What happens if you over fold sourdough?

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.

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How many times can you fold sourdough?

How many times should you coil fold or stretch and fold? 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.

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What happens if you don't stretch and fold sourdough?

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.

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Why is my sourdough still sticky after folding?

High temperatures can cause premature over fermentation, which will result in wet, sticky sourdough. You need to make sure that you keep your kitchen at a temperature between 24C - 28C (75F-82F). Alternatively, you'll need to adjust the amount of starter in your dough to suit the temperature of your kitchen.

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How do I know if I Overproofed my sourdough?

The Signs of Over Proofed Dough
  1. The structure is: fragile, loose, airy, and puffy, like an overinflated balloon. ...
  2. The size is: more than twice the frozen size.
  3. The shape: can become distorted.
  4. The surface is: bubbly, blistered and wrinkly, not as smooth and dry, not wet at all to the touch.

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How And When To Stretch And Fold Your Sourdough

18 related questions found

Can you recover Overproofed sourdough?

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. In the test kitchen, these steps resulted in bread that tasters found acceptable in both texture and flavor.

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Is it safe to eat Overproofed sourdough bread?

Over-proofed bread will collapse while baking, leaving you with a flat and unpleasant loaf. Not only that, but the bread will likely reek of alcohol. While it's entirely safe to eat (no, you won't catch a buzz!), it's better to fend off this unfortunate event in the first place.

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Can you fold sourdough too much?

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.

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What if sourdough dough is too wet to shape?

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.

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What do I do if my sourdough is too sticky to shape?

If your dough is too sticky and it's impossible to work with you can add some extra flour, just a little at a time. Make sure you weigh the extra flour you add and then you'll be able to adjust the recipe correctly the next time you bake.

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Can you put sourdough in fridge after a stretch and fold?

#1 Sourdough Bread Baking Tip

To prevent over fermenting your dough, use your refrigerator as needed. After you complete the 4 sets of stretches and folds, you can put your dough in the fridge at any time.

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How long to wait between stretch and folds?

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.

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Why is my sourdough rising but not floating?

They type of flour you use to create your sourdough starter will affect whether that starter will float in water. This is because some flours, such as rye or whole wheat, may not allow the starter to develop the strong gluten network needed for the starter to float.

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What's the longest you can let sourdough rise?

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. A 24-hour rise time will produce much more sour bread than a 4-hour rise time.

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Can I put my sourdough in the fridge before the stretch and fold?

Proofing sourdough in the fridge is effective because it allows the dough to rest in its shaping container while developing superior sourdough flavor. Unlike bulk fermentation (which must be done at room temperature), proofing can be done in cold fridge temperatures.

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What happens if you let sourdough proof too long?

Overproofed sourdough dough loses all structure, so it's stretchy and slack when turned onto a work surface. The dough is also stickier than usual due to the lack of remaining gluten structure.

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What does over fermented sourdough look like?

Dough that is over-fermented will start to spread once scored and look bubbly/weak. You'll notice it falling in a bit or a lot. Notice how the whole loaf is collapsing. If you notice your dough is over-fermented be sure to score very shallow and use a minimum of scoring slashes.

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What does under proofed sourdough look like?

The crumb structure of an under proofed loaf will be tight and gummy. Because it was not given enough time to develop and trap CO2 gasses, the crumb structure will be very dense, with uneven air bubbles.

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How do I know if my sourdough is underproofed?

5 Ways To Tell If Your Sourdough Is Under Fermented ... and how to fix it
  1. Cracked scoring and large, over pronounced ears.
  2. Uneven crumb - tight crumb surrounding random larger holes.
  3. Gummy, wet texture.
  4. Sourdough won't brown in the oven and won't brown up in the toaster.
  5. Loaf is small and feels heavy.

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Can you overwork sourdough starter?

If your bread had a good rise and is still holding gas but got sticky while shaping, then it may be overworked. All bread dough requires a very gentle touch at this stage. If you break the gluten strands at the shaping stage by overworking the dough it will get sticky, flatten out in a blob, and won't look smooth.

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Should sourdough starter be tightly covered?

Ideally, your sourdough starter should be loosely covered with a lid or paper towel to keep out bugs (like fruit flies) and other debris. A loose lid will also stop it from drying out too much.

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How many times can you fold dough?

How many sets of folds are needed? There's no single answer for how many sets your dough needs. If you hand-mix your dough, two to four sets should do it. Of course, the type of flour and hydration in a recipe also play a big role in answering this question.

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Can I leave sourdough to prove overnight?

Sourdough bread can be time consuming to make, and it can be difficult to fit it all in in just one day. Leaving it to rise in the fridge overnight means you can just pop it into the oven the next morning. This can be handy if you don't want to spend all day in the kitchen, or simply need to go out during the day.

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Can I Overproof sourdough in fridge?

It's virtually impossible to overproof (mature) your loaf using the refrigerator (unless you leave it for days) and the nice long second rise allows some overnight ZZZZ's or workday to take place without supervising the proof of your sourdough loaf.

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