November 3, 2007 - 1:50pm
Folding, windowpaning and dough strength
Are we supposed to assume that when a dough reaches the point that it windowpanes, the dough has enough strength? I let my white sourdough reach just that point in the mixer the other day, and did not fold it. It seemed a bit slack to me, but I was experimenting. The result was a slack dough that spread quite a bit in the oven. (I did the final proof in a banneton.) I have also taken that same formula and given it folds to the point that in the oven, it bursts because it's too strong. How do we assess when I dough has hit that magic point of being strong enough but not too strong?
SOL