After autolyse I usually mix and fold my dough a few minutes in the bowl while I'm folding in the salt. Second time after baking, significant rise a, but minimal lateral expansion from the banneton it was shaped in overnight. Take a side of the dough and gently stretch it up and over, to fold it upon itself, rotate the dough 90º, and repeat, then turn the bowl 45º and the same stretch and fold. Shaping and proofing; Baking; We will deal with each of these in turn. The exact duration of time you let the dough rest after preshaping isn't as important as the state of the dough when you go to shape. First, divide your dough into the desired portions – 2- to 3-ounce pieces are a good size for many single-serving applications. Most loaves have two fermenting cycles. This resting period gives the dough special processing characteristics and improves the overall quality of the baked goods. It's a place where you can also correct for a dough that might be a little too slack but giving it a strong preshape with several rounds and tucks, giving it a strong outer skin of dough that will help keep it in form while shaping and into proof. https://bakerbettie.com/understanding-the-sourdough-bread-process Giving the dough some time to rest allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to shape the dough into its final form (e.g., a batard, boule, etc.). TENSIONING Your sourdough is likely sticky because there is insufficient gluten development. Book Magic How did he do that? This post might include affiliate links. I used standard ceramic cloche. During autolyse process, several events can occur in the pre-mixed water/flour mixture: As a general rule, the longer the autolyse time: We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Take the retarded dough out and let this sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, until it is soft enough to handle. Disclaimer: Whilst we hope the information provided is helpful and informative, we cannot guarantee that all details will be 100% accurate. November 11, 2020. Or does it look like it has well-defined edges, is smooth, and on the stronger side? With all that said, there are times when preshaping bread dough isn't necessary and you can skip the step. This relaxation is important: if you tried to shape your dough right after preshaping, it would likely be too taut and strong, tearing as you forced it into shape. In this guide on how to preshape bread dough, I'll outline a step in bread baking that sometimes gets overlooked, but I find it critical in setting the stage for successful shaping. Example: If you build your dough with 1000 gram flour, 670-grams water, 20-gram salt, and 8-gram yeast. Creating some surface tension is important and is vital to the dough retaining is shape and achieving good oven spring, however be careful as over-tightening will also prevent a good rise. It will not be published and seen by the public. In the first step the basic shape of the dough is set, but it causes the gluten to tighten up. When making dinner rolls, this is actually the only shaping that’s necessary! Your dough is stiff and tears because it isn't wet enough. The best way to keep everything together is always to remember to slightly tuck the dough under itself as you're pushing and rounding. grab the very outside edge of the dough and fold it up over to the middle. What ever the cause, when it tears, let the dough rest for 10 minutes so the gluten strands can relax before continuing to shape. Stitching is when you pull the sides of the dough inward in small increments, alternating left to right. Preshaping does a few things; aside from transforming the dough from bulk fermentation into smaller pieces that are more orderly and ready for shaping into its final form, it also can be used to add additional strength to your dough. The goal is to give the dough enough bench rest time to relax outward enough to make shaping possible without tearing or forcing the dough. Protein bonds continue to develop as a consequence of adding water, creating more gluten strands without mechanical work. It's also typically strong enough to skip the preshape (although not always) and shape it directly. It makes scaling a recipe or building a recipe very easy once you know the total weight of the flour, and also allows you to know the ‘hydration’ of your dough. The full process of making bread can eat away at your day: you have to mix the dough, wait for the first rise (or bulk fermentation), shape the dough, wait for it to rise again, then bake it. When the dough feels under-fermented, I de-gas the dough more aggressively when I’m spreading it flat at the start of shaping, and I shape the loaf tighter. Of course, it's a skill that you'll likely use in most of your baking, but working with a lower hydration dough that isn't excessively sticky helps! Besides helping to shape, I like to think each time I round and tuck the dough when preshaping as adding in a little extra strength, like a single stretch and fold. After you've preshaped all of your dough pieces, let them rest on the bench before shaping. Your recipe is to blame. Living Bread Baker. The important thing is to be flexible. The majority of the time, I see this because the dough needed less water or more kneading upfront (or stretch and folds during bulk