-or-
(How to get away without needing to be kneading!)
Rev 0.35, last revised: 20-Oct-06
I'm told that this method will work for dough between 55 - 95% hydration; although I find that this method works best on drier dough's. For wetter dough's, see: Stretch&Fold.
Begin by roughly mixing the ingredients. Make sure all of the flour is at least moistened. If you are using a poolish, don't worry that it hasn't been completely incorporated into the dough. It's OK if it’s a slimy mess with strands of unincorporated poolish showing. Put the roughly mixed dough into a container and let it rest for 45 minutes.
[1] Turn the dough out onto a work table. Spread the dough out
by squashing and mashing it until it’s a rectangle. Use flour as necessary
to keep things under control. Then fold in the edges -
top and bottom, left and right. I fold things into roughly thirds--kinda
like a business letter. Once the dough is folded, put it back into the fermenting vessel
SEAM SIDE DOWN and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
[NB: I leave the dough on the counter, covering it with the
inverted bowl.
I find that easier to do.]
[2] ... [6] Repeat the folding and resting for at least 3, and up to 6-times. Between each cycle, put it back into the container, seam side down, and let it rest in each instance for an additional 30 minutes.
[last] Give it a final fold. Divide it if it's large or you want multiple loaves. Shape for the final rise.
Each time you do a fold-cycle the dough will get better. After the
second fold, it will be just as good as what you get out of your mixer, the third
time will be much better than that.
[NB: I often
double F&F after the first cycle. Helps, especially if you've allowed the
dough to 'work' too long.]
Allow to rise and bake as you normally would.
If you have any seeds, nuts, or anything else that needs to be part of the dough, add it at the start. Using this method, dough development is largely a chemical action as opposed to a physical action by either kneading or using a mixer.
As it was explained to me; there are three powerful dough strengthening mechanisms at work:
Simple hydration (getting the flour wet).
Fermentation, done by the yeast; produces gas which stretches the dough.
The fold.
FWIW; while your own mileage with technique may well vary, I've begun changing ALL of my recipes to this...