If you don't stretch and fold sourdough, you'll get less gluten development, resulting in a denser, less airy loaf that's harder to handle, potentially sticky and teary, but it can still produce decent bread if you compensate with more kneading or a longer bulk fermentation, and the cold proof helps firm it up, showing sourdough's flexibility.
The biggest mistake beginners make with sourdough is impatience, specifically baking with a starter that isn't strong enough or rushing fermentation, leading to flat, dense bread; they often try to bake too soon, don't let dough proof long enough, and fail to develop dough strength or learn to "read the dough" (look/feel) rather than just the clock, plus starting with overly high hydration is a common pitfall.
After your dough has rested for one hour, it's time for stretch and folds. We will be doing 4 sets if stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. While keeping your dough in the bowl you are going to wet your hands, pull upward on the edge of the dough and fold it over itself. Make sure not to tear it.
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.
Here's the thing, I still do all my stretch and folds normally, but this just proves that if you skip them, or didn't get a chance to get them done, proper bulk fermentation itself is still going to deliver! I always tell my sourdough students that bulk fermentation makes the bread, the rest of the steps enhance it.
(Remember this series is just for fun 🤩 I still recommend stretching and folding your dough, but it's still nice to know that if you don't have time or you forget, your bread will still be fine).
Here are some signs that bulk fermentation is complete: Volume: your dough should increase by about 50% in size. Shape: the dough should have a dome shaped surface. Bubbles: you should see visible bubbles on the top and the sides of the dough.
By skipping stretching and folding, chances are you'll end up with soggy dough that doesn't hold its shape before or during baking.
If you do a stretch & fold, come back in 30 minutes and the dough has kept its shape.. no need for more. If the dough spreads out, continue on with your folds until you see your dough has kept its shape.
Pro tip: Wet hands make stretch and folds a lot less sticky! Spray your hands 🙌🏼 with a little water, it's a game changer. To do a stretch and fold, reach down into the bowl, grab the dough, stretch it up, and fold it right over itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat.
A coil fold is a type of strengthening action used to help develop gluten in the dough during the bulk fermentation stage. It's similar to a stretch and fold in that it should be performed on the dough without removing it from its proofing container.
If you leave a dough for long enough it makes its own gluten structure. This technique incorporates periods of rest for the dough so that it can get on with making gluten and then we intervene with three rounds of stretch & fold to strengthen the gluten bonds.
An overfed starter can be too diluted and it will be very watery. Your workers are there, they are just overwhelmed with too much food and water.
"This is a simple recipe of 1 part by weight starter, 2 parts by weight water and 3 parts by weight flour. Salt is 2% of the flour weight or 0.06 parts by weight. This recipe can be enriched for sandwich bread or buns easily by using milk instead of water and adding sugar and oil.
Here are the big errors to avoid when working with sourdough.
If the dough isn't close to over-fermenting, the gluten structure should continue to develop a bit. You can also re-shape again before you bake.
Stretching should feel like mild tension, not pain. If you're wincing or holding your breath during a stretch, that's your body's way of saying, “Hey, ease up!” If a stretch hurts, stop.
Step 1: whisk the starter and water together to combine. Step 2: mix in the flour and salt to form a shaggy dough. Step 3: turn the dough onto a surface and let it rest, then shape into a ball by pressing the dough into the middle. Step 4: place the dough back into a bowl to rise overnight at room temperature.
The first way to check is to simply poke the dough with your finger. If the dough bounces back without sticking to your finger, it's been kneaded enough. If it doesn't, you need to keep kneading.
While your sourdough is proofing during bulk fermentation the acidity level slowly rises. While this imparts your bread with its typical sourdough flavor, it also has a strengthening effect on your sourdough. So if you're doing too many sets of stretch and folds that acidity will over-strengthen your dough!
Let it Rise.
Cover it, and let it rest for 30 minutes. Perform a set of stretches and folds: If time permits, perform four total sets of stretches and folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. You should notice the dough getting stronger and more elastic with every set of stretches and folds.
Bulk fermentation is what you call the first out of two fermentation steps. It starts when you mix your dough and it ends with you shaping it into a loaf. For most recipes, bulk fermentation takes between 3 and 5 hours. In general, hot temperatures will speed up the process, while cold temperatures will make it longer.
A cold starter will rise very slowly. A warm starter will rise quickly, but it can also collapse quickly because the gluten content breaks down more quickly in warm temperatures. What temperature will kill my starter? If your starter reaches a temperature of 130F/54C, the yeast cells will die off.
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.