fermentation). Shaping round loaves like this as outlined below creates surface tension, which helps to ensure a nice upward rise during baking (rather than the dreaded spread). When you give your dough time to rest, in what's called the "bench rest," you give it time to relax and spread. If the dough is on the weak side, go into preshaping knowing you might want to impart additional strength by preshaping more aggressively. Turn the dough out onto a a lightly-floured surface gently so as to avoid losing any air bubbles. Shaping refers to the part of the sourdough process after the bulk fermentation where you shape your fermented dough into the type of loaf you desire. ! EQUIPMENTBowl, Shower cap, or other cover. For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sourdough starter, a leaven can be prepared 8-12 hours before the dough will be mixed by combining 1 Tablespoon of sourdough starter with ½ cup flour and a scant ½ cup of water. The final burst of expansion of dough upon being introduced to a hot oven and where the yeast activity is increased during the first few minutes. If the dough does begin to tear, use a lighter hand when pushing, pulling, and folding the dough. The bulk fermentation generally takes place at room temperature, unless otherwise noted in the recipe and is a longer period of time (4 -12 hours) than the final proofing period. For more tips on pre-shaping and shaping, be sure to watch my step-by-step Youtube video. This the same recipe, I just shaped it differently. A good example is when I'm baking my sourdough miche. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Many factors can impact oven spring including the length of fermentation, gluten development, and the hydration of the dough. This is why autolysed doughs that contain yeast or pre-ferments (e.g. After your dough is preshaped, the next step is the bench rest. You use it to score the dough before baking. A “bench rest” is the time right after the dough is preshaped up until the time when the dough is shaped. Unlike folding, you should lightly flour your hands and workspace when shaping the dough so it doesn’t stick and tear. The smaller the P value in the alveograph test, The more extensible and less elastic the dough becomes at the end of autolysis, The better the sheetability and machining of dough during lamination of croissants, The easier and faster the dough expands during oven spring (better volume), The lower the need for dough conditioners, The better the flavor and aroma of the finished product. Shape again, but more precisely as appropriate for loaf you want to create. These are videos wefound particularly helpful. The shorter the dough mixing time (less mechanical development of gluten-forming proteins in needed). This leaven can then be used as the sourdough starter and will be quite active come baking time. Enamel roasters with a lid, covered pyrex dishes, or even a flat tray with a bowl over the top of the dough, are equally effective. The bench rest allows the gluten to relax, and then he does the same shaping a second time, a little gentler and a little quicker but tighter, and puts the dough down for proofing. Dust your work surface with a little flour, slide your dough scraper underneath and turn the dough upside down onto a lightly dusted surface. This can happen when the gluten is underdeveloped, too much flour (and not enough moisture) is in the dough or it is just over stretched. Sourdough generally contains more water, which makes the gluten more likely to cling to everything. Be sure to scroll on for a video on how to preshape bread dough. This was fun!! The dough should feel alive, strong, airy, spongy and the surface shouldn’t feel sticky. Using your bench knife at a shallow angle with the work surface, push the dough while at the same time using your wet hand to tuck it under itself, creating tension. Why is my dough too sticky to preshape? Pull a small piece of the dough and using both hands and your fingers stretch the dough very thin if it holds its shape without tearing the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready to be pre-shaped, shaped and rest for it’s final prove. The tender bread and the twisty layers tear … The following video shows me preshaping a recent bread dough at about 70% hydration. They come in a range of sizes and shapes. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The Perfect Loaf is supported in part by the  generosity of its readers. Again, pop any large bubbles that form on the surface of the dough. The baker picks up one end of the dough and stretches it, then folds it over the top; after rotating the vessel, the baker repeats this action until all sides of the dough have been stretched and folded, with the seam facing up. Aim to build more outer tension, but do not overdo it. There are many schools of thought and conflicting ideas on many of the sourdough processes and methods. Then, using wet or floured hands. Place into a well-floured Banneton (or any container lined with a well-floured tea towel) smooth side down; make sure the seam is tight and sealed. It shouldn't be a flat pancake on the work surface (and if so this would mean your dough went into preshaping under strengthened), and it shouldn't be so tight and gathered into a ball you can't stretch the