Forming the Dough Ball – TC Rindfleisch

30 minutes after the last folding, form the final dough ball:

Sprinkle the cookie sheet with about 1 Tbsp flour.

Flour cookie sheet
Turn the dough from the plastic container onto the floured cookie sheet.

Dough on cookie sheet
Wet hands so the dough will not stick to them. The moisture also makes the folded dough stick better at the seam.

Wet hands so dough won’t stick to them
Gently pat dough into a rounded rectangle of roughly uniform thickness.

Gently flatten the dough

Dough after flattening
Form the final ball shape by folding the dough from each of four sides and then sealing the seam.

Fold dough from first side

Fold dough from second side

Fold dough from third side

Fold dough from fourth side

Seal seam by pinching
Line the proofing basket with a cloth and then sprinkle the cloth with about 1 Tbsp flour.

Flour cloth lining proofing basket
Lift the dough ball from the cookie sheet and place into proofing basket with the seam down.

Dough ball

Dough ball in proofing basket
Fold the ends of the cloth over the dough ball to cover it.

Fold ends of cloth to cover dough ball in basket