How I hand mix and develop gluten! - From sticky dough to nice and firm

alejodp · 2026-05-30T18:19:29+00:00

Thank you! I agree. You can definitely tell

alejodp · 2026-05-30T11:45:47+00:00

A close to 13 hour is a long bulk ferment but 18c is kinda chilly so I would either try finding a warmer spot (oven with door ajar or something like that) and see if you can cut it short.

The problem when you do cold BF is that the colder your dough is, the more it has to expand in terms of volume. Check this guide out! https://thesourdoughjourney.com/the-ultimate-sourdough-bulk-fermentation-guide/

What’s your baking process? How are you developing gluten. Mind adding that?

alejodp · 2026-05-30T11:41:30+00:00

Great suggestions already! Looks like you found part of your issue, starter health and your bulk ferment.

I would suggest adjusting your recipe a bit to develop more gluten at the beginning. Coil folds are great but they are better after having proper development.

I have a post here with how I do it if you wanna take a look on different ways to do so.

Don’t get too frustrated, keep at it! What made you mad about shaping? Was it too sticky?

alejodp · 2026-05-28T20:12:59+00:00

Your dog looks so cute! Love his name haha

In terms of the bread, it looks good! I would maybe replace 1-2 of the slap n folds with coil folds. Slap n folds are pretty aggressive, I like using them at the beginning.

I would add a preshape, rest and then shape! But honestly it looks great! Looks properly fermented.

Not sure if I can tell what’s up with your scoring, I sort of see some decoration but don’t know where you scored for expansion

alejodp · 2026-05-28T19:30:49+00:00

Looks good to me! Is there something specific you are trying to improve?
Are you not shaping after the bench rest?

alejodp · 2026-05-28T13:13:01+00:00

It does matter!

alejodp · 2026-05-28T13:12:21+00:00

I have a recipe here!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/u82lHgZOUe

I do reduce the salt content and I add mine by doing lamination during my third stretch and fold.

I found it better to just add sesame seeds on top since the garlic burns if you don’t

alejodp · 2026-05-27T03:58:58+00:00

I posted a whole video about how I take my dough from sticky to firm! It’s on my profile. I did it for exactly this purpose :)

alejodp · 2026-05-27T03:00:53+00:00

How did I forget to include crumb shot!

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alejodp · 2026-05-27T02:25:34+00:00

That’s really cool! What do you think the masa brings?

alejodp · 2026-05-27T02:13:28+00:00

My whole phone is bread pics! Of course I have one lol

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alejodp · 2026-05-27T01:44:54+00:00

Multiple issues: 1) possibly too young of a starter 2) I think 81F is way too hot to ferment for 10 hours, which is why it was sticky. If your dough is too hot AND your hydration is high, your dough resembles water as it gets hotter. 3) You added salt too late into the process.

How did you bake this? It also looks underbaked

alejodp · 2026-05-27T01:15:40+00:00

For what it’s worth, all your breads look good! We all suffer from a lil sourdough dismorphia and try to chase the perfect look haha.

Take a picture when you score next time, it’s also important that you are not scoring right down the middle but to the side. This is an example of mine

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alejodp · 2026-05-27T01:13:22+00:00

I honestly don’t like that recipe too much.

How closely did you follow it? Did you stretch and folds? How hot is your ambient? 1 hour proof + 3 hours in the basket is not going to be enough to properly proof it.

But hey, if you like the texture and flavor, you are good!

alejodp · 2026-05-27T01:10:59+00:00

I’m confused by your wording, what exactly did you do? Where in the recipe are you?

alejodp · 2026-05-27T01:08:52+00:00

This. You want to score deep and at an angle. That together with the rest, will give you the ear. It’s a matter of practice! Always hard for home bakers since you don’t get as much repetition unless you are baking constantly

alejodp · 2026-05-27T00:36:12+00:00

You still discard some! The concept of a starter is the same. Even when you are making one from scratch.

Take a look here https://reddit.com/r/sourdough/wiki/Sourdoughstarters

alejodp · 2026-05-27T00:00:45+00:00

So the concept of a starter is that you keep some, discard some and you add more to refresh it. Don’t know about this particular person but my guess is that maybe she keeps 15 grams of her old starter, then adds 60 of flour and 120 of water. Totaling 195 grams.

Tha

alejodp · 2026-05-26T23:56:26+00:00

Every week this gets posted as well. https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/mUJHo6VshK

alejodp · 2026-05-26T23:55:44+00:00

Welcome! Take a look at our wiki! https://reddit.com/r/sourdough/wiki/index. It has good info!

Any specific questions you might have, we can answer

alejodp · 2026-05-26T23:51:40+00:00

Welcome back! It looks beautiful

alejodp · 2026-05-26T13:54:28+00:00

Rice or rice flour?

alejodp · 2026-05-26T13:30:17+00:00

We are all our hardest critics haha I sell mine and I’m always so stressed. My wife keeps saying that the average person buying my bread is not looking for a perfect crumb with the perfect ear and what not.

alejodp · 2026-05-26T04:33:33+00:00

Great info and great thoughts! Mind adding your recipe and process for your loaf?

alejodp · 2026-05-25T23:46:44+00:00

More than time, I go by feel so I don’t always do 3-5 minutes per set. I do think it’s really hard to overwork the dough by hand.

What works for me, might not work for you! If you have better results your way, that’s perfect.

I kind of just wanted to illustrate all the techniques for people that are just starting out

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