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LDR
 
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In article >,
says...
>
> "Stark" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Is it just too wet? Some of my best pizza crusts have been slightly
> > sticky, but other efforts have been too sticky to handle and at the
> > same time warning me about the addition of too much flour.
> >
> > This ultra stickiness is to board and to hands, usually requiring a
> > scraper to quasi- knead the dough. I'm guess that's not a proper
> > kneading at all--more a brusing insult to the dough.
> >
> > I live in an ultra humid climate, usually, but last night and for the
> > past few days it's been almost desert dry. The flour, either Gold
> > Medal or King Arthur AP was a couple a months old.
> >
> > So when the dough is ultra-sticky do I just keep adding flour or handle
> > it with a scraper and repeatedly oiled hands.

>
> Baking bread at home is not an exact science. I don't measure the liquid
> when I bake bread. I simply use enough to produce the quality of dough that
> I want. Some dough is very sticky - like ciabatta. In that case, you do
> have to use a bench scraper and oiled or floured hands to knead. For most
> dough you only want a very slightly sticky texture. So, yes, if your dough
> is too sticky you have added too much liquid and/or fat. Low gluten flour
> does not absorbed as much liquid as high gluten flour. I think people make
> too much out of the ambient humidity and the change in hydration of the four
> due to storage conditions - but that's just my opinion.
>
> It has been a long time since I made bread entirely by hand. But generally
> you put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the liquid until it is a
> sticky mass. Then the dough is turned out onto a well floured board and
> worked. It will continue to pick up flour as needed until it form a ball
> with a smooth, elastic consistency. At that point you don't want to
> continue to add flour. I would also recommend that you error on the sticky
> side when in doubt. The sticky dough will tend to be less sticky after it
> rests and ferments.
>
>
>

Vhumana's answer is a good one, I think, and I would like to add this,
professional bakers do not use the word recipe. Instead they say
formula, which tells you something about both the science and art of
baking. There are so many variables that you need experience to guide
you away from sticky messes or leaden lumps. Starting out by measuring
and weighing as precisely as you can is the best way to get where you're
going in baking. IMHO, of course.