How to Knead Pizza Dough: A Practical Guide [Order of Ingredients, Tips for Kneading/Mixing Dough in Practice & More]
This article focuses on the practical side of dough kneading, specifically the physical act of kneading. Its goal is to teach you how to knead dough properly and efficiently. In the sections below, you’ll learn the correct order for adding ingredients (and why it matters), step-by-step instructions for kneading by hand or with a mixer, general kneading and mixing guidelines, and more
Important Things to Know Before Starting to Knead
Before you begin kneading or mixing the dough, it’s important to understand four key concepts. While these aren’t directly part of the physical kneading process, they play a crucial role during the kneading phase:
- Baker’s percentages (understanding how to calculate the correct quantities of dough ingredients).
- Weighing the dough ingredients.
- Final dough temperature (the temperature of the dough at the end of kneading).
- Correct use of yeast.
Before you proceed, it’s highly recommended to read the following articles for additional background:
1. Pizza Dough Mixing and Kneading Fundamentals: A Guide to the Most Important Step in Dough Making – This article covers the basics of the kneading step.
2. Guide to Pizza Dough Mixers: Types, Characteristics, Proper Use & More – This article provides an overview of the various mixers and kneading devices.
Baker’s Percentages
Baker’s percentage is a crucial concept that every baker should master. For a more detailed explanation, you can read about baker’s percentages in the Encyclopizza.
In short, baker’s percentages are a mathematical system that acts as a “language” for writing, analyzing, and comparing baking recipes. This system allows us to adjust any recipe to create the desired amount of dough, ensuring consistent results regardless of the total quantity.
Using baker’s percentages also enables us to modify recipes, experiment with new ones, or adjust ingredient ratios in a precise and controlled way.
From a practical standpoint, PizzaBlab’s pizza dough calculator handles all the necessary calculations (using baker’s percentages) for you, so you only need to understand the underlying principles.
Weighing the Dough Ingredients
To achieve consistent and reliable results, it’s essential to measure your dough ingredients accurately and avoid using volumetric measurements (like cups or teaspoons). Baking is NOT the same as cooking, and precision in ingredient amounts is critical.
Even small differences, such as between a quarter cup and a half cup of water, or a teaspoon and two teaspoons of salt, sugar, oil, or yeast, can make the difference between perfect dough and sticky dough that is difficult to work with, doesn’t ferment as expected, or a range of other issues.
If you don’t already have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend purchasing one and using it to weigh your ingredients every time you make dough.
In addition to a standard kitchen scale, I suggest investing in a precision scale (0.01 grams) for weighing smaller quantities, such as yeast, sugar, salt, oil, and others. These scales are inexpensive and can greatly improve the consistency of your results. You can find links to purchase an accurate scale on PizzaBlab’s recommended products page.
Final Dough Temperature
Before you begin adding ingredients to the bowl and kneading the dough, it’s important to understand one of the most critical concepts in yeast-leavened dough making: the final dough temperature (FDT). In professional terms, this refers to the temperature of the dough at the end of kneading.
For a more detailed explanation, you can read about final dough temperature in the Encyclopizza. Generally, we aim for a final dough temperature between 23-27°C (70-75°F) in most cases.
In short, the final dough temperature plays a crucial role in the dough’s fermentation rate. FDT is influenced by two main factors:
- Kneading Method – Using a mixer will generate more heat during mixing compared to hand kneading.
- Ingredient Temperature – The colder the ingredients, especially the flour and water, the lower the final dough temperature will be (all else being equal). Of these, the water temperature is the easiest to control.
Practically, this means that to achieve a specific final dough temperature, you need to adjust the water temperature in advance, depending on both the desired dough temperature and the kneading method. To determine the necessary water temperature, you can use PizzaBlab’s desired dough temperature calculator.
Correct Use of Yeast
The correct use of yeast is crucial, particularly when working with instant yeast (IDY) or active dry yeast (ADY).
