Step Three: Kneading

I am going to cover two different techniques for kneading, although one of them isn’t so much kneading in the conventional sense as it is working the dough in a special way to achieve the same result as conventional kneading. I want to let you know before we begin that you’re going to have a much easier time getting the hang of conventional kneading, or the type that most of us picture in our minds from watching our grandmothers or bakers on television, than you are with the second type of kneading, which is a French technique that is a bit trickier to master. But if you’ll just allow yourself to let loose during the process of working through the French technique, it will be a much easier ride—and it’s pretty fun once you get the hang of it. That said, neither is difficult, nor do either require an advanced degree to accomplish. It’s just like with many new things we learn in life; some are easier than others.