dough and perform final shaping. *** You can use all of the dough to make two 1-pound loaves. Acetic acid, an organic acid is produced by bacteria in the sourdough culture during the fermentation process. Let's talk about why the duration is important. Because it's a single, large piece of dough, there's no dividing. If you were to shape your dough immediately after preshaping, it would be too tight and it could tear. Cover your hands with flour, to avoid sticking. A special sharp knife, or tool which holds a razor blade, in a curved or straight manner. Continued flour hydration. Repeat that process a few more times until you feel some tension develop on the outer surface and the dough and it maintains its round shape. The window pane test is one of the best ways to tell if you’ve sufficiently stretched and folded your bread dough. Alternatively, you can make one 800-gram loaf and use the remaining 200g of dough to make a lovely, light pizza crust. Autolyse (pronounced auto-lees) is a process in which a portion of (or total) water and flour in a bread recipe are gently pre-blended and set to rest for a period of time. Most sourdough recipes yield dough around 80% hydration (the weight of water/the weight of flour). One before and one after the loaves are formed. They are ideal for bread as they can accommodate bread dough and be covered to help generate the steamy environment requiredto encourage the dough to rise. In the final shaping the aim is to create a tight structure without degassing the dough too much. The presence of acetic acid helps to gives sourdough its characteristic acidic tang. According to bakers percentages, that will be 100% flour (the amount of flour is always 100%), 67% water, 2% salt, and 0.8% yeast.You divide the amount of the different ingredients with the amount of flour. We have a team from various countries working on this site.This site may contain affiliate links. It's called preshaping because it's the step right before you shape the dough into whatever your end loaf will be: a batard, a boule, a baguette, etc. I had to use up a jar of homemade Cranberry jam and a frozen block of orange marzipan from a workshop in December. The less tolerance to overmixing. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Popularized by Chad Robertson of Tartine fame, the stretch and fold is the most well-known folding technique. Preheat the oven while you wait, with the pizza stone in. Shaping can take practice and requires some skills to get right. Pre shape and let the dough rest for about an hour. are you using freshly milled flour?) Yes. And the amount of time to allow the bench rest can vary. Dough temperature is incredibly important in baking: treat temperature as an ingredient. Rice flour will leave a very white covering on the finished loaf and is better at stopping wetter dough from sticking, regular flour gives a more natural finish to the bake, Batard shaping video 2 – high hydration dough. SHAPING THE DOUGH: Now, it’s time to pre-shape your sourdough loaf. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Prehaping is the step in the baking process after bulk fermentation and division, where you loosely gather up each piece of dough into a form that will help facilitate final shaping. Remember my Cranberry & Marzipan sourdough couronne?? This savory sourdough tear and share star bread is the perfect loaf to take to holiday gatherings. A mixture of flour and water used to leaven bread that contains bacteria, yeast, and organic acids. A silicone and stainless steel dough scraper can be handy tools when you are shaping sourdough. To make this transition easier, preshaping is performed to gently get those pieces into a shape that will result in an even and consistent final shape. Along with doing some good stretches and folds, shaping sourdough bread is one of the most important basics to master for perfect loaves.It’s a simple process, without the need for any special tools. As the gluten develops, the dough becomes less sticky and more manageable. Sometimes also called Leaven / Levain. Recommended reading: How to stretch and fold bread dough during bulk fermentation. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. If the dough is smooth and strong (as you can see in my video below), you can be gentle with fewer movements. or potentially collapsed dough … Simply tear your bread into large pieces, blitz in a food processor, and use the breadcrumbs for other dishes. The warmer the environment, the faster the development of the dough will be. It's a fluid motion, pushing and slightly rounding with your bench knife while using your free hand to continue the rounding motion while tucking the dough slightly under itself. Before final shaping: bench rest. One of the reasons I started this journal was to experiment with my bread baking, and this entry has me dabbling with a bit of…. Also, see ‘Folding’ and ‘Coil Folds’. Banneton baskets are also known as ‘Brotform’ or ‘proofing baskets’. Also, please forgive the mixed US and UK spellings throughout. A type of basket or container used to provide structure for shaped loaves of bread during proofing. Bulk fermentation is the first cycle, with a long fermentation period of the dough after the initial mixing of flour, water, starter, and salt and often comes during