For more information on how to properly use yeast, refer to the following article: How to Use Yeast the Right Way (Active/Instant/Fresh): A Practical Guide.
The Order of Adding Ingredients to the Dough
In What Order Should the Dough Ingredients Be Added, and Why Does It Matter?
The order in which ingredients are added to the dough can have a significant impact on both the kneading process and the final quality of the dough. In the following sections, we will discuss the main ingredients, the ideal timing for adding them, and the reasons for doing so.
When to Add Salt to the Dough
Salt is an ingredient that generates differing opinions regarding the best time to add it to the dough. To determine the right (or wrong) timing for adding salt, it’s important to understand the rationale behind its role during the kneading and mixing process.
For a deeper dive into the effects of salt on dough, refer to the following article: The Importance of Salt in Pizza Dough: Understanding Its Roles and Impact.
Salt has three main effects during the kneading phase:
- Oxidation Inhibition: Salt acts as an oxidation inhibitor (though it is not an antioxidant itself), meaning it slows down the oxidation process in the dough during kneading.
- Water Absorption: Salt competes with gluten-forming proteins for water in the dough, causing the proteins to absorb water more slowly. This prolongs gluten development, since gluten-forming proteins must absorb water to form gluten bonds.
- Strengthening Gluten Bonds: The chemical reaction between the sodium in salt and gluten-forming proteins strengthens and tightens the gluten bonds.
When salt is added at the beginning of kneading, two things happen:
- The dough oxidizes more slowly.
- Gluten forms more slowly.
In other words, adding salt early results in slower gluten development and slower oxidation of the dough (all other factors being equal).
On the other hand, when salt is added later in the kneading process (a method known as “delayed salt addition“), the dough oxidizes faster, and gluten develops more quickly. This is due to the quicker absorption of water by the gluten-forming proteins, as well as the gluten being less stiff and elastic, which allows it to stretch more easily during kneading, facilitating gluten development.
In summary, delayed salt addition speeds up gluten development (again, assuming all other factors are equal).
While this may seem beneficial, it’s not always the best approach. Here’s why:
First, as discussed in the article on kneading fundamentals, there are three kneading methods: minimal, improved, and intensive.
These methods represent different levels of gluten development at the end of the initial kneading. For long-fermented dough, intensive kneading (full gluten development at the end of kneading) is not recommended; instead, minimal or improved kneading is preferred.
Delayed salt addition can be beneficial when using intensive kneading, as it allows for maximum gluten development in the shortest amount of time.
In the past and still today, industrial bakeries commonly use a dough-making process that involves intensive kneading with delayed salt addition. This method shortens the dough-making time and increases yield, but it often sacrifices dough quality.
However, for minimal and improved kneading methods, where significant gluten development at the end of the initial kneading is undesirable, delayed salt addition does not offer benefits, and may even impact the dough negatively.
Adding salt at the beginning of the kneading process slows down gluten development and oxidation, ensuring that both occur in a controlled manner, helping prevent over-oxidation or over-kneading. Therefore, for minimal or improved kneading, it is best to add salt from the start.
In summary, for most applications, it’s best to add salt at the beginning, directly to the water, to ensure it dissolves properly. For long-fermented pizza or bread doughs, delayed salt addition provides no advantages and may cause issues, such as improper salt distribution or forgetting to add salt during kneading.
If you’re using kosher salt, it’s best to add it to the water and mix well to ensure it dissolves before kneading begins. Otherwise, undissolved salt grains may create “concentrations” in the dough, which could only dissolve after the dough has already formed.
Can You Add Salt and Yeast Together?
The short answer is yes, there is no issue with adding yeast directly with salt.
For more detailed information on this topic, refer to the following article: How to Use Yeast the Right Way (Active/Instant/Fresh): A Practical Guide (section ‘Can You Add Salt and Yeast Together?’).
When to Add Oil to the Dough
For a deeper dive into the effects of oil and fats on dough, refer to the following article: Oil in Pizza Dough Explained: Why to Use It and How It Affects the Dough [Texture, Flavor & More].
