Can I stretch and fold after bulk fermentation? No. Stretch and fold is a technique used to develop the gluten before bulk fermentation is completed. If you stretch and fold after bulk fermentation, you risk disturbing all the gas bubbles that have formed during this time.
After bulk fermentation, the next step is to shape your dough into a loaf. That's the last thing you need to do before the final proofing step. Most of the time, you see people use a two-step shaping process. They preshape their dough and shape it a second time after a short bench rest.
Most recipes recommend 4 or 6 sets of stretch and folds with 30 minutes intervals. Also, you do not want to be handling the dough late in the bulk fermentation process.
Yes. After the first rise, you can knead the dough lightly to remove some gas that causes air bubbles. This step is ideal if you want your dough to be flat and dense or if you want bread with a close crumb, like sourdough.
This act of stretching and folding, which takes just a few moments, helps develop the gluten network in the dough. Each fold has a significant impact on dough strength. Through folding, we're also helping to regulate dough temperature throughout the entire bulk mass.
Too little folding can result in weak dough. But too much folding can produce excessive tension and compressive forces. An over-folded dough might have a tighter crumb as the layers of alveoli push against each other and coalesce. In the worst case, excessive folding might cause a dough to tear under too much tension.
When the bulk fermentation goes too long — often when the dough more than doubles or triples in volume — the dough can over ferment. You know the dough has over fermented if, when you turn it out to shape it, it is very slack — if it's like a wet puddle — and very sticky and lacking any strength and elasticity.
Can I stretch and fold after bulk fermentation? No. Stretch and fold is a technique used to develop the gluten before bulk fermentation is completed. If you stretch and fold after bulk fermentation, you risk disturbing all the gas bubbles that have formed during this time.
Dough appearance should no longer be rough after sourdough bulk fermentation. It should be smooth looking and even a bit shiny. If you lift up a section, it should move together. You should see the formation of lines of gluten strands and/or webs of gluten that have formed.
If you are early in bulk fermentation, you can move your dough into the refrigerator, and it will slow down the fermentation. You can then take it back out the next day, bring it back up to room temperature and restart the bulk fermentation process.
How Long Does Bulk Fermentation Last? Bulk fermentation can typically last anywhere from 3.5 to 7 hours depending on the dough temperature, recipe, and amount of sourdough starter used. At 78ºF, bulk fermentation usually lasts about 4-4.5 hours for my typical sourdough bread.
If you skip stretching and folding, chances are you will end up with soggy dough that doesn't hold its shape before or during baking. Developed strands of gluten help hold the bread together as it bakes, and contributes to a strong upward rise (called oven spring) rather than spread during baking.
Never add flour after the bulk fermentation, it will change the chemistry of your dough and will not solve the problem.
Many people say that salt should not be added to sourdough until after autolyse, but this is simply not true. What is this? Salt can be added at autolyse, along with your sourdough starter. It has no ill effect on your dough at all.
We can see from above that bulk fermentation requires a temperature above freezing - but ideally it needs to be above 4 degrees. Anything under this will put your yeast to sleep. Generally your fridge will be 4 degrees or below - making it way too cold for the yeast to happily work.
You can knead the dough after bulk fermentation. In fact by mixing it you will allow the yeast to access more of the sugars. Of course allow some time to rise between the last kneading and the baking.
Loaves made with over-kneaded dough often end up with a rock-hard crust and a dense, dry interior. Slices will be very crumbly, especially toward the middle.
Stretch and folds are completed in sets. The first set is usually done about 30 minutes into the bulk rise. Then, you'll complete up to 4 additional sets spaced about 15 minutes to 1 hour apart, depending on the dough's flexibility and your own personal baking schedule.
Kneading is a more vigorous method than the stretch and fold technique. It involves folding, pushing, and working the dough, usually for 15 minutes or more, until the gluten strengthens, the dough becomes smooth, and if you poke it, will return to its original form.
To remedy a dough that's too warm: put the bulk fermentation container with the dough, covered, into the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes at the start of bulk fermentation to help bring the temperature down.
While some bakers use starters that only double in volume at peak activity, I'll tell you straight up: Don't settle. A starter that doubles in volume will work, but the overall fermentation and rising of dough might be slower, and the resulting bread potentially flatter.
If you've just completed autolyse and you feel that your dough is too wet, it is possible to add some more flour at that that stage. The flour will absorb water and become incorporated during the stretches and folds.
Overproofed is when the dough has rested too long and the yeast has continued making carbon dioxide while the strength of the dough (gluten bonds) have begun to wear out. The dough will look very puffy, but when you touch it or move it you may notice it deflate or sag.