profile

Humbly Homemade

✨ Bake Club! 🍞 How to Knead Sticky Dough

Published 3 months agoΒ β€’Β 1 min read

Hey, Reader!

Have you ever tried mixing bread dough that was a giant sticky mess all over your hands & counter?

🍞 I used to add more and more flour in an attempt to counteract the stickiness. BUT adding more flour actually made my bread dense, dry, and heavy.

πŸ₯– The truth is, dough needs to feel a little sticky to bake up with that classic open, airy interior.

5 Tips for Sticky Dough

  1. 😴 Let the dough rest (autolyse)
  2. 🌾 Add just a liiiiiitle flour on the counter
  3. πŸ™Œ Wet your hands with cold water
  4. πŸ”ͺ Use a bench scraper
  5. πŸ₯£ Stretch and Fold > Kneading

I share the full breakdown (including the science behind why dough needs to feel a little sticky, and how to troubleshoot really sticky dough) in my new YouTube video!

My Baking Tools for Sticky Dough

  • ​Flexible Bench Scraper - I use this for kneading sticky dough inside the mixing bowl for the first minute to avoid a big mess on my counter.
  • ​Silicone Mat - This is a great alternative to kneading dough on a counter, aka less scrubbing & scraping dough off!
  • Small Bowl with Cold Water - It sounds counterintuitive, but I swear, wet hands make dough stick wayyy less than dry or floured hands!
  • ​Danish Dough Whisk - While not essential, I find it easier to mix sticky dough with this instead of a spatula or spoon.

Now Let's Bake!

Let's turn our mini bake club lesson into something you can eat!

Click a link above or a photo below to go to my recipe on the blog!

​Find your next rustic bake​

Humbly Homemade

Carissa Erzen

I'm the full-time recipe developer and food photographer behind Humbly Homemade. Inspired by my childhood growing up in Germany, I share recipes of delicious rustic bakes from scratch with an elevated European twist.

Read more from Humbly Homemade

Hey, Reader! Summer is the season that feels like an open invitation to seek inspiration and adventure. And as a recipe developer, I find inspiration at my local farmer's market, especially now that fresh produce like rhubarb & strawberries are overflowing off the gingham-lined tables. So to celebrate, I created two Bake-Club-exclusive recipes that I'm sharing with you today! 🍰 I baked a strawberry rhubarb streusel cake and rosemary rhubarb dirty soda that my family enjoyed on a picnic in our...

7 days agoΒ β€’Β 4 min read
Four photos of chocolate desserts in a collage with camping graphics.

Hey, Reader! Father's Day is next Sunday, and if your dad is anything like mine, he'll say he doesn't want a fuss. But this year is also my husband's very first father's day as a dad, and I'm planning on making a GIANT fuss for them both. πŸ₯³ Whether it's your own dad, a father-figure in your life, or the ride-or-die co-parent to your pets, they all deserve a little extra love. And there's something about a homemade dessert that a gift card (or another grill spatula...) just can't touch,...

14 days agoΒ β€’Β 1 min read

Hey, Reader! We've officially made it to summer! β˜€οΈ June is one of my favorite months, when the farmers markets are packed with seasonal produce and inspiration for baking with seasonal flavors seem boundless. πŸ“ Berries, stone fruit, zucchini, and herbs are some of my favorites this time of year, so I pulled together 10 recipes that celebrate these flavors. They're also all great for baking the rad dad-figures in your life on Father's Day later this month, on June 21st! Happy Baking! Click a...

28 days agoΒ β€’Β 1 min read