Slap and Fold

Slap and fold — known in French baking as the French fold or, loosely, fraisage — is a technique for developing gluten in wet, sticky doughs (typically 75% hydration and above) without dusting in additional flour or requiring a stand mixer. The baker lifts the entire mass of dough off the bench with both hands, then slaps it down against the surface while simultaneously pulling the far edge forward and folding the near end over the top. This motion is repeated rhythmically, typically for 5–10 minutes or until the dough becomes noticeably smoother and less sticky. The physics behind the technique are the same as those in any form of kneading: mechanical energy aligns glutenin and gliadin protein strands, encouraging them to bond into long, elastic gluten networks. What makes slap and fold distinctive is that the impact of dough hitting the work surface provides an extra shear force that efficiently develops gluten even at very high hydration levels, where conventional folding techniques lack the mechanical energy to achieve the same effect quickly. Slap and fold is particularly valuable in the early stages of mixing, when the dough is rough and extensible. As gluten develops, the baker can feel the dough becoming more elastic: it begins to spring back, eventually pulling cleanly away from the bench and resisting tearing during the fold. Once this stage is reached, gentler techniques such as coil folds or stretch and folds can take over during bulk fermentation.

“The dough was almost pourable when he first tipped it onto the bench, but ten minutes of vigorous slap-and-fold work transformed it into a smooth, elastic ball that finally cleared the surface cleanly.”

• TechniqueAutolyse
• ConceptGluten Development
• glossaryStretch and Fold / Coil Fold

1. 1.Tartine Bread — Chad Robertson (Chronicle Books, 2010)
2. 2.The Rye Baker — Stanley Ginsberg (W. W. Norton, 2016)
3. 3.Advanced Bread and Pastry — Michel Suas (Delmar Cengage, 2009)

Confidence: high