Stretch folds (#35)

* Remove whitespaces

* Add troubleshooting section starter size increase

* Finish stretch and fold chapter
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Hendrik Kleinwaechter
2023-01-06 13:07:21 +01:00
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@@ -299,3 +299,11 @@
year = {2022},
note = {Accessed: 2022-12-28}
}
@article{stretch+and+fold+technique,
title = {How And When To Stretch And Fold Your Sourdough},
author = {The Bread Code YouTube},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMbZeUIVzZY}},
year = {2022},
note = {Accessed: 2023-01-06}
}

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\section{Debugging your crumb structure}
\label{section:debugging-crumb-strucuture}
The crumb structure of your bread provides insights on how well
your fermentation process has gone. You can also spot common flaws

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@@ -494,3 +494,59 @@ to most pathogens that you do not want in your starter.
Another approach that can help is to convert your
sourdough starter into a stiff starter as
described in section \ref{section:stiff-starter}.
\section{My starter does not double in size}
Some bakers call for the sourdough starter to
double in size before using it.
The idea is to use the sourdough starter at
peak performance to ensure a
balanced fermentation in the main dough.
The doubling in size metric should be
taken with a grain of salt when judging
your starter. Depending on the flour
you use to feed the starter different levels
of its rising can be expected.
For instance, if you use rye flour then only
very little gas from the
fermentation can be retained inside the
starter. In consequence, your
sourdough starter will not rise as much. It
could be in a healthy shape
though. If you use wheat flour with less gluten
the starter will not rise as
much too. The reason is that you have a weaker
gluten network resulting in
more gas dispersing out of your dough.
That being said it is recommended that you develop
your volume increase
metric. Your starter will increase in size and then
ultimately lose structure
and collapse. Observe the point before it collapses.
This is the point when
you should use your starter. This could be a
50 percent volume increase, 100
percent or 200 percent. It is always better to use
the starter a little bit
too early rather than too late. If you use the
starter later reduce the
quantity that you use. If the recipe calls for a 20
percent starter quantity,
use only 10
percent starter in that case. Your starter will
regrow in your main dough.
On top of relying on the size increase start
taking note of your starter's
smell. Over time you will be able to judge its
fermentation state based on the
smell. The stronger the smell becomes the further
your dough has fermented.
This is a sign that you should use fewer starters
when making the actual dough.
Please refer to section \ref{section:readying-starter} "\nameref{section:readying-starter}"
for more information on the topic.

