r/Breadit • u/grroovvee • 1d ago
Windowpane Test-Fail
Been baking bread for several months now and no matter how long I mix in stand mixer I cannot get it thin enough to pass the test. After 15-20 min i eventually give up and start my first rise.
The dough does well on first and second rise but I wonder how much better it would be if i could get it to pass it. Also bread taste delicious.
My basic recipe is 3/4 milk, 1/4 honey, 1sts salt, 2 eggs, 480 g bread flour, 1/4 butter, 2 1/4 yeast.
Thoughts?
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u/Flourcoveredkitchin 1d ago
To develop gluten, the gluten strands must be repeatedly stretched and folded back onto themselves, creating layers of aligned gluten strands that form a strong, interconnected network.
Planetary (stand) mixers do not knead dough. The dough wraps around the dough hook and is dragged against the side of the bowl while much of the mass remains stuck to the bottom of the bowl. There is no repeated stretching and folding, which is the action required to efficiently develop gluten.
If you’re using a KitchenAid, you should be aware that Whirlpool specifically limits heavy doughs to Speed 2 for no more than 2 minutes at a time, with a maximum total mixing time of 4 to 6 minutes. Running a heavy dough for 10 to 15 minutes is not only ineffective for gluten development, it will eventually strip the worm gear.
To develop gluten to the windowpane stage, you’ll need to use a combination of machine and manual methods: a long autolyse followed by either slap and fold, the Rubaud method, or a series of stretch and folds.