To knead means to press, fold, and squeeze dough with your hands to make it smooth and ready for baking. When you knead bread dough, you push it away with the heels of your hands, fold it back over itself, turn it a quarter turn, and repeat this rhythm over and over. This motion develops the gluten in the dough, transforming a shaggy, sticky mess into something smooth and elastic that will rise into beautiful bread.

Bakers knead dough for several minutes, developing a steady, almost meditative rhythm. You can tell dough is properly kneaded when it becomes springy and bounces back when you poke it, like pressing on a balloon. Pizza makers, bagel bakers, and bread enthusiasts all knead their dough, though machines can do this work too in large bakeries.

People also use knead for other pressing motions, like when a cat kneads a blanket with its paws, pushing in and out in that same rhythmic way a baker works dough.