Why do you fold bread dough?
Folding helps add strength to bread dough through a very simple series of actions: stretch the dough out and over itself. This act of stretching and folding, which takes just a few moments, helps develop the gluten network in the dough. Each fold has a significant impact on dough strength.
How do you make concertina dough?
When you roll out the dough, cover it in the butter mix, then cut it into long strips. Then take 1 strip and basically fold it together in a zig zag fashion (concertina), then pop it into a tray to rise again and cook. The method means that you get lots of pieces that have the butter mix appearing through the loaf.
What is the reason bakers slash the tops of bread loaves?
Scoring is slashing the dough with a blade or a sharp knife to allow it to expand during baking. The purpose is primarily to control the direction in which the bread will expand during “oven spring.” Easier said then done!
What does it mean to turn bread?
There are a couple of methods that I use the first is the turn. To turn the dough you simply scoop the dough up with lightly floured hands and let it droop down, folding over itself. This gently deflates the dough down while still maintaining many of the air pockets that have already formed.
What is stretch and fold in bread making?
Bakers use the stretch and fold technique to improve the quality of their sourdough bread recipe. When done correctly, it will strengthen the gluten and gently incorporate air into the dough without kneading. The benefit is an increase in volume, a lofty high rise, and if you’re lucky a more open interior crumb.
What Is a concertina pattern?
‘Concertina’ (= little accordion) is a semicircular shawl, consisting of (a lot of) knit stitches and a few purls. Those are arranged in such a way that the result are pleating folds which expand continuously. The pattern is very simple, and even suitable for beginners.
What happens if you don’t slash bread?
If you don’t score your loaf, it will still expand, but in a jagged pattern. Or it will find a less desirable weak point: This crack along the side of my loaf is common in breads baked in a bread pan BECAUSE the dough exploits a weak point along the side created by the shaping process.
What is a letter fold?
The C-Fold, also known as the Letter Fold, is the Most Common Method of Tri-Folding a Document. A C-fold is a document folding method that uses two parallel folds to create six panels of roughly the same size – three panels on each side of the paper. The outer panels are folded toward each other so that they overlap.
Is stretch and fold the same as kneading?
What are the differences between kneading and stretch and fold? Kneading is traditional for stiffer dough risen for shorter times. Stretch and fold is used for wetter dough which may be too sticky to knead and often left to rise longer.
Is stretch and fold better than kneading?
Kneading is hard work, especially with larger amounts of dough. Stretch and folding is better for when you don’t want to or can’t exert all that effort – such as arthritis or weakness. The dough gets hard to knead the more you have, so larger amounts of dough are easier to apply folds rather than kneading.
What is letter fold?
How many stretch and folds should I do?
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.
Why do you spray water on bread before baking?
Spraying water on bread dough before baking helps to keep the top of the dough moist during the first few minutes of baking which in turn helps the dough skin to be more flexible and to expand as it starts to cook.
Is Scoring bread necessary?
Scoring is the process of cutting a slash in the surface of bread dough before baking. Bread dough rapidly expands when it is first placed in the oven (an effect known as “oven spring”), and scoring controls this expansion. Bakers score their loaves to prevent them from cracking—and to give the dough a helpful boost.
Why homemade bread is hard next day?
This crystallization process occurs as the bread loses moisture and heat. It’s actually a good thing, because it’s what helps piping hot, fresh bread firm up enough so you can slice it. But as more moisture is lost, more of those starch crystals form, and the bread starts to turn stale.