Sourdough bread making terms

I am by no means an expert in the baking arena, but despite not having any formal training, I have been baking my own bread at home for close to 20 years, sourdough for more than half that time, and exclusively whole grain sourdough since 2018.

These definitions are my understanding of some commonly used terms in sourdough bread making.

(terms in alphabetical order - let me know if I’ve missed any important ones!)

Autolyse
A French term referring to the process of briefly mixing then soaking flour and water together in a bread recipe, before salt and sourdough starter or other yeasts are added. The autolyse method can be especially effective in doughs made with strong, hard wheat flours with good gluten strength (as I show in this video) however not all doughs benefit from the method.

Autolysing or pre-soaking the flour and water, in the absence of salt or starter, allows enzyme activity to condition the dough, making it more extensible, smoother in texture and increasing the sweetness of the dough (amylase enzymes react with some of the carbohydrates in the flour, transforming starches into sugars, which also help to feed the yeasts during fermentation).

Baguette
A long, thin loaf of bread made in the French tradition. Usually made with a lean dough of flour, water, salt and yeast (sourdough or commercial).

Baker’s percentage
The system often used by professional and home bakers to calculate and/or express a bread recipe in terms of percentages of ingredients in relation to the total flour amount in the recipe. The total flour amount for any formula using this method is given as 100% and the remaining ingredients (water, salt and other additions) are given as percentages of the total flour amount.
See also: hydration

Banneton
Baskets of varied shapes and sizes made of wicker, bamboo, plastic or other materials, used to hold bread in the desired shape while it undergoes the final proof, before baking. Most bakers place their bread 'seam side up’ in their bannetons, and then invert the dough, seam side down, onto the baking surface. This reveals the smooth, nicely tensioned top of the dough which the baker can then score in all manner of decorative patterns before baking.

Batard
French baking term for an elongated, oval-shaped loaf. Shorter and more rounded than a baguette.

Boule
French word for ‘ball’ and baking term for a round-shaped loaf, baked in a free form style.

Bulk ferment/bulk fermentation (or just ‘the bulk’ or ‘BF’)
A commonly used term referring to the initial fermentation period or ‘first rise’ period of a loaf or batch of sourdough bread dough. The bulk or initial fermentation period of any bread dough is determined not only by the recipe guiding the baker, but also (much more importantly) the local influences affecting the dough on any given day, for example, types of flours used, ambient temperature, flour temperature, water temperature, starter temperature, amount and strength of sourdough starter, mixing process, whether or not the dough is fermented in the fridge etc.

Coil folding
See my video on coil folding dough for a handy visual demonstration of this technique.

Coil folding is a term used to describe a common dough development technique used by home bakers and small-batch professional bakers who wish to develop their dough without the use of machinery. ‘Coil folding’ is very similar to ‘Stretching and folding’ (see that entry below) and often takes the place of traditional hand kneading. It is a more gentle way of developing the gluten network in wheat-based dough and promotes a more open crumb than traditional kneading or machine mixing.

Coil folding is usually done with the dough in a tub, large bowl, or on the bench. Wet your hands and gently grab the dough in the middle with your hands approaching from each side. Pull up the centre of the dough, and use the stickiness of the dough stuck to the tub/bench to help stretch the dough up from the centre. Gently fold the middle of the dough back down over the stretched portion. Turn the dough around and do the other side, continuing until each side of the dough is folded and the dough becomes firm and resists your attempts to stretch it. Coil folds are usually done in the first few hours of the initial fermentation period of sourdough bread making, before the dough becomes gassy.
See also: stretch and fold

Cold retardation and Cold proofing
See ‘Retardation of dough’

Fermentation
In the context of baking bread, fermentation is the process that takes place when commercial yeast or a sourdough culture is added to the dough, which then consumes some of the carbohydrates in the dough, releasing acids (in the case of sourdough, thanks to the presence of lactic and acetic acid bacterias in the starter), alcohols and carbon dioxide gas into the dough which transform the flavour and raise the bread before baking.

