(Supplementary material to the Beginner's Handbook) The book will be available soon!
Your dough has risen beautifully, full of bubbles... and now comes the panic: how will you turn this soft mass into a nice, tall loaf of bread? The secret is formatted in and the at a stretch lies in.
If you don't stretch the "skin" of the dough, the bread will spread out in the oven like a flatbread. But if you shape it well, the dough will be forced to rise. Let's see how to do it!
Which form should I choose?
Before you start, you should decide what shape you want your bread to be. Both have their advantages.
1. The Shoe - The Round Form
Why is it good? This is the most classic, ancient form of bread. It bakes evenly, and most home baking pans (iron footed, jena dish) are round, so it fits best.
Disadvantages: The size of the slices varies: the slices cut from the middle of the bread are huge, while the ends are quite small.
For beginners: I absolutely recommend this one first! The rolling technique is simpler, easier to "feel" the tightness and harder to mess up than the vecni.
2. The Loaf - The Oval Form
For beginners: If you're confident with your dough (you've made your first 5-10 successful loaves) and have an oval loaf pan, then go for it!
Why is it good? It is a favourite of modern artisan bakeries. It's much more practical because the slices are roughly the same size along the length of the bread.
Disadvantages: The shaping is a bit more technical. If you wrap it too tight, it won't roll properly; too loose, it will flow and flatten.
Preform vs. Final formatting
Many people skip the pre-forming, but it is important!
- Preform: When you roll the dough out onto the counter, just loosely flatten it into a ball. No need to pull it tight!
- Rest: Then leave it covered on the counter 10-20 minutes. During this time, the dough will "relax", loosen up and it will be much easier to shape the final shape without tearing.
1. Shaping the Shoe
For the round sectional door and the iron leg baking.
The technique:
- Lightly flour the top of the loaf and flip it over (the floured half should be on the bottom).
- Fold the edges in half in a circle, as if you were wrapping a baguette.
- Flip the dough over (the plain half should be on top).
- Put your two palms behind the pasta on the counter.
- Start pulling the dough towards you, so that the edge of your palm turns slightly under the dough.
- Spin, pull, spin, pull.
- You'll see the top getting firmer and smoother. When it's ready, you can put it in the beard door (upside down!).
2. Shaping the loaf
For the oval section door.
The technique:
- Carefully flatten the rested dough out into a rectangle (don't squeeze all the air out of it).
- Fold the two corners above in half, as if you were folding a paper airplane. Now you have a "roof".
- Start rolling the dough from the top down.
- With each winding, push the fold in with your thumb to keep it taut.
- When you get to the end, pinch the "slush" (seam) at the bottom of the dough firmly with your fingers.
- Roll it a bit to make it even and it can go into the oval section (with the slushes up!).
Tip: The most common formatting error is overcrowding. If the counter is clean of flour, the dough will slide and you won't be able to tighten the bottom. Just put a little flour on top of the dough, the counter should be (almost) empty, so that it sticks a little!
