This is a small thing, but I've found it makes quite a big difference.
If you are kneading by hand, mix your dough quickly, then give it five or ten minutes to sit. The gluten in your flour absorbs the water during this period, so when you start kneading the dough the water is thoroughly absorbed into the heart of the flour. (Gluten is the protein in your flour that enables it to stretch when you add water).
The upshot of all this is that your dough will be a lot less sticky to knead, and will achieve that silky stretchy consistency quicker because the gluten is fully hydrated already.
Dan Lepard's stuff is quite good. Bread porn... the recipes are a bit of a slaister but he's great at explaining all about the process of bread-making, the arty bit and the sciency bit.
If you are kneading by hand, mix your dough quickly, then give it five or ten minutes to sit. The gluten in your flour absorbs the water during this period, so when you start kneading the dough the water is thoroughly absorbed into the heart of the flour. (Gluten is the protein in your flour that enables it to stretch when you add water).
The upshot of all this is that your dough will be a lot less sticky to knead, and will achieve that silky stretchy consistency quicker because the gluten is fully hydrated already.
Dan Lepard's stuff is quite good. Bread porn... the recipes are a bit of a slaister but he's great at explaining all about the process of bread-making, the arty bit and the sciency bit.