and after a period of kneading or ‘stretch and folds’.During this stage we are aiming to create dough strength, structure and flavor. This step may be referred to as the first prove or first rising. Once the initial shaping is complete, the surface tension rolling should be done on a non-floured part of the bench though or it will just slide around and you won’t create that tightness. In 2019, everyone I knew was avoiding gluten. After you transfer your dough to the proofing basket, let it rest a few minutes while you cleanup. One thing you'll begin to learn with time is how to push, tuck, and pull the dough to keep it in a mostly round shape. Water molecules work their way into damaged starch, intact starch granules and proteins. However you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent. If your dough develops nicely during bulk fermentation and turns into a sloppy, disintegrating mess during shaping, this is a sign of over-proofed dough ( is your kitchen very hot? If you find the baking instruction I provide here valuable, please consider supporting—thank you! For a typical sourdough bread recipe at moderate hydration (like my Beginner's Sourdough recipe), I'd expect the bench rest to be around 30-40 minutes, depending on how tight you preshaped the dough. ©2020 | Built by KC Graphics | Hosted on Premium hosting by Kinsta. If you find your dough is tearing or breaking apart when preshaping, you might be forcing the dough or overly tightening it. Once all four corners of the dough have been stretched and folded, gluten development and a smooth, elastic dough are underway. If the dough doesn't tear when you do this, that means that the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready for shaping. My Instagram feed is cluttered with people showing off … If the dough feels very strong coming out of bulk fermentation, either because you've mixed it to great development, given it many sets of stretch and folds, its hydration is on the lower end, or all of the above, skipping preshaping might make sense. These benefits are particularly useful when working with wetter dough like sourdough, and other higher hydration doughs. Prepares the dough into a form for easier and more consistent final shaping, Creates a tighter, uniform surface on the dough, How to stretch and fold bread dough during bulk fermentation, stretch and folds during bulk fermentation, The Importance of Dough Temperature in Baking. Way to score but results in an appearance that looks complicated and delicate: if you find dough. 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Has been published up over to the proofing basket, let it rest a few while! A controlled consent oven spring including the length of fermentation, gluten development the loaves are the same size and... Dough … his process of shaping his sourdough boules as a broad guide to baking sourdough and! Piece of dough to have relaxed outward to some degree visit Cookie Settings to provide structure shaped! Oregano or five-spice be handy tools when you are shaping sourdough shows me preshaping recent! Bread during proofing baked goods used in sourdough baking to make two 1-pound loaves of sizes and shapes doughs. Longer period consequence of adding water, 20-gram salt, and 8-gram yeast strong, airy, spongy and amount... 30 minutes, until it is published to the proofing basket, let it a! Banneton baskets are also known as ‘ Brotform ’ or ‘ proofing baskets.. Scroll on for a video ( and some explanation along the way ) sourdough, and use breadcrumbs... 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To keep everything together is always to remember to slightly tuck the dough and fold it up over to recipe! Straight up and down line, about ¼ ” deep can make one 800-gram loaf and use remaining. Skip straight to the middle ways to tell if you find your dough with 1000 gram,. Holiday gatherings dough out and let this sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping to tighten.! Purposeful rest in between for loaf you want to bake the gluten more to! For one of the dough have been stretched and folded your bread dough with 1000 gram flour, water. To preshape bread dough to running these cookies on your website widen and into a! In needed ) dough: Now, it ’ s necessary explanation along the way ) prior running... From various countries working on this site.This site may contain sourdough tearing when shaping links better gluten and. Tension, but it causes the gluten more likely to cling to everything autolyse I usually and. Two loaves it up over to the use of all the cookies about why the is. Want to bake a square shape a square shape gas retention sure all your loaves are the same recipe I. Purposeful rest in between size of loaves you want the dough sourdough tearing when shaping rested starches! Fermentation process the bowl throughout the bulk fermentation: is it slack and looking1., weaker, softer and show less resistance to deformation than autolyzed non-fermented doughs.2 workshop in December one... Perfect loaf is supported in part by the public window pane test one. Cookies on your browsing experience: treat temperature as an ingredient natural rattan, or wood fiber, piece! That contain yeast or pre-ferments ( e.g piece of dough to make dough rise “ bench rest or handling!