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.
Generally 4 to 6 sets of stretch and folds should be sufficient (4 folds in each set). Similarly, 4 to 6 coil folds should be enough to develop the gluten in a higher hydration dough.
Most recipes call for three or four rounds of stretch and folds, repeated every 20 minutes or so. What is this? By the last round, the dough should keep its shape, and not feel as sticky as it did at the start. It may also have small bubbles on the surface depending on the recipe.
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.
The poke test to test proofing
You can see the indentations I made remaining in the dough. If the dough was overproofed it would show very little movement and would possibly deflate a little. Underproofed dough would bounce back and wouldn't show much evidence of indentation.
YES! You most definitely can bulk ferment sourdough too long. If you leave the dough to ferment for too long, it will become "over fermented". Over fermented dough will lose its structure and become a soupy, sloppy mess that you will not be able to shape.
When your dough is over-fermented, the scores will not “open up” during baking but instead will flatten and melt into the dough. Scores don't really open up. The resulting bread will be flat and not have a good oven spring. The crumb can look dense and compressed, especially towards the bottom of the loaf.
Step 10: After the last set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. This is called the bulk proofing. While this is called an overnight sourdough bread the key takeaway is that it needs to proof in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
Resting Sourdough After Preshaping
Once the dough is preshaped, set it aside in its basket or on a floured board to rest for 30 to 60 minutes before final shaping. During this time the surface of the dough will dry out and the gluten within the dough will reorganise itself into its new shape.
Kneading is usually done in one prolonged stage, which is ideal when baking with commercial yeast as your dough won't be rising or fermenting for an extended length of time, the strong yeast means the dough rises much faster. Kneading is a more vigorous method than the stretch and fold technique.
If you think you've over-kneaded the dough, try letting it rise a little longer before shaping it. You can't really undo the damage of over-worked gluten, but the longer rise can get the dough to relax a little. Loaves made with over-kneaded dough often end up with a rock-hard crust and a dense, dry interior.
Leaving it out on the counter, it will need to be fed equal parts water and flour every 12-24 hours. Warmer homes or frequent baking will require more frequent feeding (around every 12 hours), while colder homes every 24 hours. Storing your sourdough starter in the fridge will require feeding around once a week.
What's better that shaping up once? Shaping up Twice of course! Building more tension, and more structure, every single time.
After kneading, shape your loaf, cover it, and let it proof for 4-24 hours, depending on your specific sourdough starter and ambient temperature. You can manipulate the sourness of the bread with a longer rise time.
Insufficient Gluten Development
Stretching and folding the dough is a common method of gluten development in sourdough bread making. But you could also use other methods such as kneading or coil folds. If your dough does not develop a sufficient gluten network, it will be wet, sticky and have no structure.
Before final shaping: bench rest
If you were to shape your dough immediately after preshaping, it would be too tight and it could tear.
Proofing in the fridge works because it allows the yeast to become dormant, stopping the dough from rising too much and over proofing. The bacteria in your sourdough starter are still active at lower temperatures.
You can absolutely leave sourdough bread to rise overnight - but as always - there are some things you'll need to do to make sure that your bread is successful with an overnight ferment.
You can chill your dough during either the first or second rise. Your yeast won't give you much love if it's asked to do both rises in the fridge, so it's best to do one or the other at room temperature. One of Clara's favorite recipes to make with a cold ferment is Vermont Sourdough.
Ideally, you don't want to allow sourdough bread to cold ferment for longer than 72 hours.
Your dough can become sticky when you add too much water or the flour isn't suitable for the type of dough you are making. Over proofing or fermenting the dough can also result in the gluten structure weakening causing sticky dough.
The good news: We found an easy way to rescue overproofed dough. Simply punch it down gently, reshape it, and let it proof again for the recommended amount of time.
Countertop Final Proof – In a countertop final proof, the dough is left covered, in the shaping baskets for the second rise. At room temperature, this process can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.
The second rise is shorter than the primary fermentation after the bread loaf has been shaped and panned; usually taking only about half the time of the first rise at room temperature, or shorter for smaller loaves and rolls.