, picking it up, flipping it over, and throwing it down again. Repeat this several times until the dough is smooth (about 10 minutes). Make sure the flour stays on the surface of the dough only. Try not to work anymore flour into the dough. That would defeat the purpose of having a wet dough. Really wet doughs that are like batter should be kneaded in the mixing bowl with a spoon. Also, keep in mind that it takes time for the starch grains in the flour to fully absorb the moisture that's in the dough. A dough that seems sticky at first may eventually become satiny smooth after a brief period of time. If you're rolling the dough out you can use as much flour as you need to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface and rolling pin but make sure that flour stays only on the surface of the dough and doesn't get worked into the dough. Any excess flour should be brushed away with a pastry brush.

Reply to
djs0302

A good structure is your friend. The friend of good structure is resting time. Dough is very busy when it's just sitting. Mixing pulls the dough together but it's tight, resting the dough loosens it up, develops the structure and of course improves taste. A long cool rise works very good with wet dough. Wet dough is like a video camera, first you must learn how to handle it, then you must learn how to keep your hands off of it. Keep your fingertips floured. If you scale your dough, only cut once unless you are way off. Keep the tops of your loaves well floured. Flour will not work it's way down into the dough unless you fold it. Pick up the extra bench flour and put it into a sifter for reuse or dusting. A light even dusting of flour on the dough makes the finished bread look very downtown.

Reply to
ZerkonX

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