Kneading - how long?

[Shelli_wnj]

I don't have a dough hook for my mixer, and although I would like one, the money is better spent on other things. Most of the bread recipes state to put the ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook and let it run for 6-8 minutes. How long would I hand-knead those recipes? I am thinking I don't knead for long enough because my bread has a tendency to be dense... would kneading longer make a difference. Just for reference, I use white flour. Thanks!!!

[sunshine]

I generally knead bread dough for 10 - 15 minutes depending on the recipe and how much whole grain flour (longer for more whole grains)

[Saule]

I knead 10 to 15 minutes. Try the windowpane test - take a piece of the dough and stretch it - if you can get a transluscent "window", then the dough is kneaded enough. This won't work with whole grain doughs where the bran will cut the gluten strands, or with dough that has nuts or seeds incorporated.

Be careful not to put too much flour on your work surface. I now generally spray with oil rather than using flour, to avoid adding more flour.

[DJ1972]

When I use white bread flour, I knead the dough for around 5 minutes. Now that I have been making bread for a while, I can tell by the texture of the dough. Also, I learned the hard way to make sure you let your dough rise long enough....had a dense doughy loaf of bread because I put it in the oven too soon. I didn't take into account that the kitchen was cooler that day and the bread would need longer to rise. Just keep trying different recipes and techniques until you figure out what works for you.