In general, oil (or any type of fat) should be added only after all the water has been absorbed by the flour, usually about a minute or two after kneading begins. The reason for this is twofold:
- The gluten-forming proteins in the flour MUST absorb water for gluten to develop.
- Oil is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water.
When oil is added directly to the water or on top of the flour, it “coats” the grains of flour it contacts, preventing them from absorbing water. As a result, those grains that are “coated” in oil will not participate in gluten development. You will find a full explanation of this phenomenon in the article linked at the beginning of the section.
For standard pizza and bread doughs, most contain no more than 2-3% oil (in baker’s percentage). With such a low amount of oil, adding it from the start may not cause significant problems, but it is something to consider.
Certain types of pizzas, such as Chicago Deep Dish or cracker-style pizzas, require minimal gluten development. When making dough for these pizzas, it is possible (and even desirable) to add oil directly to the water/flour, as limited gluten development is beneficial in these doughs.
On the other hand, for doughs that contain relatively high amounts of fat (such as brioche, challah, or sweet pastries), the situation is different.
Adding oil before the flour has absorbed all the water can prevent a significant portion of the flour from contributing to gluten development, negatively affecting the final result.
Therefore, as a rule of thumb, oil should only be added after the flour has absorbed all the water, to avoid interfering with gluten development.
The effect of “coating” the flour and preventing water absorption applies only to liquid fats. Solid fats (that are not in a liquid state), such as butter, margarine, or shortenings, do not coat the grains of flour like liquid fats do, so they can be added from the beginning with the rest of the dough ingredients (but in a solid state, not in a liquid or dissolved state; for example, as small cubes).
When to Add Gluten, Malt, Milk Powder, or Other Powders to the Dough
The powders mentioned above, especially gluten powder, tend to clump together when they come into direct contact with water. This can lead to the formation of annoying lumps that will not be properly incorporated into the dough.
Therefore, when using gluten, malt, milk powder, or any other powder, it is best to sprinkle them on top of the flour, rather than adding them directly to the water.
Should Flour Be Sifted Before Adding It to the Dough?
Unless you want to ensure there are no foreign objects in the flour (mainly insects) for kosher or other reasons, the answer is no – there is no need to sift flour.
Sifting will not cause the flour to absorb water more effectively or quickly, and aside from removing foreign objects, there is no need to do it.
Recommended Order for Adding Ingredients to the Dough
The instructions below serve as general guidelines for most dough types and kneading methods.
It’s important to note that the type of mixer, dough hydration, and dough quantity can influence the best order for adding ingredients. Consider the following steps as a good starting point, but feel free to adjust based on your specific needs (for example, adding flour first, performing autolyse, etc.).
For mixers, it’s recommended to add water first, followed by the other ingredients. This order offers several benefits:
- It allows for more efficient mixing, improving the kneading action and reducing stress on the mixer.
- It prevents dry flour from accumulating at the bottom of the bowl, ensuring a more even mix.
The same applies to hand kneading: adding flour to the water, rather than the other way around, is generally easier and more effective, making the mixing process smoother and more efficient.
Order for Adding the Ingredients to the Dough: Step-by-Step
1. Water: Begin by adding the water to the bowl. If you’ve dissolved the dry yeast in the water (as recommended for dry yeast – see link below), be sure to account for the amount of water used for dissolving the yeast.
2. Salt and Sugar: Add the salt and sugar to the water.
3. Yeast: Add the yeast (or sourdough starter) to the water. If you’re using fresh yeast, crumble it well into the water.
If you’re using dry yeast and cold water (below 20°C/70°F), it’s recommended to suspend the yeast in warm water (about 40°C/105°F) for about 10 minutes before adding it to the cold water. Adding dry yeast directly to cold water can damage the yeast cells and impair their ability to ferment the dough.
