Understanding gluten was what finally made my shaping click. Before that, I had been treating the dough like pastry — handling it briskly, keeping it cold, working quickly — which was producing tight, tearing dough and poor oven spring.

Gluten is not a single substance. It is a network formed by two proteins, glutenin and gliadin, that behave in opposite ways. Glutenin wants to snap back; gliadin wants to stretch. Getting the balance right is the whole job of the bulk fermentation and shaping process.

The stretch-and-fold technique during bulk fermentation is specifically designed to build this network without degassing the dough. Four sets, thirty minutes apart, is usually enough for a well-hydrated dough. After that, leave it alone.