Dealing with sticky dough is a common challenge, but don't worry! There are a few reasons why your dough might be stickier than expected, even with lower hydration recipes. Let's break it down and find solutions:
Flour Type: The type of flour you're using can greatly impact the hydration capacity. Whole grain flours and flours with a higher protein content absorb more water. If you switch to a flour with lower absorption capabilities without adjusting hydration, the dough may become sticky. For example, I use bread flour with protein content of 13%, when I switch to All-Purpose flour using the same recipe, my dough is usually stickier because All-Purpose Flour has protein content less than 11.5% usually.
Gluten Development: Insufficient kneading or mixing can result in a dough that hasn't developed enough gluten. This makes it difficult for the dough to hold structure and results in a sticky texture. On the other hand, over-kneading can damage the gluten structure, leading to a similar problem. This is where Coil Folds are your best bet, because they develop gluten in a gentle way without overworking or tearing the dough.
Ambient Humidity and Temperature: High humidity and temperature can make your dough stickier. The flour absorbs moisture from the air, which can affect the dough consistency. If you're in a humid area or humid time of year, lower your hydration ratio in your recipe a bit.
Sticky dough after Bulk Fermentation: If your dough was fine during mixing and stretch and folds but was sticky after bulk fermentation and hard to shape, that is more than likely an over fermentation issue, cut down on your rise time next time.
Adding more flour isn't always the answer!
#sourdoughbread #sourdough #sourdoughbaking #breadbaking
Tools I used here:
My beautiful large mixing bowl:
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Plastic Bench scrapers
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Shower caps
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