The Kneading, Folding, and Shaping Methods for Great Sourdough Bread

Two concepts are key to successful sourdough baking. The first is proper fermentation, which we've explored in depth. But even if you’ve developed plenty of precious bubbles in your dough through careful proofing and patient waiting, here’s the truth: You still have to touch, handle, and shape your dough before baking it. In fact, improper dough handling could ruin all that hard work. How you handle your dough has a profound effect on gluten development, dough structure, and ultimately can dictate how effectively your dough retains those bubbles after baking. Learning to handle dough properly will make you a better and more consistent baker.

For simplicity, we can divide dough handling into three phases: Mixing and kneading, folding, and shaping.

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