Technique & Skill
Shaping Technique
Build tension, structure, and confidence in every shape you make.
Overview
Shaping is where your bread gets its final identity. Boule, batard, baguette — it all starts with the same skill: building tension. Without tension, your dough spreads. With too much, it tears. The goal is a taut skin that holds structure through proofing and creates oven spring during baking. This page covers the mechanics. Pre-shaping to organize the dough. Bench rest to let gluten relax. Final shaping to lock in form. Each move matters. Light hands, confident movements, minimal flour. Most shaping problems come from overworking the dough or not building enough surface tension in the pre-shape. If your loaves flatten during proofing or blow out in the oven, this is where you fix it. Shaping isn't decoration — it's engineering. Learn the fundamentals here and every shape you attempt will start holding its own.
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