Free form
Bread baked without a pan or other baking vessel to hold its shape. Free form loaves are usually baked on a baking stone or sheet/tray of some kind or on the brick floor of a hearth style oven. Sometimes free form loaves are baked inside a large dutch oven, but in many cases the dutch oven provides some support to the sides of the dough as a bread pan or other container would.

Hydration
Refers to the amount of water (or milk/juice/other water-based liquid) in a bread dough, usually expressed as a percentage amount of the total flour amount in the recipe. For example an 80% hydration dough with 500g of flour would contain 400g of water, not including the water in the sourdough starter (some bakers include that and some, including me, don’t).
See also: baker’s percentage

Inoculation
Refers to the process of adding a starter culture of some kind to a bread dough or other raw food ingredient to begin the fermentation process. In sourdough bread making, bakers often refer to ‘high inoculation or ‘low inoculation’ doughs, according to the amount of sourdough starter or pre-fermented flour added to their final bread dough mixture.

Lamé
French word for ‘blade’. Pronounced ‘lahm’ or ‘lom’ (I’m never sure). Refers to a variety of nifty gadgets that hold razor blades used for scoring bread dough.

Levain
French word for ‘leaven’ most often referring to the starter culture or portion of pre-fermented flour used to raise a loaf of sourdough bread. The English word ‘leaven’ is also used as a verb, ie. to ‘leaven the dough’ meaning to raise or ferment the dough before baking.
See also: starter, fermentation, mother, pre-ferment, inoculation

Mother
Another term for a sourdough starter, levain or other culture used to ferment bread or other raw food ingredients.
See also: starter

Oven Spring
This term refers to the way many breads (sourdough or otherwise) ‘spring’ or rise up in the first 10-15 minutes of baking with exposure to the high heat of an oven. This initial expansion of the gasses inside the dough helps the bread to become as large and airy as possible before the crust hardens and the final dough shape is set.

How to achieve a good oven spring? Having a well developed, well-shaped and perfectly proofed dough is the key. Your dough has to have the strength and structure to stand up tall and spring up in the oven once the heat is applied. A slack, overproofed dough will not spring as well as a well-shaped, nicely proofed dough with good surface tension. If you would like a more dramatic, bursting oven spring, try to underproof your dough slightly. If you would like a smooth topped loaf with no bursting and a less dramatic spring, take your dough to a fuller proof.

Poke test / Jiggle (or wobble) test
These two terms relate to a couple of methods used by home and professional bakers to determine the level of proofing of a bread dough, and consequently, whether or not it is ready to bake. The poke test entails pressing into the dough with your finger, removing your finger, then seeing how well (and how quickly) the dough returns to its original shape. My understanding is that if the dough bounces back with quick resilience, then it may still require some further proofing time. If the hole made by the finger remains, or the dough bounces back very slowly, this can mean that the dough is more fully proofed and is ready to bake.

Personally, I find the poke test a bit troublesome. It doesn’t make sense to me to use a test like this because every dough (particularly with whole-grain flours) differs in texture and composition and how the dough bounces back after being pushed has not, in my experience, been a reliable indicator of proof. Also, each baker should (in my opinion) consider the degree of proofing they desire for any given recipe, based on the style of bake and methods used (ie. pan loaf versus free form loaf, scored versus unscored etc.).

So what about the jiggle or wobble test? Again, it’s not science and it does depend on the type of dough and the techniques the baker is employing for their desired outcome, but a gentle giggling or wobbling of the dough in its container (pan, tin or proofing basket) can give the baker an indication of how gassy and airy the dough is, and thus how close it might be to the ideal proof for baking. I give all of my doughs (except rye and gluten-free grain loaves) a gentle shake to see if they are wobbly. If they don’t wobble at all and are still dense, they need more time to proof. If they are very well risen, billowy and wobbly/loose looking, then this is a sign to bake asap! It’s a matter of personal preference. Some people like the poke test and know how to apply it with their dough. I’ve never gained much confidence with it and prefer the gentle shake and jiggle test - it works the best for me :)

