9 Instant Pot Bread Recipes You KNEAD in Your Life (2024)

FAQs

What foods can you knead? ›

Anyhow, in an essence, this is my 36 hour instant pot sourdough starter. The process consists of five feedings (a process of removing and adding more flour to the mixture). I use whole wheat flour, NY tap water, a wooden spoon and a 16 oz mason jar for this.

Today's post is an extension of my Baking with Yeast Guide. Here I'm teaching you how to knead dough. Kneading dough is an essential step in bread baking, whether you're making soft multigrain bread (pictured above), breadsticks, whole wheat bread, gooey raspberry sweet rolls, or flaky dinner rolls (pictured below).

If you're interested in a less kneady physical relationship with dough, fear not. Scientifically speaking, kneading dough is little more than a means of speeding a bio-chemical process. In the presence of water, molecules of glutenin and gliadin (two proteins found in wheat) form bonds to create a gluten network.

Generally, you can substitute a packet of yeast for 100g of sourdough starter. If your recipe uses less than a packet of yeast, you can use less sourdough starter, however it won't make too much difference because of the way wild yeast works.

After a few days, your daily 1/4 cup flour and water won't be enough to sustain your entire jar of starter, and your starter will be slow and sluggish, not much better than discard itself. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, depending on what you want to bake with it.

Powdered yeast is processed to rise the bread really fast. It is not meant to break down gluten or Phytic Acid the same way that natural sourdough yeast does.

The best way to brown and crisp your bread's bottom crust – as well as enhance its rise – is to bake it on a preheated pizza stone or baking steel. The stone or steel, super-hot from your oven's heat, delivers a jolt of that heat to the loaf, causing it to rise quickly.

Bake at 375° until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped or has reached an internal temperature of 200°, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Rather than placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight, leave it covered on the counter for 1 to 4 hours until it's ready to bake. Since the dough is proofed at room temperature, I find using the poke test a very effective way to tell when the bread dough is ready for the oven.

What can I knead dough on? ›

Start with a clean countertop. If called for in your recipe, dust countertop lightly with flour and place the ball of dough down. To knead: Push the heel of your palm into the ball of dough, stretching it away from you.

Any food processor can knead dough as long as it has a multipurpose metal blade. A special dough blade is an added bonus. A larger model may be best for making dough in a food processor, depending on how many or how large your batches are. For example, KitchenAid brand offers a 13-cup food processor with a dough blade.

Kneading the dough directly in the bowl it is mixed in is less messy (all the mess remains in the bowl) but it is also more physically restrictive. Working on a floured board you have more elbow room, but the flour goes all over everything and it takes longer to clean up. Use whichever method suits your personality.