Kneading and gluten

Why

When wheat flour meets water, its proteins gliadin and glutenin link up into gluten, and kneading stretches and aligns these chains into a springy, extensible network. In bread and yeast doughs a strong network is exactly what you want: it traps the gas from fermentation, the dough rises and the crumb is springy. In shortcrust pastry, sponge cake, pancakes or muffins the same network does damage – the result is tough and rubbery, muffins develop tunnels and pastry shrinks in the oven. Fat coats the flour particles and sugar holds on to water, so both hold back gluten formation; that's why such mixtures are only briefly combined and small lumps are left in. Resting relaxes the gluten, so the dough then rolls out more easily and shrinks less.

How to do it

• Knead bread dough by hand for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic and it stretches into a thin membrane without tearing.
• Stir pancake and muffin batters only briefly, until no dry flour remains – small lumps are fine.
• Bring shortcrust together quickly, with cold butter and cool hands, and simply press it into a ball.
• Fold the flour into a sponge mixture last and gently with a spatula, lifting from the bottom.
• If dough springs back as you roll it, cover it and let it rest for 10–20 minutes.

If it goes wrong

Wrap overworked pastry and chill it for at least half an hour: the gluten relaxes and the fat firms up, so it shrinks less in the oven, though it will be a little tougher. Let overmixed pancake batter rest for 15–30 minutes before cooking; that will at least ease the toughness. A tough baked sponge or muffin can't be fixed – mix less next time.