In-container folding (a la Tartine) to develop dough strength
Good day, all.
I'd like to get some of your personal experiences - successes and failures - using the in-container folding method (in place of traditional mxing/kneading) that is featured, amongst other places, in Tartine Bread.
I have been working with this process since about November, including daily feeding of a starter that I feel is healthy and predictible. On most baking attempts I get decent rise, but I feel that I'm at a bit of a plateau and would like to make another jump in performance with my loaves. One place in the process that I feel like I'm falling short is gluten development. I have a sense of the feel of well-developed dough, with both extensibility and elasticity. However, I'm not getting this feel with the in-container folding method.
There are a number of telling pictures in Tartine Bread - for those of you who have the book for reference:
- On page 57, pulling the dough from the container, it's clear that it's releasing nicely from the sides. It's especially telling with this type of container because it is plastic the dough has a tendency to cling when underdeveloped.
- On page 62, during the folding illustrations you can really see how well the dough is developed. The surface is smooth and the stretches show off the extensibility.
So, in short, have any of you had success with the in-container method reaching this level of dough strength?
Thanks in advance. This has been a really fun project.
Cheers,
Chris