Why shaping decides your oven spring

You’ve nursed your starter, mixed a sticky, high-hydration dough, and watched it rise. Now comes the moment that separates a flat, gummy loaf from one that leaps in the oven. Shaping is not just about making a pretty round. It is about building a taut outer skin that traps the gases your sourdough has created. Get that tension right, and the loaf will spring upwards before it spreads outwards. Get it wrong, and all that fermentation escapes like a sigh.

British flours add their own character here. A stoneground wholemeal from UK-grown wheat often absorbs more water than you expect, and its gluten can be a little less elastic than imported high-protein flour. A strong white from British wheat might still feel softer than a North American equivalent. That means you need to shape with more gentleness, not more force. Treat the dough like a living thing that wants to hold its shape – your job is to encourage it, not wrestle it.

Read the dough before you shape

Timing is everything with wet sourdough. Shape too early and the dough will tear and refuse to hold tension. Shape too late and it will be a soupy, over-ripe mess that spreads the moment you turn it out. Look for a dough that has risen by roughly 50 to 75 per cent in the bulk, feels jiggly when you shake the bowl, and shows a domed top with a few bubbles at the edges. If you use a clear container, you’ll see webbing against the sides.

• Underproofed: tight, dense, tears when stretched, smells sharply of raw flour.
• Just right: soft, aerated, holds a gentle indent that springs back slowly.
• Overproofed: slack, sticky beyond normal, smells sour and boozy, collapses when touched.

British wholemeal and spelt ferment faster than white flour, so check earlier than you think. A dough that was perfect at 10 a.m. can be past its best by 11.30. When in doubt, shape a little sooner rather than later.

Pre-shape with light hands

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface – or better, a barely damp worktop with a quick dusting of rice flour. Avoid adding lots of extra flour; it will dry the dough and make it harder to build tension. Using a bench scraper, coax the dough into a loose round. Don’t knead it. Don’t press out the gas. Just fold the edges gently towards the centre, one or two turns, then flip it over. That’s it.

Now leave it alone for 20 to 30 minutes. This bench rest lets the gluten relax, so the final shape won’t fight you. For a high-hydration British wholemeal dough, keep the rest on the shorter side – 15 to 20 minutes – because the bran can weaken the gluten over time. Cover it with a clean tea towel so it doesn’t form a skin.

Build tension in the final shape

This is where you create the outer skin that will trap steam. Flour the top of the pre-shaped dough lightly, then flip it over so the floured side is down. For a boule, cup your hands around the dough and drag it towards you across the worktop in short, quick movements. The friction creates tension on the bottom without tearing the top. You’ll feel the dough tighten and become less sticky. For a batard, fold the two long sides into the middle, then roll it up from the top, tucking with your thumbs as you go.

Another useful technique is stitching. Lift the dough with a bench scraper and fold one edge into the centre, then the opposite edge, then the remaining two. Press gently to seal. The goal is a smooth, taut top and a sealed bottom. If the dough sticks, dust with a little rice flour – never press harder. A torn surface means lost gas. Place the shaped dough seam-side up into a banneton or a bowl lined with a well-floured cloth. Rice flour is your friend here; it doesn’t hydrate like wheat flour, so it releases cleanly after proving.

Chill, score and bake for lift

Cold retarding is a secret weapon for wet dough. Cover the banneton and put it in the fridge for 8 to 16 hours. The cold firms the dough, making it far easier to score, and slows fermentation so the flavour deepens. When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven and a Dutch oven or baking stone to 240°C for at least 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto parchment, seam-side down. Score with a single decisive slash at a 45-degree angle – shallow, not deep. Steam is essential: bake with the lid on for 20 minutes, then remove it for another 20 to 25 minutes until deep brown.

Oven spring happens in the first 10 to 15 minutes. That taut skin you built during shaping holds the steam inside, forcing the loaf upwards before the crust sets. British grains often reward a slightly lower hydration – try 70 to 75 per cent rather than 80 – and a gentle final proof. With practice, you’ll feel exactly when the dough is ready. Trust your hands, keep them light, and let the oven do the rest.