Folks are overkneading their sourdough like crazy

I see people on here saying they knead for 15 minutes straight when really all you need is a few stretch and folds over a couple hours. I switched to just 3 sets of folds last month and my crumb opened up way nicer. Has anyone else noticed this making a difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnflores23d ago

Depends on the flour and hydration though. Some doughs need more work than others.

jennifer96523d ago

Used to be a HARDCORE overkneader myself. I'd stand there and slap the dough around for like 20 minutes then wonder why my bread was tough and dense. Switched to three stretch and folds over 2 hours last week and it's like a completely different bread. My crumb went from tight little holes to big open pockets that actually hold butter.