"Socks" > wrote in message
news
> i've had a bread machine for years, and think i know what a good dough
> consistency looks like there. and i've made bread by hand a dozen or so
> times, and have got that a little bit figured out. but i'm only starting
> to use a kitchen aid mixer and don't have a hang for what good consistency
> looks like as it kneads in that machine.
>
> i'm using ratios that worked in the bread machine (doubled), but the dough
> is sticking pretty good to the bottom of the bowl during kneading, and
> takes some work with a spatula to get it out (and then dust with flour and
> hand knead a little before putting in a bowl to rise).
>
> should a dough be dry enough to pull off the walls of the kitchen aid
> bowl? or maybe (since it isn't non-stick) i shouldn't expect that.
>
> (i might also ask how long to knead with the dough hook ... but don't know
> if that is a simple question, or if it varies with the bread you are
> making.)
>
> thanks.

If you really want to bake bread try alt.bread.recipes.
To save you the trouble of finding this exellent comment by Janet Bostwick
yourself, since it's well hidden deep inside a thread, I'm reposting it
below, hoping Janet forgives me.What is meant, is that if you are able to
work the dough afterwards, it's quite allright, doesn't need more flour, and
makes a better bread.

Kim.

"I never add flour until the dough does not stick to the bottom of the
mixing
bowl--I think this may be one of the pitfalls that many experience. You mix
until you see the dough change character, it smoothes out, it begins to
gather into itself. On my mixer hook(a KitcheAid) I can see the soft
custardy dough move up and down the hook. Because of this movement, at
certain times in the up/down cycle, there is more or less dough at the
bottom of the hook in the bowl. The dough may create a puddle at the bottom
of anywhere from 2-4 inches. If you add flour until all the dough gathers
solidly around the hook, you have already added too much flour.If you mix
all of your ingredients together up front and hold back a certain portion of
f
flour, then rest for 20 min,at the end of the rest period the flour will all
be equally hydrated. At this point you should be able to run your mixer with
a much softer dough that will perform excellently. This dough can be poured
(slowly) from the bowl. If you have a dough that comes out in one hunk with
no bowl scraping,it is too dry. Give it a try. As long as you develop the
gluten, you can make bread with flowing dough. Dry dough just doesn't make
satisfactory bread."