Alternatively, you can sprinkle the yeast (whether dry or fresh) on top of the flour.
- For hand kneading, I recommend adding the yeast directly to the water and mixing well to ensure uniform distribution throughout the dough, as it’s more difficult to achieve even distribution by hand compared to using a mixer.
- For using a mixer, you can sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour, but my general recommendation is to dissolve the yeast in warm water before adding it to the bowl.
4. Mixing the Ingredients: Mix the water, salt, sugar, and yeast (or sourdough) together.
5. Flour: Add all the flour to the water mixture.
6. Gluten, Malt, and Milk Powder: Sprinkle the powders (gluten, malt, milk powder, etc.) on top of the flour and briefly mix them with the flour.
7. Combining the Ingredients: Combine all ingredients together.
- For hand kneading, you can use a dough scraper (recommended), a wooden spoon, or your hands.
- For using a mixer, run the mixer on the slowest speed for one or two minutes.
8. Oil: Add the oil only after the flour has absorbed all the water.
Order for Adding Ingredients to the Dough When Using a Food Processor
While the order in which ingredients are added to a food processor is not overly critical, it is generally easiest and most efficient to follow this order:
Water → salt, sugar → flour and gluten/malt/milk powders → yeast
As with other methods, add the oil only after the flour has absorbed all the water.
The Physical Kneading Process: How to Knead Dough in Practice
General Guidelines for All Kneading Methods
Time to dive into the actual kneading process! Below are general guidelines that apply to all kneading methods:
- Kneading Duration: The length of kneading depends on several factors, including the desired level of gluten development, the kneading method (hand kneading vs. mixer), the dough’s consistency (stiff or liquid), and the total amount of dough being made. The following guidelines are a starting point, but adjustments may be needed based on your specific conditions.
- Dough Quantities: Generally, the more dough you’re working with, the longer it will take to knead. For example, 5 kg of dough will take longer to knead than 1 kg, regardless of whether you’re kneading by hand or using a mixer.
- Know When to Stop Kneading: Focus on the dough’s appearance and texture rather than the clock to determine when kneading is complete.
- Mixer Kneading: If you notice the dough heating up too much during mixing, stop and finish kneading by hand or with stretch and folds. It’s better to have slightly under-mixed dough than to over-mix or overheat it.
- Minimal and Improved Kneading: For minimal and improved kneading, knead until the dough reaches a satiny, creamy texture (see picture below).
Hand Kneading
When hand kneading, it’s important to distinguish between two types of dough:
- low to medium hydration dough
- high hydration (or sticky) dough
This distinction matters because high hydration dough cannot be kneaded in the traditional way. Instead, it requires a ‘special’ technique known as French kneading.
How to Knead By Hand (Standard, Low to Medium Hydration Dough)
Start by mixing all the dough ingredients using a dough scraper (recommended), a wooden spoon, or your hands, until there is almost no dry flour left in the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and begin kneading.
My recommended technique for hand kneading is as follows:
Flatten or stretch the dough outward with the palm of one hand, then use your other hand to gather the sides of the dough inward. Continue this process, with one hand stretching the dough outward while the other folds it back in. Knead the entire circumference of the dough in this manner (see the video below for a demonstration).
If needed, you can lift and turn the dough during kneading to ensure even kneading from all sides.
Continue kneading until you reach the desired level of gluten development.
How to Knead By Hand (High Hydration or Sticky Dough)
Kneading sticky or high hydration doughs requires a different technique because the dough is too wet or sticky to knead in the traditional manner. For these types of doughs, the French kneading method (also known as the Bertint method) is used, named after Richard Bertint, the baker most associated with it.
French kneading is ideal for sticky and/or high hydration doughs, which typically contain more than 70% water (depending on the flour used) or high amounts of fat and/or sugar, contributing to their wet and sticky texture. This method allows you to develop gluten without the dough sticking to your hands or the work surface.
