Can we talk about how hand kneading is just better than a mixer for certain doughs?

I spent 10 years using a stand mixer for everything, but last month I tried hand kneading a ciabatta batch and the texture was night and day better. Has anyone else noticed their bread comes out different depending on the method, or am I just imagining it?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_coleman20d ago

Hand kneading is just better" - yeah that's basically a fact for doughs with high hydration. It's like how some things in life you just gotta do the slow way to get the real result, ya know? Like using a french press vs a drip machine for coffee.

ryan_nelson19d ago

Totally agree. And it's not just dough either, you can feel the difference in the final texture when you put in that manual effort. Isn't that the whole point of cooking from scratch in the first place?