Preferment
Where a portion of the flour in a sourdough bread recipe is mixed with water and starter and fermented separately before adding to the final dough ingredients. Used a lot in wholegrain sourdough rye baking and in many bread culture traditions around the world.
See also: straight dough method, Respectus Panis

Pre-shaping
This term refers to the practice of shaping your dough into a basic round shape before allowing it a final rest of 10-30 minutes before the final shaping. Pre-shaping helps to increase the tension, strength and structure in wheat-based doughs, giving them a greater chance of achieving a good oven spring and a lighter texture. Pre-shaping has the best effect with high gluten ‘strong’ flours, or doughs made with high proportions of these. Pre-shaping is often not necessary with weaker doughs or doughs made with high proportions of non-gluten flours.

Proof/prove
Usually refers to the final rising of the dough before baking, but sometimes is used to refer to any rising period of the dough.
See also: bulk fermentation

Respectus Panis
A Latin term meaning ‘with respect to bread’ popularised in France and internationally by the Ambassadeurs du pain who have authored books on the subject which detail a variety of ‘low inoculation’ sourdough breads made with 0.5 to 5% starter instead of the usual 10-30%, fermented over a long period of time with minimal handling. I’ve had some wonderful experiments with this method! It yields a very mild tasting bread (not sour at all if you like that). I really like this explanation of the method.

Retardation of dough
I hesitate to use this term due to its negative connotations in other contexts, but in relation to bread making it means simply to slow down, halt or delay the developmental process of the dough, usually by refrigeration or some other kind of cooling method to slow down fermentation. Sourdough bakers are endlessly creative in the ways they learn to manipulate times and temperatures to get the best from their bread dough and make it work with their schedules! Placing initially fermented sourdough into the fridge, after shaping, for a cold (often overnight or longer) final proof is a commonly employed technique. This method works very well with Respectus Panis style loaves in my experience. Baker’s need to be careful not to over ferment the dough during the initial bulk ferment, especially with whole-grain flours which ferment more rapidly than refined flours.
See also: bulk fermentation, Respectus Panis

Score/slash
Terms used to refer to cutting of the dough before baking. Sometimes the dough is scored right after shaping before the dough is proved, however most often it is done right before baking at the end of the final proof.

Starter
A commonly used term referring to sourdough or other fermented culture, which, in the case of bread making, is added to dough to ferment and raise the dough before baking. Other fermented foods can also be made with a ‘starter’ culture, for example yoghurt/curds, kombucha, vinegars etc.
See also: fermentation, mother, levain

Stretch and fold
This term is used to describe a common dough development technique used by home bakers and small-batch professional bakers who wish to develop their dough without the use of machinery. ‘Stretching and folding’ often takes the place of traditional hand kneading, and is a more gentle way of developing the gluten network in dough which promotes a more open crumb than traditional kneading or machine mixing. Stretching and folding dough is easy. Just wet your hands, gently grab the edge of your dough (in the bowl/mixing tub), pull the dough up into the air to stretch it out (take care not to tear it) and fold the stretched portion back onto the remainder of the dough (I demonstrate this in quite a few of my whole grain sourdough videos). Do this repeatedly around in a circle until all portions of the dough are stretched and folded and the dough has become strong and starts to resist your attempts to stretch it. Stretch and folds are usually done in the first few hours of the initial fermentation period of sourdough bread making, before the dough becomes gassy.
See also: coil folds

Windowpane Test
A technique used to help bakers determine the level of gluten development in wheat-based bread dough. When a wheat-based dough is said to have reached ‘full development’ the baker will be able to visibly see the stretchy web of gluten membrane in the dough when it is stretched out gently between the fingers and held up to the light. If the dough can be stretched like this without tearing, and the light can be seen through the intact membrane, the dough has passed the ‘windowpane test’.

Yeast water
A type of bread starter made from dried fruits, flowers or other raw plant ingredients in a water or sweetened water solution. The naturally occurring wild yeasts on the surface of the foods used in this type of ferment, culture in the liquid, developing enough yeasts for the liquid to be used to successfully raise a loaf of bread.
See also: starter, fermentation