"Wcsjohn" > wrote in message
...
> >
> >Well, no... Gluten can be developed mechanically as you mention,
> >chemically (see supermarket bread labels for more on that), and by
> >hydration alone: Just mix some flour with water, and wait.
> >
> >All the best,
> >
> >--
> >Kenneth
> >
> Are you seriously saying that dough merely needs to be mixed and left and
that
> it will, without further mechanical input, develop a gluten elasticity and
> structure that is good enough to make bread worth eating?
>
> John

Some form of autolyse for 30 minutes cuts way down on the amount of kneading
necessary. Mix only until you have a rough mass with no dry flour pockets,
cover the mixer with a towel or whatever to prevent surface drying and walk
away for 30 minutes. When you start up the mixer again at the end of the
autolyse the stuff in the bowl just pulls together. You should be able to
get by with 4-6 minutes of mixer kneading at lower speeds. Less mixing cuts
down on oxidation. It's also a great way to preserve the life of your
mixer. I have never tried it with any dough that has hydration as high as
your Cocodrillo, John, but I would think it would be an ideal application.
Because, after all, the stretch and fold is essentially a series of
autolyse.
Janet