For the love of God, WHY?
So I've been baking 2 or 3 sourdough loaves a week for the past few months. In general they're getting better and better and I feel like I'm understanding the importance of gluten development more and more.
So then WHY does my dough suddenly seem to just refuse to gain any strength?? I use stretch and fold which is usually fine but then every now and then I try to make a loaf and the kneading process only seems to weaken the dough, making it into gloopy mess that holds no shape whatsoever and has to be binned.
I use 70-75 % hydration but fact that dough refuses to build any strength at all makes me think this is not the problem. Could it be the flour? I use bread flour from a local bakery, but even so, I've seen loaves made with weak AP flour with more strength than these gooey puddles.
Would really appreciate any suggestions from all of you, I can't seem to find anyone else who has this sort of problem.