A bakery in Portland showed me why my sourdough was flat

Max Wells · 2026-03-25T21:20:04.960978+00:00

I was at a place called Tabor Bread last month and watched them shape their loaves. They were way more gentle than I am, and they let the dough rest for a full 20 minutes after shaping before scoring. I tried it at home and my next loaf had a much better rise. Anyone have other tips for handling high hydration dough without deflating it?

jason5246mo ago

Oh man, my buddy had the exact same problem. He was basically punching his dough flat every time he touched it. Someone told him to wet his hands instead of using flour when he handles the sticky dough. It sounds weird, but it totally worked. His loaves stopped sticking to his fingers and he didn't have to manhandle it as much. That simple switch made his high hydration dough way easier to shape without losing all the air.

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clairer796mo ago

That 20 minute rest after shaping is a total game changer. I also switched to a plastic dough scraper instead of metal for gentler handling.

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juliahall6mo ago

Actually, a little more strength during shaping helps my dough hold its shape better, @clairer79.

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