Wheat flour contains two proteins, glutenin and gliadin, that combine with water to form gluten, the elastic network responsible for trapping gas and giving bread its structure. Gluten development happens through hydration, mixing, and time, and a baker's job is to build that network in the gentlest, most effective way. The windowpane test is a way to check whether the dough has been developed enough: when a small piece is stretched thin, it should form a translucent membrane without tearing. Many artisan bakers do very little traditional kneading, instead relying on time and gentle folding techniques.
One of the most important early steps is the autolyse, a brief rest of flour and water before adding salt and starter. This rest fully hydrates the flour, allowing gluten to begin forming on its own and easing the work of mixing. A related technique called fermentolyse, also called fermentolysis, includes the starter from the beginning of the rest, which saves time and supports gluten development. After mixing, gluten continues to build through a series of folds during bulk fermentation. The stretch and fold is the gentlest option and is repeated several times at intervals. The coil fold is similar but especially useful for high-hydration doughs because it lifts and coils the dough without deflating it. The slap and fold, popularized by Richard Bertinet, is a more aggressive technique that develops gluten quickly through rhythm and impact. Methods like the no-knead approach from Mark Bittman, the Tartine method of Chad Robertson, and the approach in Ken Forkish's Flour Water Salt Yeast all build on these ideas with different philosophies about hydration, time, and shaping.
Bulk fermentation is the first rise after mixing, before the dough is shaped. Its length depends on temperature and starter activity, and the baker's goal is to manage it so that the dough has built both structure and flavor without over- or under-fermenting. Desired dough temperature, often abbreviated DDT and typically targeted at seventy-five to eighty degrees Fahrenheit, is a useful concept because it predicts fermentation speed: warmer dough ferments faster, cooler dough slower. The water temperature required to hit the DDT is calculated from the ambient room temperature and a friction factor that accounts for heat generated during mixing. A cold retard, in which bulk-fermented or shaped dough is held in the refrigerator for eight to forty-eight hours or even longer, slows fermentation dramatically and develops complex, deeper flavor while letting the baker bake on their own schedule. Strong, well-developed dough has what bakers call fermentation tolerance, meaning the ability to handle long fermentation without collapsing; higher-protein flours, properly developed gluten, and adequate salt all contribute to this resilience, while higher altitudes generally cause dough to rise faster and may require small adjustments.