{"id":884,"date":"2020-05-12T09:44:09","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T09:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/melbyspost.co.za\/?p=884"},"modified":"2020-05-13T10:39:45","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T10:39:45","slug":"shaping-bread-dough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/melbyspost.co.za\/index.php\/2020\/05\/12\/shaping-bread-dough\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaping bread dough"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Never let no one know how much dough you hold<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

~ The Notorius B.I.G ~<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Well, I know that Mr B.I.G did not mean bread dough, but I enjoy thinking he would have felt the same about it. The joy I get from shaping bread dough makes this quote very applicable as far as I’m concerned. I will even confess to feeling deprived if for some reason I don’t do my weekly baking. I love the smell of the sourdough and the sounds it makes when I work with it. It is actually quite therapeutic! Another reason why I love slow cooking and making food from scratch. Shaping bread dough is also just about the hardest part of artisan bread baking. But don’t be discouraged, it’s really just like playing with play-dough!<\/p>\n

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Preshape and Shape<\/h4>\n

The shaping process is very important for making beautiful loaves. It can be tricky, but it is very rewarding to master the process and will give you lots of freedom in the types of bread you can make. A very important point is not to rush the process. As Chad Robertson<\/a> says: take your time – it will only make the bread better. Once your dough has completed the bulk fermentation period, it needs to be divided, preshaped and then rested again before the final shaping. The resting period is called the bench rest. The preshaping does add to the internal structure of the loaf, so don’t skip this step! Try to handle the dough lightly without knocking out too much gas. I do pop obvious bubbles though as I don’t like large holes in my final loaves.<\/p>\n

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