Can't get dough strength for the life of me

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cloud on 31 Oct 2023 at 08:49

I've followed this recipe (https://sourdoughbrandon.com/my-everyday-sourdough-bread-recipe/) a couple times and it's turned out fine other than that my dough is extremely slack.

Minutes after a stretch and fold (it doesn't stick together enough to perform coil folds as the recipe says) it will have spread evenly throughout the bowl again. I've tried doing more stretch and folds with little results, and I believe I've tried kneading it longer before the bulk ferment, as well as lowering the moisture.

Any tips in solving this issue would be appreciated.

The linked recipe uses a very high hydration, 81%. This is mitigated a little because the bread and whole wheat flours will absorb more water than, say, all-purpose flour would.  Still, it's a high hydration.

Knowing the actual flours you used *might* (or might not, but worth knowing) be useful.  Usually with high hydration breads, developing enough dough strength is done by building it up little by little.  For example, "glass" bread uses 100% hydration, and although the dough never becomes really firm, it does tighten up over time with S&Fs.  Shaped loaves are fairly flat, but the loaf pops up during baking to a phenomenal degree.  So it can be done.

You can tighten up the dough somewhat by mixing the salt in with the flour during mixing.  The recipe says to add it after an autolyse period, but that will promote extensibility of the dough.

If the dough doesn't start to tighten up during S&Fs, I'd say you may not be stretching the dough enough.  With dough with this much hydration, you want to stretch it way out, as far as possible without having the dough tear.  It takes practice to develop a feel for the dough and how it responds.

I would suggest that you lower the hydration to maybe 72%, mix the salt in with the flour (but otherwise keep the autolyse period), and make sure you stretch the dough well during S&Fs.  After you get success, you can try raising the hydration in small increments, maybe 72%-76%-78%-80%.  By then you should have a good feel for how the dough works.

TomP