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@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ All the steps rely on each other. You will need to get each of
the steps right to make the perfect bread.
\section{Readying your starter}
\label{section:readying-starter}
The most crucial part of the bread-making process is your starter.
The starter is what starts the fermentation in your main dough.
@@ -694,6 +695,7 @@ dough to stick to the container.
A combination of techniques can be utilized to achieve maximum
dough strength.
}
\label{fig:dough-strength-sourdough}
\end{figure}
% See https://www.figma.com/file/wTUVe6Nm2INOvT82mJhQur/Dough-strength-visualisation?node-id=0%3A1&t=fjdPvXYuJpsdQfWN-1 for
% the source of this visualization
@@ -1053,9 +1055,122 @@ bread would feature an excellent very tangy taste.
\section{Stretch and folds}
This chapter is still pending and will be added soon.
\section{Optional Preshaping}
\begin{figure}[!htb]
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{dough-being-glued}
\caption{A dough where two sticky sides are being glued together using
a stretch and fold. This process creates excellent dough strength.}
\end{figure}
In this section, you will learn all you need to know about stretching and
folding. You will learn when to stretch and fold and how to use this technique
to your advantage.
Stretching and folding is a set of techniques used by bakers during the bulk
fermentation stage. The process involves stretching the dough and then
folding the dough onto itself. Some recipes call for a single stretch
and fold, others for multiple.
The primary goal of this technique is to provide
additional dough strength to your dough. As shown in figure \ref{fig:dough-strength-sourdough}
there are multiple ways to create dough strength. \footnote{In fact I have seen many no-knead
recipes calling for no initial kneading, but then applying stretch and folds
during the bulk fermentation. The time required to do all the folds probably
matches the initial kneading time required.} If you do not knead as much at
the start you can reach the same level of dough strength by applying stretch
and folds later. The more stretch and folds you do, the more dough strength
you add to your dough. The result will be a more aesthetic loaf that has
increased vertical oven spring.
Sometimes if the dough is very extensible,
and features very high hydration, stretching and folding is essential.
Without it, the dough itself would have too little dough strength and not
spring in the oven at all.
Another benefit of stretch and folds are their homogenization properties. By
folding the dough you are redistributing areas that are fermenting faster
than other areas. The heat in your dough is not the same in all areas.
The fermentation itself produces heat. For that reason, some of the areas in
your dough will ferment a little faster than others. This means that some
areas hold more gas and more acidity than others. Applying a stretch and fold
will redistribute heat, gas, and acidity. Some bakers also refer to this
process as crumb building. Careful folds ensure that your final dough's crumb
is not overly wild featuring large cavities. If you notice overly
large areas in your final dough's crumb, then you might be able to fix that
by applying more stretch and folds.\footnote{In many cases these cavities can
also happen when a dough does not ferment enough. The crumb is commonly called
Fool's Crumb. Refer to the later debugging crumb structures chapter of this
book to learn more about it.} Please refer to section \ref{section:debugging-crumb-strucuture}
"\nameref{section:debugging-crumb-strucuture}" for more information on reading
your crumb.
\begin{figure}[!htb]
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{stretch-and-fold-steps}
\caption{An overview of the steps involved to perform stretch and folds
for wheat-based doughs.}
\label{figure:stretch-and-fold-steps}
\end{figure}
The reason for the technique's popularity lies in its efficiency. By stretching
the dough outwards you increase your dough's surface area. You then fold the
dough over, essentially gluing large areas of the dough together. Imagine a
piece of paper on which you place the glue. Then you fold the paper. Large areas
of the paper now stick together. Repeat the same process with more glue until
you have created multiple layers of paper and glue. This is the same thing that
happens to your dough. With only very few movements you have applied glue to your
dough.
To apply a stretch and fold first wet your hands with cold water. Watered hands
work wonders in reducing the dough's tendency to stick to your hands. Proceed and
carefully loosen the dough from the edges of your bulk container. Do this by
carefully placing your hand at the edge of the dough and pushing your hand
downwards on the container's walls. Once you reached the bottom drag the dough
a little bit inwards. The dough should stay in place and not move back to the
edge of your container. Try to be as swift as possible with this motion. The
slower you are, the more dough will stick to your hands. Repeat the same process
once all around your dough until the dough is free of your container's edges.
Wet your hands one more time and then carefully lift one side of the dough with
two hands placed in the center upwards. Make a fold in the center of the dough.
The upper smooth side needs to be placed on the bottom of the container. By doing
so you will be gluing together the two sticky bottom sides. The top smooth side should
not be sticky in your hands, while the bottom rough surface should tend
to stick to your hands. Rotate the container
and repeat the same thing from the other side. Rotate the container 90° degrees
clockwise and then repeat the process once again. Rotate the container another 180° degrees clockwise
and repeat the fold one last time. By doing so you have applied 4 folds in total. Your
dough should now stay in place and resist flowing outwards.
\footnote{Please also refer to \cite{stretch+and+fold+technique} for a video showing
you how to best perform the technique.}
In theory, there is no limit to how often you can stretch your fold. You could
apply one every 15 minutes. If your dough has enough dough strength already,
applying additional folds is just a waste of time.\footnote{You could do it just to better understand how the
dough feels in your hands at different fermentation stages.} If you apply a
large number of consecutive folds, the outer layer of gluten
will tear. In that case, you just have to wait for at least 5-10 minutes until
the gluten bonds heal and you can try again. When the gluten does not heal
anymore, chances are you have pushed the fermentation for too long. Likely
most of the gluten has broken down and you are already
in the decay stage shown in figure \ref{fig:dough-strength-sourdough}.
\begin{figure}[!htb]
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{dough-requiring-stretch-and-fold}
\caption{A dough during bulk fermentation that has flattened out. To improve
its dough strength a stretch and fold should be applied.}
\end{figure}
Now the reasonable amount of stretch and folds you should do greatly depends on how much you
kneaded initially and how extensible your dough is. A good recommendation is
to observe your dough in your bulk container. Once you see that the dough
flattens out quite a lot and spreads towards the edges of your bulk container
you can proceed and apply a stretch and fold. For 95 percent of the doughs
that I am making this is hardly more than once. I like to make overnight
doughs and in that case, I typically apply one stretch and fold directly after
waking up. Then the bulk fermentation might take another 2 hours before I
proceed with dividing and preshaping or directly shaping.
\section{Optional: Dividing and Preshaping}
This chapter is still pending and will be added soon.
\section{Shaping}