I'd heard that kneading "activates the gluten", but tbh chemistry was never my strong suit so I have no idea what that means in the real world. I suspect kneading time relates to the level of activation or resulting gluten level, or perhaps even the speed at which the activation occurs. I couldn't even tell you what gluten does in terms of flavour or chewiness or whatever.
I've just never found the right eli5 for me about it. Perhaps split a batch, knead one half and do a comparison taste test?
Fantastic explanation. Thank you.