April 20, 2020 - 12:51pm
Coil folding vs "traditional" stretch and folds
Thoughts? Are they relatively interchangeable with equal results? Seems like the traditional method requires less technique for an amateur like myself.
Share
Coil folding vs "traditional" stretch and folds
- Log in or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
Even though Kristen (@fullproofbaking) makes it look easy, I find picking up the middle of my dough mass to be tricky. Of course I rarely make small batches...have a 3 kg batch in flight right now, Just reaching across the dough mass and pulling toward me, then rotating, repeating, etc. seems to work fine. Hard to imagine how one technique would be any more functional or effective than the other. If you’re new at this, just do what works for you. Managing hydration is way more important than how pretty your folding form is.
Cheers,
Phil
How do you manage hydration?
Danny
I think the most important thing i have learned since starting on this sourdough journey is that targeting a certain hydration level and strictly managing your mix to maintain that hydration is the single key to success.
To begin with, I rarely follow a recipe exactly but I do follow a recipe's proportions to the greatest extent possible. Since you're new at this, this is the reason that Baker's percentage is much discussed here. With a recipe, you can make 1 800 g boule or whatever the author intended. With known percentages, you can scale that up or down(?) to build the exact amount of dough you need for 2 batards and 4 baguettes.
Getting on with it, I start with how much dough do I need. The 2.8 kg batch on my counter right now is intended for two 800g and two 600 g batards. Knowing that I my modified San Joaquin Sourdough formula (many thanks to @dmsnyder for excellent process notes) wants 2% salt and 75% water, I calculate that I need 1582 g of flour and 1063 g of water. These calcs are the easy part, but I am going to add levain and a poolish, so I also need to adjust additional water and flour by the amounts I include in those two pre-ferments. To make things worse, I planned to make 700 g of poolish but only got 694 g. Likewise, I planned 350 g of levain but only got 344. Granted these discrepancies are probably statistically insignificant, but experience has shown me that adjusting my additional flour and water increments to exactly match my target ingredient percentages ensures success. To be clear, you can manage hydration by following a recipe to the letter or you can go with the flow and plan, calculate then adjust mid-course as I do. For a beginner, the recipe route is probably the best path, but as you become more curious and ambitious(?) knowing how to track and manage hydration becomes an essential skill.
I rarely, if ever, think about my stretch and fold style. Other skills I am still learning, and find more difficult to master (not even close yet), are shaping and scoring. But I can live with a lumpy baguette or a sloppy ciabatta as long as the bread poofs in the oven and tastes good. And that taste and texture I believe is tied to hydration management.
Sorry for going on so long,
Phil
So, i was watching foodgeek on youtube, both methods are almost the same but he concluded that coil folding was better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz9CO1PJ0sM
One thing I prefer about coil folding is that when you think about it carefully, the top of the dough when coil folding continues to be the top of the dough when you do final shaping. This doesn’t happen for me when doing stretch and folds. For some reason I think this contributes to building a strong exterior to your dough which helps with oven spring. In any event, do whichever you feel comfortable with.
Hadn't really thought about it like that. in any event, not super practical for large batches that you're going to whack into 3-4 individual loaves and bake on different days... Some obvious logistical, membrane integrity problems there. I can't even imagine making a single loaf batch???
This is assuming you skip preshape right? Otherwise the top becomes bottom, then bottom becomes the top in preshaping. Am I following correctly?
No even when I've done pre-shaping I've kept the top of the coil folded dough the top of the finished dough.
Benny
How have you done this? When you dump the dough out of the bowl the top is now on the work surface. Then after shaping into a bowl, the previous bottom of the dough is now your top. No?
So top is on the bottom after dumping, I basically pull the edges into the centre to form a boule, then flip, and using the tension of the counter pull in a few times to get a good boule and then bench rest. Top is back on top. Then when final shaping, flip the resting boule so the top is back on the bottom and do my shaping.
Ah ok, but this has nothing to do with coil folds though does it? You can maintain the top this way using stretch and folds as well, right?
Yes you’re right Danny.
There is some coil folding of a big batch here at about 5:45 in.
Surely if stretching and folding in the bowl you can invert the dough at any time if you want it the other way up?
I am new to the coil fold as well! Just starting using it a few weeks ago because of Full Proof Baking's videos (her channel is amazing!)
I really really like it a lot! Part of it is the novelty I'm sure, but also I feel like I'm able to be both more gentle with the dough and somehow also strengthen it even more. Haven't done tests to confirm whether this is just in my head..
I also enjoy the lamination step (basically a streeeeetched out coil fold) that she uses. It's great on it's own (at the beginning of bulk of course) and also as a way to incorporate mixins.
Basically, I think stretch and fold and coil folds are both equally valid. But if you haven't tried coil folds, at least give it a shot!