Slap and fold
A vigorous hand-kneading technique suited to very wet doughs that are too sticky to knead on a floured board.
Skill level: advanced
Purpose
Develops gluten quickly by hand in very high-hydration doughs too slack to knead conventionally on a board
Method
Lift the dough, slap it down onto the work surface, fold it over itself, and repeat rhythmically
When to use it
- Very high-hydration doughs that are too sticky for conventional kneading
Risks
- Requires practice to execute efficiently; can feel unproductive for beginners at first
Alternatives
- A stand mixer with a dough hook handles very high-hydration doughs without this manual technique