How do you know when a dough is ready?

[she_cookie]

My grandma always used to say that she can sense a good dough. I tried to make doughs myself when i was younger and they never turned out right :D Now, after some good practice, i can almost understand what my grandma said.

Do you know when a dough is ready? Do you sometimes make it to hard or to sticky?
________
medical marijuana patient (http://mmjp.org)

[Benton Tarantella]

Yes, I also think it is true that after a lot of practice you get the hang of it and you can almost sense when the dough is ready. There are several opinions on this topic, but from my experience ingredients are an important factor of the dough's consitence and stickiness level... I like to think that I'm quite skilled with baking.

[Mancook]

I only know one trick to know if the dough is ready to cook and that is trying pinching it with fork or toothpick. If is stick with the toothpick or fork then it is not yet ready, otherwise it is already good for baking.

[Manuela]

Although the usual way to make sure a dough is ready is the one presented by Mancook, your grandmother is right, she_cookie. When I was just a beginner cook I couldn't tell if the dough was ready or not every time. With lots of practice I reached a level when I can almost feel a good dough. Years ago I would make mistakes in this area of baking, but I'm happy to say that I am quite experienced now.