Keep Learning with Kenwood: Kneading and proving dough

Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread, just out of the oven. But making bread by hand can be a labour of love that you need to dedicate a bit of time and effort to. Using your stand mixer can really help streamline the process, mixing your ingredients evenly and making quick work of kneading the dough, so you’ve got more time to get on with other things.

The Titanium Chef Patissier XL makes things even simpler. Thanks to the easy to use baking presets, both proving and kneading your dough is available at just the touch of a button. In this guide we’ll be sharing a delicious recipe for a flavoursome feta, herb and sun-dried tomato pinwheel bread, which puts both of these time-saving presets to good use, and show you just how quick and easy it is to make your own bread using your Titanium Chef Patissier XL.

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Dough kneading and proving presets

Kneading is a crucial stage in breadmaking. Not only does it ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the dough, but it stretches and develops the gluten strands. It’s the gluten that gives the bread structure and enables it to rise.

After kneading, your dough should feel smooth and elastic. It then needs to be left to prove. During proving, tiny air bubbles form in the dough as the yeast ferments, causing it to expand and rise, and resulting in a lighter loaf.

The success of both these stages will determine how good your end result is. Not only does using the dough kneading and dough proving presets on your Titanium Chef Patissier XL allow you to knead and prove your dough faster (and with minimal mess), it also means there’s no guesswork required regarding how long to knead for, or how long to prove it for. Just choose the preset you want to use and follow the instructions on the display screen. Your mixer will take care of the rest, leaving you hands-free to get on with something else.

Making feta, herb and sun-dried tomato pinwheel bread

Try something different and make this savoury feta, herb and sun-dried tomato pinwheel bread.

Here’s what you’ll need to make one pinwheel bread, which will serve up to 6 people. It will take around 55 minutes to make, plus proving time.

Ingredients
100g feta, crumbled
30g parmesan, grated
15g fresh flat leaf parsley
15g chives
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground black pepper
500g strong white bread flour
7g fast action dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
320g water
70g sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 egg, beaten

Tools
Titanium Chef Patissier XL
Dough hook
Round baking tin, 23cm
K-beater
7L EasyWarm bowl
5L mixing bowl

Get ahead by measuring out your ingredients and setting up your baking area. Remember your mixer allows you to weigh out your ingredients either individually, or incrementally as you go.

Preparing the filling

Grease the baking tin and line with parchment paper. Lift your mixer’s head and fit the heat shield and the K-beater. Attach the 5L Mixer bowl.

Add the feta, parmesan, herbs, oil and pepper to the bowl. Starting on speed 1 and gradually increasing to speed 3, mix for about 30 seconds until all the ingredients are combined. Remove the K-beater and the bowl. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge to chill.

Making the dough

Attach the EasyWarm bowl and dough tool to the machine. Add the flour, yeast, caster sugar, salt, oil and water to the bowl.

Select the dough kneading preset. Once completed, your dough should be smooth and elastic.

Next, fit the splashguard and select the dough proving preset.

Creating the pinwheel rolls

Once your dough is proved, transfer to a lightly floured surface. Stretch it out, pressing gently as you go to remove any air bubbles.

Roll out in a rectangle shape, around 25 x 35cm in size. Remove the cheese and herb mixture from the fridge and scatter over the dough, before adding the sun-dried tomatoes on top.

Starting from the long side of the rectangle, roll up the dough to form a long log shape. Cut into 7 even slices, each measuring roughly 5cm wide. Place the rolls in the baking tin, arranging 6 of them around the edge of the tin, with the last one in the centre.

Baking your loaf

Cover the tin with a clean tea towel and leave the dough to prove again for about 35-40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Once your dough has proved, brush the top of each roll with some beaten egg. Bake for 45 minutes until risen and golden. If the bread starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Remove the tin from the oven and leave to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes before serving - it’s best served warm.