If
the dough feels dry pulse in some water 1 teaspoon at a time until it comes together.
If
the dough feels dry, don't be tempted to add too much of additional liquid - mixing in the butter in the following phase will soften the dough (experiment with the softness of the dough)- but do add the liquid if the dough is too stiff.
You may need to add 1 - 2 tablespoons of additional liquid if
the dough feels dry, as whole wheat flour absorbs more water than all - purpose flour.
If
the dough feels dry, don't be tempted to add too much of additional liquid - mixing in the butter in the following phase will soften the dough (experiment with the softness of the dough)- but do add the liquid if you can't incorporate all the flour.
Not exact matches
I
felt like I was working with slightly
dry muffin batter rather than
dough!
sherri, I would make a guess that it's your
dry (compared to our humid, rainforest - like humidity) air, the flour is sucking up lots more liquid than mine, I think... that might explain Ruhlman's slack
dough, since Cleveland is more humid, even, than up here... add more water until you get a
dough that
feels right to you, the starter should have plenty of power to make it rise!
In a large mixing bowl, add all of the
dry dough ingredients and combine them well (I pretty much always use a fork for this, it just
feels right).
If the
dough feels a bit
dry, and an extra tablespoon of coconut milk; if it
feels a little moist — that's perfect.
If the
dough feels at all
dry, add more water by the teaspoonful, processing after each addition until it reaches the proper consistency.
The thing about making challah well is knowing that although
dough is rather forgiving — too sticky just add flour, too
dry add liquid — is that you have to develop a
feel for it in your hands.
It's interesting to note how many
felt the
dough was sticky when to me, it was far too
dry.
well then to make it simple — throw the active yeast in with the flour mix all
dry ingredients — have butter and milk at room temperature — or at least ideally not fridge cold — mix it all together into a nice
dough — let rise about 1 1/2 hours — when you poke a finger into it should
feel like a soft memory foam cushion there easy!
I had worried it would be too
dry since I
felt I added a bit too much flour at the end, but the
dough was very moist and handled easily... and smelled great!
Since sourdough baking isn't an exact science,
feel free to add just a splash more liquid if the
dough seems way too
dry (anything will do — water, milk, buttermilk) and if it's way too wet and sticky, just add a bit more flour.
Not sure how experienced you are with baking bread, but the more you do it you get to learn how the
dough should
feel before baking, and maybe it should be more sticky than
dry for the way yours is coming out.
Honestly while I was making the
dough, it
felt very
dry... so while I was kneading the
dough, I added a little more water so I can incorporate the cheese and the olives into it easier!
The
dough should
feel quite heavy and oily, and there shouldn't be any
dry patches.
If you live in a
dry climate and your
dough does not easily come together,
feel free to add one extra tablespoon of honey which will do the trick.
Rise And Shine: I use usually use fresh dairy for bread
dough but, lately, I
feel more comfortable using high quality
dried substitutions when a long rise time is needed outside of the refrigerator.
Squeeze some
dough in your palm,
dough should
feel like soft play - doh, not too
dry that it cracks when you squeeze it but not too wet that it squishes through your fingers and sticks to the side of the bowl.
If the
dough feels a little
dry, add a bit more water.
Mix
dry ingredients into wet (some recipes call for a food processor to mix, but I prefer this hand mixing for this
dough - gives it a more authentic
feel).
If the
dough feels too
dry, add 1 teaspoon of water occasionally as you go; the
dough should
feel elastic and smooth.
Add in the rest of the 1/4 cup water in increments if the
dough feels tight and
dry.
The
dough should
feel firm and springy and look slightly
dry (think Play - Doh).
It can
feel a bit tacky, which means that when you poke the
dough with your
dry finger it should stick for a second but then peel of as you remove your finger.
Yes, this means you should use your fingers to
feel the
dough, massage it, and look and
feel for
dry spots where flour has not been moistened.
As long as you start with the basic «
dough» in the recipe, you can add whatever nuts, chocolate or
dried fruit combination you
feel like, though I have to admit, white chocolate and cranberries are my favorite.