To perform French kneading, lift the dough by the edges, “slam” it onto the work surface, and spread it out to the sides. Repeat the process quickly. Each time you lift the dough, grab it from a different side to ensure an even fold (see the video below for a demonstration).
You will usually need to perform 50 to 100 repetitions of this folding process, depending on the desired level of gluten development.
To prevent the dough from sticking to your hands, keep a bowl or container of water nearby and wet your hands between repetitions.
How to Mix in a Stand Mixer (Home Mixer)
Mixing in a stand mixer should always begin at the lowest speed (1). The primary goal at this stage is to combine all the dough ingredients and allow the flour to absorb the water.
Continue at the slowest speed until the dough starts to come together into a relatively uniform mass or until most of the water has been absorbed by the flour, whichever occurs first. This step usually takes about 2 minutes.
Once the dough has come together and most of the water has been absorbed by the flour, increase the speed to 2. Continue kneading at this speed until reaching the desired level of gluten development.
For standard stand mixers, never exceed speed 2! For most home mixers, speed 2 is the maximum setting recommended for kneading dough, as stated in the manufacturer’s guidelines. Operating at higher speeds can strain the motor and reduce the mixer’s lifespan. To verify the correct speed for kneading, consult your mixer’s user manual, which typically advises against exceeding speed 2.
If using the bassinage method, add the remaining water only after the dough has developed sufficient strength and all the initial water has been fully absorbed. Gradually incorporate the additional water, ensuring each portion is fully absorbed before adding more.
How to Mix in a Spiral Mixer
Similar to mixing in a stand mixer, mixing in a spiral mixer begins at the slowest speed (usually about 100 RPM) to combine all the dough ingredients and allow the flour to absorb the water. This step typically takes around 2 minutes.
Next, increase the speed to between 150-210 RPM and continue mixing until the desired level of gluten development is reached. Alternatively, the entire mixing process can be done at a slow speed, as some spiral mixers only operate at a single speed.
Depending on the amount of dough being made, you may need to scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl after a few minutes. This is particularly common when the dough quantity is relatively small for the mixer’s capacity.
Bassinage can also be utilized with a spiral mixer. The remaining water can be added gradually when you notice the dough begins to form a “pumpkin” shape around the breaker bar (see picture below). At this point, gradually add the remaining water, waiting for the “pumpkin” to form again before adding more water. Continue this process until all the water has been incorporated.
Mixing times in a spiral mixer typically range from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the mixing speed, the amount and type of dough, and the desired level of gluten development.
How to Mix Using a Food Processor
Firstly, if you have the option to choose between metal or plastic blades, opt for metal blades. It may sound counterintuitive, but metal blades perform significantly better at kneading than plastic ones.
Secondly, remember that kneading in a food processor occurs very quickly, so you need to pay close attention to the dough during the process. It’s better to have under-kneaded dough, which you can continue kneading by hand or by performing folds, than to risk over-kneading.
When using a food processor, monitoring the temperature of the dough is crucial. As mentioned, a food processor generates a lot of friction and heat during kneading, so it’s important to use ingredients that are cold enough to prevent the dough’s temperature from rising too much. This typically requires using very cold water.
To determine the exact water temperature needed, you can use PizzaBlab’s final dough temperature calculator.
Steps for Using a Food Processor for Dough Mixing
- Adding the Ingredients: Add the ingredients to the food processor.
- Initial Mixing of the Ingredients: Perform 2-3 pulses of about one second each to mix all the dough ingredients together. Once the initial mixing is complete, add the oil.
- Kneading: Turn on the food processor for about 30 seconds (either continuously or in pulses). After 30 seconds, check the dough, and if necessary, run the food processor for a few more seconds. Generally, it’s recommended not to exceed 45 seconds of kneading time; however, this may vary based on the type of food processor and the amount and type of dough, so it’s important to monitor the dough’s condition.
The final kneading time will depend on the food processor, as well as the amount and type of dough. Therefore, at least the first time, pay extra attention to the dough during kneading.
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