7 times it's acceptable to be kneady

Sometimes we all get a little needy. But for those times when your emotional demands are depleting your friendship pool, take our advice: add a 'k' and swap an 'a', and direct your lamentations into a lump of indifferent dough.

Source: Benito Martin

1. Find peace in pasta

The great thing about making pasta is not only that it's super-easy and delicious, but you also have two opportunities to work out any pent-up aggression. Firstly, you can channel your woes into kneading the dough, then, haul out the pasta machine and roll out those sheets like you're smoothing out all the worries of the world.

Pasta ingredients

2. Fill your empty heart with jam

Feeling fragile and unloved? These Austrian jam-filled rolls are here to save your poor, forlorn heart from emptiness with their mood-brightening fluffiness and sweet jaminess. Maybe you can even relate to allowing the dough to rise up, only to have the air knocked out of it? Sure, it's deflating, but what doesn't kill you only makes you fluffier.

Sweet jam-filled rolls (buchteln) Source: Alan Benson

3. Start circulating

One of the best ways to snap out of a needy state of being is to get out there and circulate. But if real human interaction is a bridge too far, practice your circulating technique on these Turkish sesame breads (simit). A good 10-minute knead is practically meditative, so you'll be feeling zen by the time these rings make it into the oven.

Turkish circular sesame bread (simit) Source: Chris Chen

4. Eat the monkey on your back

Imagine that monkey on your back as this sticky, finger-licking monkey bread and your worries will transform into delicious, sweet mouthfuls. This pile of caramel-soaked pillows has the added bonus of being utterly irresistible, so you need only offer it to those you've irked with your neediness and all will be forgiven.

Monkey bread Source: Chris Chen

5. Earn your dough

Once you've successfully turned your neediness into kneadiness, you'll find your social networks looking a lot healthier. So, it's probably time to throw a party, and the ultimate party food to feed a crowd of returned mates is, of course, pizza. So start making some pizza dough and keep that kneady feeling.

Pizza dough Source: Benito Martin

6. Blame it on the onions

If you're in need of a good cry, these Polish onion-filled bagels, or bialy, provide a good excuse to sob as you knead. But you'll soon dry your tears once you taste how delicious these chewy, bagel-like rolls are.

Polish onion-filled ‘bagels’ (bialy) Source: Alan Benson

7. Sugar coat it

Now that you've fully embraced your kneadiness, you will be able to direct others to employ a therapeutic pummelling of dough should they find themselves in need. And just remember, a sprinkling of sugar, such as on these cakey apple cider doughnuts, always helps to lighten a mood.

Yeasted apple cider doughnuts Source: Linda Xiao