Making bread dough with a food processor

[wannabechef]

I have a very good kitchen aid which came with a dough blade. It looks like the regular blade except its plastic, dull, and has no points. Has anyone ever used one of these before?

From what I've read in my book, instead of using room temperature water, you should use cold water since the dough will heat up in the processor. Also, the book recomends to finish off the kneading by hand. She says that although it's possible to make all breads with only your hands, some of the wetter doughs are so sticky that it takes a seasoned professional - which I'm not! And from what I understand, these wetter recipes are some of the best breads.

Does anyone have any tales, tips, advice or warnings about making bread dough in a food processor?

Thanks!

~WBC

[FoodMan]

I normally use my food processor to make bread dough and I use the regular blade. Process about 20 seconds per loaf, but then it depends on what kind of bread you are making.

Elie

[badthings]

Personally I just mix the ingredients in the processor, pulsing for maybe a minute, then knead by hand. The dough gets very hot. (I have the new Cuisinart, not the Kitchen Aid).

I don't mind kneading, but if you do, you could test it by doing one batch by hand and another entirely in the machine.

[alanamoana]

my advice doesn't aim at the bread, but the process...just remember to unplug your machine any time you need to reach in...

my good friend (and a pastry chef) almost lost part of her thumb and forefinger after the blad stopped on a batch of dough. she took the lid off (the safety must not have been working) and when whe moved the dough, the blade started again...ugh!!

so now i'm covering for her at work (she's been out over a month now and the doctor won't let her come back until after jan 15th...with lots of physical therapy).

so, please be careful when using the food processor!

[jackal10]

I use a food processor all the time for small batches.

I don't bother with the plastic blade. I think the regular steel does a better job.

Use a slack (soft) dough - 70% hydration

Pulse only for 20 sec. Leave for 30 minutes. Add the salt, pulse for another 20 secs

Its primarily time and hydration, rather than agitation that develops the gluten

I don't find water temperature affects things much. Standard recipe for a food processor is 3 cups flour, 1.5 cups sponge (half water, half flour by volume+ sourdough), 1.5 cups water. Everything a room temperature, and providing extremes are avoided the water temperature doesn't seem to make much difference.

Being lazy, I often leave it in the food processor bowl for 4 hours (sourdough) for the bulk fermentation, otherwise tip into an oiled basin and keep at 85F.

Fold the dough every hour during bulk fermentation; shape into bannetons, retard overnight in the fridge.

[oraklet]

She says that although it's possible to make all breads with only your hands, some of the wetter doughs are so sticky that it takes a seasoned professional - which I'm not! And from what I understand, these wetter recipes are some of the best breads.

i certainly agree that wetter dough will give you a "better" bread, but there's no problem in kneading it by hand, really. just start mixing it in a big bowl with a sturdy spoon (or two), then fold it in on itself a number of times. when it's past the very sticky phase, use your hands. for me, that works well, even with a 75% hydrated dough.

[Catherine Iino]

I use the food processor quite frequently to mix bread dough, with the metal blade. One trick is to put the dry ingredients in the bowl, mix them, and then add the liquid all at once, so that the dough is whirling by the time it is fully hydrated and doesn't have a chance to stick. Really wet doughs, however, are always a problem; they work up into the shaft and really drag on the whole blade mechanism. I would use a Kitchenaid stand mixer for those rather than the food processor.

[HungryC]

Beth's Hensperger's The Bread Bible has an entire section devoted to food processor yeasted dough recipes. Worth a look: http://books.google.com/books?id=dvwGDlfoB9oC&lpg=PP1&dq=beth%20hensperger&pg=PA394#v=onepage&q=beth%20hensperger&f=false