Preshape to give the dough a starting form
Turn out the dough when bulk is ready. Use a scraper to gather the dough and guide it into a rough round. If your recipe makes two loaves, divide before gathering each piece. Aim for a smooth surface you can handle later. A preshape only needs enough tension to keep the dough together through its rest. [2] [3]
Give the dough the bench rest in your recipe. The Perfect Loaf’s beginner method gives about 25 minutes. Watch for a little relaxation. If the dough springs back and feels tight, it may need time to relax. If it flattens fast and loses its edges, look at the strength it had in bulk before trying another tightening move. [3] [1]
Build surface tension in the final shape
- Prepare the basket first so the finished round has somewhere to go.
- Flip the rested dough as your recipe directs. Fold sections towards the centre to bring it together.
- Turn the package seam side down. With cupped hands or a scraper, draw the round gently towards you over a surface with enough grip to tighten it.
- Rotate a little and repeat only while the skin is smoothing without tearing.
- Transfer to the basket in the orientation your bake method uses. For a round to be inverted for scoring, this is commonly seam side up. [1] [3]
| What happens during the last pull | What to try |
|---|---|
| The surface smooths and the round stays tall | Stop tightening and transfer it. |
| The whole round slides with no grip | Clear some excess bench flour from the area used to tighten it. |
| The surface snags or tears | Release it with a scraper and use less force. Check the dough’s strength. |
| It tightens briefly then quickly flows | Look back at mixing and bulk. A second pull may give little lasting support. |
A tight skin comes from the movement of the dough against the bench. Pushing hard with your fingers can pinch or tear it. For a sticky but cohesive dough, use the scraper to release the edge and start again with a shorter movement. [1]
Crispy Crust’s planned bake log would put the preshape and final-shape photos beside the timing and dough notes. That would help you see whether the round was already spreading before it went into the basket.
For your next loaf, take one side photo after the preshape and another from the same spot after the bench rest. If it relaxed slightly and remained rounded, the rest did its job. If it already flattened, your photos can narrow the problem to the earlier dough or preshape, before the final tightening pass.