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How to Shape Dough
In 2023, we added a sixth video at the end of this shaping article, showing how to shape very sticky, low gluten dough.
Fundamentally, when you shape bread dough you’re doing two things: primarily you’re molding the dough into the basic shape of bread that you want to bake. Secondarily, and in many ways more importantly, you’re developing surface tension in the outer “skin” of the dough. This surface tension helps hold the dough in the shape you’ve chosen while it expands during the final proof (rather than having the dough spread out all over the place when you turn it out of the proofing basket). The structural integrity imparted by this surface tension goes a long way toward defining the quality and characteristics of both the crust and the crumb of the resulting loaf.
Most artisan-style breads are shaped into round, oval, and oblong loaves. The French terms boule and bâtard are often used for round and oval loaves, respectively. The baguette is a slender oblong loaf of bread, while a thicker oblong loaf can be baked in a cloche like this one. I’ve been known to call that latter loaf shape a “bagtard” because it seems like a baguette-bâtard hybrid. Finally, sandwich loaves are shaped by rolling, which is similar to oblong loaves, but the dough requires less surface tension since it will rise and bake supported by a pan.
Below are videos showing how I shape boules, bâtards, oblong loaves, baguettes, and sandwich loaves. I’ve observed many effective shaping strategies, so please know these aren’t the only good shaping methods out there. Ultimately, you need to develop an approach that works for your hands. Moreover, your shaping approach needs to respond to different dough size, gluten strength, and degree of fermentation. Even your goals for the final bread can impact shaping e.g. Are you prioritizing an impressive bloom or an open crumb? (Of course we’d all like to achieve both!)
Here are some tips for responsive shaping based on the dough and your goals.
Please share in the comments how you like to shape your dough and what strategies you’ve developed.
How to Shape Dough