April 13, 2024 - 8:53am
Folding Intervals for High Hydration
Formulas for high hydration doughs (especially with whole grains) often call for 4-5 rounds of folds during bulk fermentation. The majority of the formulas suggest additional folds at increasing intervals like this timing: fold at 30 minutes - 1.5 hrs - 3.5 hrs - 6 hrs, ie, farther apart as fermentation proceeds.
Maybe 1/3 of formulas call for the same interval between each round of folds and a longer rest at the end, eg, folds at 30 minutes - 1 hr - 1.5 hr - 2 hr - 2.5 hr
- Is there a rationale for one approach or the other? Or is the difference too small to notice? Front-loading the folds is more convenient for me, and would be more convenient for retarding after the last folds.
- I typically use stretch-and-folds in the bowl, then coil folds in the bowl, and finally a lamination fold (when I add the nuts). Diversifying the folding techniques makes sense; is one order preferred over another?
Thanks for your explanations and advice.