Technique: Air Kneading

In one of the bread books I have, the author said that there's really no wrong way to knead bread dough. As long was you get the results you want, any technique is fine.

I've found that's pretty much true. Some methods give you quicker results. Some are easier on the wrists. Some are better for wet doughs and some are are better for dry doughs.

I'd suggest trying different methods until you find one you like. And maybe adjust your method based on the dough.

This method, that I call "air kneading." is like the stretch and fold technique that's used for very wet doughs, with some changes. This wouldn't work for a super-wet dough or a really dry dough, but it's fine for average bread doughs. And there's a limit to how large of a batch of dough you would want to knead with this method.

Here's how it works:

Once the dough is mixed and can be formed into a lump, pick up the dough, hold an edge in each hand, and pull to stretch it. At this point, it's not going to be very stretchy - it will tear more than stretch, but that's okay, just pull it a few inches if that's all you can do.

When you first start handling the dough, it will stick to your hands, but as you keep working with it, it will unstick.

You can put from side to side, or if it's more comfortable, position your hands so you're stretching it vertically. This is sort of like pulling taffy, but it's not hot and it's not nearly as stretchy. Or it's like working with elastic exercise bands.

Fold the dough in half, turn it 90 degrees, and stretch it again. You don't need to be precise about the pulling and folding and turning. Just have fun with it.

Keep stretching and folding until the dough begins to get smoother and stretchy. It will seem much less lumpy and it will stretch more and tear less. At some point, it will stretch rather than tear, but you'll also feel it getting rubbery, like it wants to bounce back rather than staying stretched.

If the dough gets too difficult to pull because it's too bouncy, you can let it rest for five minutes or so, then keep going.

Or you can start kneading using this method and finish with a more traditional sort of knead. And, if you need to mix in additional ingredients towards the end of kneading, for sure you'd want to use a traditional on-the-work-surface technique.

How much you need to pull and fold to get the the correct consistency depends on the dough formula as well as how well-kneaded the dough has to be. If the dough is going to be resting overnight, a few stretches and folds might be enough. If the dough needs to pass the windowpane test, you'll need to work with it longer.

And that's it.

I find that this sort of kneading is easier on my hands and wrists, and its sort of fun to pull and fold.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Whole Foods Feasting: A Tale of Two Salads

When I was growing up, salad meant greens -usually iceberg lettuce - and salad dressing. Salad was something that was eaten before dinner. It sure wasn't something that was eaten as a meal.

Okay, maybe there was the occasional tuna salad. But even though "salad" was in the name, it wasn't something eaten like salad. It was a sandwich filling.

Now, salad in my life has broken out of its mold, It can still be a starter, but it's just as likely to be a side dish or a meal. In summer, a nice light chilled salad is particularly welcome for lunch. And a hearty - but chilled - chicken salad makes a great salad nestled in a lettuce cup, or it makes a great sandwich filling.

The chicken salad is a great way to make use of leftovers, too.

The Chicken and the Egg Salad

1 chicken breast, cooked and chilled
1 chicken thigh, cooked and chilled
2 celery stalks, diced
2 radishes, diced
2 mini sweet peppers, cored and diced
2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup Greek style yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon paprika
A few grates of nutmeg

Remove the skin and bones from the chicken, and cut into a medium dice and add it to a medium bowl.

Add the celery, radishes, peppers, eggs, capers. salt, pepper, mustard, , yogurt, mayonnaise, paprika, and nutmeg.

Stir gently to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed.

 Serve in lettuce cups (garnish with extra paprika, if desired) or use as a sandwich filling.

Shrimp Salad 

This salad makes a nice appetizer with just a few shrimp, or it can be a full meal with more shrimp - it's your choice. The greens are dressed with a fruity dressing, with an additional avocado sauce for the shrimp. Any extra avocado sauce is a great dip for chips, or you can thin it with milk or buttermilk and use it as a salad dressing.

You could use regular bell peppers for this salad, but the mini peppers make nice, small rings that look pretty in the salad.

Shrimp Salad with Avocado Sauce

For the salad:
1 head romaine heart
1 small zucchini
1 radish
3 mini sweet peppers
1 tablespoon raspberry or mango vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 pound shrimp, cooked, cleaned, and chilled

For the avocado sauce:
1 cup mashed avocado
1 cup Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of chipotle powder

Tear the romaine into bite-sized pieces and add it to a medium bowl. Cut the zucchini in half horizonally, then slice into thin rounds and add them to the bowl. Slice the radishes into thin rounds and add them to the bowl. Core and seed the peppers, slice them into thin rings, and add them to the bowl.

Combine the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and sugar in a small jar with a lid. Shake the jar to combine and emulsify the dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, salt, and chipotle powder. Stir well.

Arrange the greens on a plate, dollop the as much of the avocado as you like in the center, then arrange the shrimp on top. Serve chilled.

Refrigerate the remaining avocado sauce. Unlike guacamole, this doesn't turn brown quickly, so it will last at least several days in the refrigerator.

For information about Whole Foods, see the tab at the top.

Gadgets: The Spifter

I always hope to find new, quirky, innovative, unique, interesting, useful, improved, fun products to review. But it's pretty unlikely any product will check all those boxes. I mean, there aren't that many truly new kitchen gadgets being invented.

This time, I think I actually found something new: The Spifter ($19.95).

After I saw it, my very next thought was, "Why didn't someone think of this before?" It's perfectly logical.


The Spifter is a spoon-sized sifter. It would take you forever to sift flour for your cake, but it's ideal for neatly spewing paprika onto deviled eggs or sprinkling colored sugar onto cookies. Since it's small, you get more controlled placement of whatever you're sprinkling.

There are three removable mesh sifter bowls that snap in and out of the spoon, with fine, medium and coarse mesh, so you can sift fine powdery stuff or slightly coarser salts or sugars or herbs.

Perfectionists and food bloggers looking for pretty presentation are going to love this gadget. Cooks who care less about messy garnishes probably won't be as excited. And I'm sure there are professionals who can manage perfect paprika placement without needing a gadget.

On the other hand, I can use all the garnishing help I can get.

I almost wish this was a three-spoon set instead of having the removable bowls since I'm terrible at losing small things in my kitchen drawers, but that's my issue and not a flaw in the product. Overall, this is a pretty cool idea.