The importance of dough strength - Sourdough&Olives (2024)

FAQs

Why is dough strength important? ›

Strength is a function of two factors in dough: “elasticity” (snappy like a rubber band) and “extensibility” (the ability to stretch without breaking). These factors work together to help loaves retain shape during proofing and stretch without cracking. Think of a tree, tall and strong but flexible in the wind.

'Strength' in sourdough refers to how well developed the gluten is in the dough, and how extensible and elastic the doughs characteristics are. The more extensible and elastic your dough is, the 'stronger' it is considered to be.

There is a lot of talk about dough strength and how important it is. And make no mistake. It is important. Without enough strength, your dough will flatten out and lose all shape. Most of us have experienced that, and it certainly is frustrating.

If your dough does not develop a sufficient gluten network, it will be wet, sticky and have no structure. The chains of gluten give your dough strength and structure. Without these it will be sloppy and hard to handle. Gluten development is strengthened by adding salt to your dough, so don't forget to do this!

There are 4 major dough handling properties: Extensibility. Elasticity. Resistance to deformation (tenacity)

You can perform a float test to check if your starter is ready. Take a small spoonful of the starter and drop it into a glass of water. If it floats, it indicates that the starter is sufficiently active and ready for use.

Changing the feeding interval, or frequency, is the single most important tool in strengthening a starter. By simply catching your starter near its peak and refeeding at that time, you can significantly strengthen a weak starter.

That's because these doughs contain a lot of water, or are high-hydration formulas (commonly 60 to 80% hydration). Wet dough is usually too difficult to handle and almost impossible to knead. Folding dough is a more manageable way of developing gluten in wet sticky dough.

Why is my homemade sourdough bread so dense? ›

One of the most common mistakes is having a dough temperature that's too low for the starter to feed on all the flour in the dough, resulting in a crumb that's dense, with fewer openings. "Starter is happiest and most active at around 75 degrees. If it's a lot colder, the process will be much slower.

The lamination fold

This fold, similar to a letter fold, is used in the later stages of fermentation when the dough has developed enough elasticity to stretch thinly without tearing. Spreading the dough thinly on a wet work surface significantly increases strength and elasticity.

This may be due to either your flour not being strong enough, or too much water in your dough, or not building up enough structure in your dough during the pulls and folds. As a starting point, try 25g less water in your dough.

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.

Put simply, retarding dough is the process of slowing down the final rising in the bread-making process. This is easily done by proofing bread overnight in the refrigerator since the cold slows down the rise. It has its benefits, including adding flavor and allowing you to bake the bread at a later time.

Dough Strength. Refers to the combination of three properties: Extensibility, Elasticity and Tenacity. Extensibility. The ability of the dough to be stretched.

There is more to dough development than a simple kneading process. The process of developing bread dough brings about changes in the physical properties of the dough and in particular improvement in its ability to retain the carbon dioxide gas which will later be generated by yeast fermentation.

As you continue to knead, more gluten forms and, as a result, the dough becomes stronger. If you've ever over-kneaded dough, you've probably noticed that it's really hard to roll out—the direct result of too much super-strong gluten holding the dough together!