Is there any secret to working with wet dough? Is there a point where dough
is wet but not wet enough that it sticks to everything? Or is wet dough
messy - period. Any help is appreciated.

Frank103 wrote:
> Is there any secret to working with wet dough? Is there a point where dough
> is wet but not wet enough that it sticks to everything? Or is wet dough
> messy - period. Any help is appreciated.

Wet dough is just messy. The easiest way to knead a wet dough is with
a dough hook on an electric mixer. A wet dough can be hand kneaded by
dropping it down on a floured surface, picking it up, flipping it over,
and throwing it down again. Repeat this several times until the dough
is smooth (about 10 minutes). Make sure the flour stays on the surface
of the dough only. Try not to work anymore flour into the dough. That
would defeat the purpose of having a wet dough. Really wet doughs that
are like batter should be kneaded in the mixing bowl with a spoon.
Also, keep in mind that it takes time for the starch grains in the
flour to fully absorb the moisture that's in the dough. A dough that
seems sticky at first may eventually become satiny smooth after a brief
period of time. If you're rolling the dough out you can use as much
flour as you need to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface
and rolling pin but make sure that flour stays only on the surface of
the dough and doesn't get worked into the dough. Any excess flour
should be brushed away with a pastry brush.

On Sat, 25 Nov 2006 13:27:41 -0800, Frank103 wrote:

> Is there any secret to working with wet dough?

A good structure is your friend. The friend of good structure is
resting time. Dough is very busy when it's just sitting. Mixing pulls
the dough together but it's tight, resting the dough loosens it up,
develops the structure and of course improves taste. A long cool rise
works very good with wet dough. Wet dough is like a video camera, first
you must learn how to handle it, then you must learn how to keep your
hands off of it. Keep your fingertips floured. If you scale your dough,
only cut once unless you are way off. Keep the tops of your loaves well
floured. Flour will not work it's way down into the dough unless you fold
it. Pick up the extra bench flour and put it into a sifter for reuse or
dusting. A light even dusting of flour on the dough makes the finished
bread look very downtown.