Autolyse and Gluten

Hey John,

I do not think that a true autolyse would produce an inferior loaf. In fact, a true autolyse will actually help you with the second problem you are running into, as a TRUE autolyse (no salt, no leavening) will contribute significantly to the development of the gluten in your dough. Following the autolyse, you can then incorporate your levain, followed by the salt. It may take some time to disperse them evenly, but do so patiently and calmly, and your efforts will be rewarded.

As regards gluten development, in addition to effecting a true autolyse, it is important that your stretch and folds are not performed diffidently, but rather, with strength and conviction ! Call me crunchy, but I am of the opinion that your dough will not respect you if you are TOO gentle with it, especially when you are trying to coax those gluten strands into lining up nicely. Make sure you are REALLY stretching your dough before folding it. Different doughs will require different stretching strengths, and you have to learn from practice to attend to the needs of the dough. The number of stretch and folds will also vary from batch to batch, with some requiring as few as two or three, while others may need six or seven to really stay together. Just gotta get a feel for it, which means, back to the kitchen to make more bread! Allez-y!!!

Best of luck, and keep us posted !

at least 6 - 8 minutes of slap and folds right after the autolyse is finished and the  levain and salt are added to the dough.  I usually quit the slapping after the dough stops sticking to the counter.  If it doesn't quit sticking after 8 minutes i give it a 20 minuter rest and then do another minute.

This technique significantly develops the gluten before much fermentation takes place, making for a more open crumb later on and ensures, that once the stretch and folds are done, the gluten is in tip top shape. This is especially important with wet dough that are subject to spread rather than spring. 

Happy Baking 

Reinhart's Italian bread has a large preferment: the biga contains already half of the flour. Therefore it doesn't call for an extra autolyse. In his following books, "Whole Grain Breads" and "Artisan Bread Every Day" he changed his method a bit, and includes periods of autolyse.

But he mixes all ingredients, including salt, at once, and does not add it later. I use his technique and others, like Forkish's, depending on the recipes I use, and can't say I ever saw a difference whether the salt was added right away or later.

Karin