kneadingto

Kneadingto is a term used in bread making to describe a flexible approach to kneading dough that centers on dough feel and gluten development rather than strict timing. The term emerged in online baking communities in the early 2020s and has since spread to workshops and recipe notes. While not a formal technique, kneadingto functions as a heuristic for determining when a dough has been sufficiently developed.

Practitioners following kneadingto observe dough during kneading, perform tests such as the windowpane test, poke tests, and grip tests, and adjust the amount of kneading and folding cadence instead of following a fixed schedule. The goal is to achieve an elastic yet tacky dough with a well-developed gluten network, while avoiding overkneading.

Because it relies on subjective cues, kneadingto can vary between bakers, tools, and flour types. It is commonly paired with autolyse, hydration adjustments, and resting periods to optimize gluten development and crumb structure.

In home baking and some artisanal bakeries, kneadingto has been reported to help manage doughs with different hydration levels and flour blends. Critics note that the method can be inconsistent without clear benchmarks.