Lamination vs. Coil Folds: Dough Strengthening Methods

Lamination and coil folds both strengthen dough, but they do it differently — and they produce different crumbs.

Coil folds

The everyday workhorse. Lift the center of the dough with both hands, let it stretch, fold it under itself, rotate 90°, repeat.

Best for — most sourdough, especially 75–85% hydration.

Effect — builds structure evenly. Reinforces gluten. Encourages a balanced crumb.

Timing — every 30–45 minutes during the first 2 hours of bulk; usually 3–4 sets.

Lamination

A more dramatic approach. After bulk has started, you stretch the entire dough into a thin square or rectangle on a wet counter, then fold it back on itself into a small package.

Best for — very high hydration (85%+), inclusion-heavy doughs, breads where you want a wide-open crumb.

Effect — aligns gluten in long strands and incorporates ingredients evenly. Produces a more open, uneven crumb with bigger holes.

Timing — once, about 60–90 minutes into bulk. Replaces 1–2 coil fold sets.

Side by side

Take the same dough, divide it, do coil folds on one half and lamination on the other. The coil-fold loaf will have an evenly open crumb; the lamination loaf will have larger, more dramatic holes.

How to laminate

1. Wet the counter generously.
2. Tip the dough out gently — don't degas.
3. Use wet hands to stretch from the edges. The dough should become almost translucent.
4. If adding inclusions (olives, cheese, nuts, dried fruit), spread them across the sheet.
5. Fold the long edges in, then the short edges, into a thick package.
6. Return to the bulk container, seam-side down.

When to use lamination

• High-hydration country loaves
• Olive, herb, or cheese breads
• When you want bakery-style open crumb
• For visual texture in scoring

When to skip it

• Low-hydration doughs (below 75%)
• Beginners — the technique requires confidence with wet dough
• Enriched doughs (lamination of laminated dough is a different thing entirely — that's croissants)

Combining

You can do both: 2 sets of coil folds, then lamination at minute 90, then 1 final coil fold. This is what many high-end bakeries do.

The choice isn't about which is better — it's about what crumb you want.