I’m making a double batch of my bread that is a 72% hydration. I’m getting a little bored of plain bread and I wanted to try out a black pepper and cheddar cheese loaf. My kids eat plain so I would be making a small one for me, so that would be 1 regular plain loaf and then I would split the 2nd dough into 2 so it would be 1/2 plain and 1/2 the other flavor. I’m already bulk fermenting my doughs so there’s no way that I would be putting in the flavors for my whole dough bulk. So it had me thinking that after bulk fermenting that I could divide my doughs and try out lamination to add in the flavors. I’ve never done that before so it’s all new to me. Do you think that could work? Or does lamination only happen during bulk fermenting to gain gluten strength?
Lamination after bulk can be tricky. Not sure, if it will really work. But you don't need to laminate. Just dimple the inclusions into the surface of the dough and fold the dough. Repeat a 3-4 times. This works best of course (roughly) at some point in the first half of the bulk. At the end of it bulk it will automatically degas the dough (to some extent). Doing this at the end of the bulk might not go very well with high hydration doughs or a high percentage of high extraction flour.
There is a yt video showing this technique (in a bakery), it is also linked somewhere in the forum, but I couldn't find it.
Thank you for that tip. I guess it’ll be best to split the dough after all
Split the dough and shred the cheese for the other. Mix the cheese in well. Don't be surprised if the cheesy one takes a little longer - emphasis on little. Enjoy!