Interesting question, Caleb. It's a little tough to answer without knowing more about the dough and the ingredients that aren't pulling together. Flour, salt, water and yeast should generally blend together pretty easily, unless the balance of liquid and flour is off. When baking with anything with yeast (commercial or wild), it can help to think of the liquid and flour amounts as being slightly variable, depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. In warmer, more humid months, you might find that you need less liquid than the recipe calls for to achieve the desired dough consistency, while in the drier, colder winter months, you might need more than what's called for. Using cold water, rather than the lukewarm water that's most often called for can also make the dough feel "harder". If the problem is simply dry flour sticking to the side of the bowl, try using the paddle attachment on your mixer for the first 15-30 seconds in order to better combine the ingredients, then swap it out for the dough hook to knead. Given the number of possibilities, it may be more helpful to talk through this directly with one of our bakers. We hope you'll consider giving our free Baker's Hotline a call at 855-371-BAKE. We're here seven days a week and happy to chat! Mollie@KAF

• Reply