The purpose of kneading a bread dough is to form gluten. ... The more you move around the flour, the more gluten you will develop. This is very important for bread, because the gluten meshes will hold the gasses that the yeast produce, which will help the bread to rise.

Do you need to knead bread?

Why We Need to Knead

The reason kneading is an important part of bread making is to create structure and strength in the dough, leaving it silky and soft with a little cushiony feel. Flour contains two proteins that combine to form gluten, which is responsible for creating the elastic texture in the dough.

Can you over knead bread dough?

Overworked dough can happen when using a stand mixer. Dough will feel “tight” and tough, as the gluten molecules have become damaged, meaning that it won't stretch, only break, when you try to pull or roll it. ... Over kneaded dough can't be fixed and will result in a rock-hard loaf, so be careful with this mistake.