Slap+fold, worked! :)
Hello,
So far, I've ever only used a mechanical mixer to make doughs. Well, after a year, the machine finally broke. So I decided to try developing a dough by hand. I watched a couple of youtube videos on the slap+fold technique. First I began with a liquid levain at 125% hydration, and a flour soaker at 80% hydration, and a final dough at 68% hydration. 90% of the flour is white bread flour, 10% is a mix of a bunch of different whole grain flours (ww, spelt, rye, barley, einkorn). I thought I'd start with an easier dough my first time.
Amazing!
First, I took the levain, soaker, and mixed it together with the final flour and salt in a dough bucket. I used a dough whisk tool to do the initial mixing/incorporation of everything together. Then I let it rest/autolyse for 30 mins.
Then dumped it out onto my marble workboard. I did not "cheat" -- no flour on the workboard. Washed my hands thoroughly and just went at it. It was a trip! The dough went from an obviously very sticky mess in the beginning, to better, then sticky again, then better, then sticky, then better -- in cycles... until it finally was the same "feel" as I am used to when using a mixer.
It took me appx 30 mins of the slapping and folding. I don't know how many hundreds of times I did it. I got a mini-workout! I even broke a little sweat. It was strangely satisfying... :) I learned you want to get a really good stretch on the downstroke and you use wrist-action to get a good torque for the stretch+slap. The better the slap, the better the dough develops. Then you just fold it over, turn it, and do it again. As the the dough strengthened/developed, I'd have to raise the dough almost over my head to get a good stretch and slap.
Here's a couple pics. First is the shaggy mass after the initial mix/incorporation/autolyse, and 2nd is after all the slaps+folds. Sorry the lighting isn't the best...
Now it is bulk-fermentation... may need to do a couple more stretch+folds along the way.
Cheers!
Welcome to the manual kneading club gvz. If you stop after the initial shaggy mass phase, cover closely and wait for 20-30 minutes, you will find it requires much less effort. Magic!
Eric
If you have only used mixers this would have been quite an experience. I used the slap and fold (kneading) method when I first started making bread and I have never owned a mixer.
I usually autolyse without the firm levain and salt for 30min to an hour depending on the amount of wholegrains. I notice a sweet spot as I start kneading when the dough is coming together smoothly but is still sticky ... I then transfer the dough back to the bowl and add the salt with a little of the water I have held back (about 5%) and squeeze it through. It works wonders, the dough comes apart, your fingers become clean of dough and the bowl is cleaned as the dough comes back together. I remove it from the bowl and continue kneading. I know when to stop when I see a translucent skin with air trapped under it stretching around the dough ... hard to describe but it almost looks like a window pane stretched around the dough. I probably knead for around 5 mins before adding salt and then another 10 mins ... roughly.
Happy mixing,
Phil
Thanks for the advice, Eric and Phil.
Here was the result. Nothing special... but I unintentionally underproofed it near the end. The dough handled very nicely during shaping. The upward oven spring was good, and no lack of height due to underdeveloped gluten.
Sorry 'bout the jagged knife line... but also you can see it was underproofed a little by the slightly denser areas...
For me it is a success, for my first time without a mixer. I had been planning of getting a new mixer, but after today, I am having second thoughts.
Cheers!
gvz,
You should be glad you didn't jump quickly to buy a new mixer. It wasn't until AFTER I had spent big bucks on a nice DLX that I realized I could do with out it. Franko made a comment last week that he thought more $ should be allocated to a proofer and less to mixing tools. I'm starting to think I agree with him. When I look at what I use today, the three things I wouldn't be without are my plastic scraper, my proofer and a copy of Hamelman's Bread. Hamelman gives a DDT for every stage on his builds. Now that I have a way to follow his advice more closely, my results are much improved.
Anyway, your bread looks great and you will find you now get a better feel for when it's "right". BTW, I know a guy here who baked 200 loaves each day, without a mixer.
Eric
Hi gvz
I'm pleased that you have found the slap and fold technique can work for you. I was taught to use that method by its most famous exponent in the UK - Richard Bertinet - and it is very effective. He can transform 800g of 70% hydration dough from the shaggy mess stage to a finished dough in 5 to 10 minutes whilst holding a conversation - but he never gets to raising the dough over his head! If you regularly raise it that high you will start to find lumps of dough all around your kitchen.