Gluten Development (with Windowpane Photos)
I took (actually, my husband T took, while I “windowpaned”) some photos of the stages of gluten development. I hope someone will find these useful. Most of the breads I make call for the gluten to be developed to a medium stage.
Gluten development is tested with the “windowpane test.” Pinch off about two tablespoons of dough and try to stretch it into a thin membrane (windowpane).
If you can do so without tearing, but the membrane is mostly opaque, you have barely developed gluten.
If you can stretch a paper-thin, very translucent windowpane, the gluten is fully developed.
A medium level is in between these two extremes: the windowpane is translucent with some opaque areas.
The progression from minimally to fully developed gluten:
[...] to a medium development although I’m really not sure. I learned this after seeing the pictures at Wild Yeast In the beginning my first windowpanes looked like the first picture, and how they more resemble [...]
[...] Mix in medium speed about 10 minutes, until dough has reached a medium-high level of gluten development. The dough is soft and sticky. [...]
[...] Reinhart warns that the dough may be too large for home mixers. Make sure that your dough passes the windowpane test after kneading. Prepare a lightly oiled [...]
Hi,
Thanks for the windowpane picks. Being new to baking wasn’t quite clear what I was shooting for - thanks again.
Why medium stage instead of fully development stage?
Macfield, full development generally gives a tight, even crumb (interior texture), which is desirable for some breads. For breads where you want a more open and irregular crumb, medium development is usually best.
Are the pictures of the windowpains in reverse order? It seems that the one on the lift shows ligt and image behind it.
The idea of showing the actual window pain results is a great idea.Thanks to Susan again.
Herb, the photo on the left is the most opaque (i.e., the least developed gluten). There is a little translucency at the edges, so maybe you’re perceiving the edges of the opaque area as an image behind the dough. This is like a Rorschach test
[...] und Salz hinzugefügt und etwa 7 min geknetet (mit der Küchenmaschine), bis der Teig den “Fenstertest“ [...]
[...] bit. I then let it rest for 2-3 minutes and knead it for 10-15 minutes until the dough passes the window pane test. Lightly oil a bowl, put the dough inside turning to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let [...]
[...] l?tai maišome, kol viskas.. susimaišo (apie 5 minutes). toliau maišome, kol glitimas vidutiniškai susiformuoja. ?maišome likus? vanden?; minkome, kol tešla pasidaro vientisa (d?mesiaus - ji bus minkšta, [...]
[...] wird, dann die Maschine höherstellen und weiter kneten, bis zu einer mittleren Glutenentwicklung (Fenstertest), etwa weitere 3 min. Nun wird der Zucker in kleinen Portionen (ca. 20g pro Portion) hinzugefügt [...]
[...] point where it seemed tacky, but not sticky. To check if the gluten had developed enough, I used the windowpane test (also called membrane test). This is not an easy thing to photograph, so I was lucky to have my [...]
Thank you so much for this demo. It has changed my sourdough making. I was never sure what I was doing and I just crossed my fingers. Now, I know what to look for.
[...] into the greasy inner workings of the mixer. It was not pretty! Anyway, it will definetely pass the windowpane test. (Note: See a great picture tutorial on what it’s supposed to look like here.)3. Place into a [...]
[...] into the greasy inner workings of the mixer. It was not pretty! Anyway, it will definetely pass the windowpane test. (Note: See a great picture tutorial on what it’s supposed to look like here.)3. Place into a [...]
[...] I kneaded and kneaded and kneaded. After ten minutes, I had managed to incorporate about half of the extra flour. The dough was getting somewhere, but the gluten hadn’t developed enough to pass the windowpane test. [...]
[...] kneading for 6 or 7 minutes in my stand mixer, I gave the dough the windowpane test. Although it was hard to photograph, this was the best windowpane I’ve ever achieved! [...]