Caught a small market vendor near Portland using a weird kneading technique on sourdough

I watched her for 10 minutes at the Saturday market and now I'm folding my dough differently, has anyone else picked up tricks just from watching strangers work?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_webb2mo ago

She was "kneading" but it sounds like you just watched someone waste time on a gimmick. My sourdough comes out perfect with a standard 10 minute fold, no magic tricks needed.

king.aaron2mo ago

@jordan_webb tried a quick 5 minute fold method once and it turned out the same as my usual 10 minute one.

the_brian1mo ago

Brought my starter to work the next day and recreated her folds side by side with my usual method. The weird technique actually got a much springier crumb texture, not gonna lie. It was the same ingredients, same timing, but the way she did these short quick presses made the dough feel way more elastic. Now I swear by that little tap and fold motion she was doing, even if it looks ridiculous at first.