BREAD SHAPING AND "TENSION" (video below).
There are many ways to shape bread.
There are obviously the techniques and methods that you are used to seeing in internet videos. Those of bakers who often consist of making flaps, folding up the dough and very often using a lot of chalking.
Far from these methods, I decided not to make any more flaps or folds of my dough for shaping.
And I use as little chalking as possible for 2 reasons. The first reason is not to change the recipe (in reality I do not like to put too much water in my preparation if it is then to work a dough so soft that we must add a ton of flour). The second reason is to not unnecessarily soil the worktop and the kitchen.
Up to the 46GV bread I used a small plate in one hand and the other free hand to give the shape of my breads. I flattened the dough and gradually extended it. I did this action by turning my dough several times (so by working the top and then the bottom alternately).
The more you go to work the dough, the more it will soften in your hands and become sticky. And necessarily it will be necessary to make a chalking more important than necessary.
From the 46GV bread I decided to do otherwise.
For long breads, once the dough is out of the bucket, I give it a long shape by pulling each end with the hands.
It gives a not very pretty shape which I then work quickly with my hands or my small plate. I do chalking only if I feel that the dough is too sticky.
This makes my dough much less abrupt since I no longer flatten it as much with my hand and I no longer turn it over.
For round breads, I do what I call "TENSION" work.
I form a ball with my hands and I stretch the "skin" of the dough as much as possible by sending it downwards.
This manipulation gives a superb smooth ball.
It will then give a puffy dough which should make a nice, well-puffed bread with a thin and crispy crust.
BREADS TJ METHOD
