Shaping Bread Loaves

I've found that minimally handling sourdough bread dough is the key to nice pockets of air forming in the finished loaves. (If you want a denser, sandwich-type bread, then press more air out of the dough in the shaping process.) Here's a video of me shaping two oval-shaped loaves after the dough rose in a covered, oiled bowl. Basic formula for this bread follows the video!

Sourdough

This is a 70% hydration bread.

240 g sourdough starter

400 g water

600 g flour

13 g salt

14 g sugar (optional)

3 to 7 g yeast (optional, depends on how fast you want your dough to rise)

Mix all ingredients except salt, rest 10-30 min.

Add salt, kneed or fold.

Rise in covered, oiled bowl.

Shape loaves. 

Rise in baskets lined with tea towels or cloth napkins; or rise on parchment-paper covered cookie sheets with napkins on top.

Preheat oven to 425.

Score loaves using a sharp knife, right before baking.

Bake 30-45 min, or until center is 200 degrees Fahrenheit.