Try the windowpane test when kneading dough

The windowpane test is one of the best ways to tell if you’ve sufficiently kneaded your bread dough.

Can your dough pass the windowpane test? Let’s find out!

As you knead your dough, be aware of how it changes from a lumpy mixture of flour and water, to a stretchy, smoother texture.

Take a small ball of the dough and stretch it into a square. Keep on stretching until it becomes a thin film in the middle without breaking. The dough must be thin enough to pass light through it. If it is obtained without any tear, then your dough is properly kneaded.

If your dough breaks easily, keep kneading and repeat the test again in a few minutes.

Bear in mind that if you’re using wholemeal flour, the bran in the flour will affect how smooth your dough is and you might not see this effect so well. Also, if you have added seeds, nuts etc into your dough, try and stretch out a piece of just dough, so any additions don’t interfere with the test.