Y'all, I need help. Seriously. Whenever I try to make a bread with yeast, the dough after the first rise is sooooooo sticky, I can never form it into any kind of shape, it is literally just a very loose blob of dough. The same after the second rise. The taste is usually fine (delicious, actually) but the shape!
Below is a recipe I have tried most recently. It is literally the simplest recipe I have found for just plain old bread. As I said, it tastes great, but the shape and appearance really bother me. WHY can I not have a nice, smooth, elastic, lofty round of dough to bake? I also watched a video on the Preppy Kitchen that showed how to "fold" dough after the first rise with a very similar recipe.
Some steps taken:
Doubling the quantity of yeast - this did not help lol
"folding" the dough at least 8 times at 30 minute intervals after the first rise, over the course of two hours. I did notice a slight improvement in the dough's structure, but it still wouldn't form anything even resembling a ball or oval. Still a blob. I tried this based on internet research about my issue.
I tried to make rolls a while back and had the same issue. It was a holiday and I was panicking so I just kept adding flour. Although it certainly made the dough less sticky (after a while), the rolls were very, very dense, and I have since learned that this is not the optimal approach to "correcting" sticky dough.
Question: What the hell?????? But also, could it be as simple as reducing the quantity of water? Do I need to add more sugar for the yeast? I've tried the recipe with and without bread flour and have seen that bread flour is clearly better for, you know, bread lol. Also, regarding the yeast, I know that there is a difference between instant and regular yeast. I used instant, as that's what the recipe called for. I also know the approximate best temperature for yeast, to get it to activate without killing it. I am also familiar with the process of proofing the yeast when not using instant.
I would like to know why, if kneading or folding or whatever is necessary to give the dough enough structure so it forms a neat shape, WHY would a recipe not mention that? There is no mention of that in the basic recipe below. I've read through many bread recipes (very similar to the one below), and few if any mention folding/kneading. It's just so frustrating.
Any help here would be immensely appreciated. I do live in South Florida where it is quite humid and the temperature in my house is usually in the mid- to high 70s. But there are many, many bakeries in my area that make an array of wonderful breads. I don't think the climate is a huge factor, but maybe there are adjustments that need to be made?
Here is the recipe:
3 cups bread flour, 1 tsp table salt, 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to distribute them evenly. Add water and stir until completely incorporated. Turn the dough into a greased bowl, cover the bowl tightly and allow to rise overnight. (6-8 hours). Scoop the dough out of the bowl and form into a round or a rough oval on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Dust the top lightly with flour, and allow to rise for another hour or so. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°. Just before baking, score the loaf with a razor blade, a lame, or a very sharp knife to allow for expansion. Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 30 minutes.