Vinyl vs streaming is exactly it - the difference is in the experience, not the output 😄
Both build the identical gluten network, and past the windowpane test the dough cannot testify to how it got there. Hand takes 10-15 minutes, the machine's dough hook does it in 5-7, and machine-kneaded dough often LOOKS smoother simply because the work is more even - not because it's structurally superior.
Where your friend has a real point: hands LEARN. Feeling the dough change under your palms builds the instincts that later tell you when something's off - hydration, temperature, development - before any test does. That education is worth doing... it's just tuition, not a better loaf.
And one place the machine honestly wins: sticky enriched doughs and larger batches, where hand kneading tempts you into adding flour that leaner results pay for.
Knead by hand to learn, by machine to produce. The bread stays diplomatically neutral 🙂
