"Ken Ortmann" > wrote in message
...
> I'm hoping someone can answer a question making bread dough (and pizza
> dough and such). I'm using a Kitchen Aid stand mixer as I am disabled and
> cannot mix and knead by hand. The instructions generally say to start with
> 3/4 of the flour and all of the liquid and mix for a minute or so. Then
add
> flour "until the dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. Then
> knead for two minutes more". I can get it to the stage that the dough
forms
> a ball on the dough hook and cleans the sides of the bowl all right
> but,oftentimes, before two minutes are up, the ball of dough will slump
and
> stick at the bottom center of the mixer bowl. Adding more flour will cause
> the ball to re-form on the hook but I may have to do this several times
> going well over the amount of flour called for in the recipe. I understand
> that the amount of flour will vary somewhat due to weather and the whims
of
> the kitchen gods but surely should not exceed upper limits of the recipe.
> Whadda ya think I'm doin' wrong? By the way, I measure the flour by weight
> in grams.


You're not doing anything wrong. If the dough slumps down around the bottom
of the bowl like that, it means it can take some more flour. The exception
to this would be if you're making one of those really wet Italian style
bread doughs, in which case it's better not to add any more flour, so you
don't change the texture of the finished product. Flour amounts in
breadmaking are always approximate, and can vary widely. Good luck in your
bread endeavors.


-Scott