Coil FoldA gentler movement, for wetter dough.What You DoGently lift the dough from the centre, letting the edges hang down under their own weight, then fold it back onto itself.Turn the dough a quarter turn, take hold of the centre again — now essentially across the previous fold — and repeat the movement.Just as with stretch and folds, you do this a few times around, with periods of rest in between.How It Differs from Stretch & FoldWith stretch and folds, you actively pull the dough.With coil folds, you let the dough do much of the work itself — you lift it, and gravity gently stretches it further than you would actively pull it.This makes the movement softer, with less risk of disturbing the structure that is developing.That is precisely why coil folds work so well with wetter, more highly hydrated dough: this type of dough is more delicate, and a subtler way of building surface tension can suit it better than the firmer pulling motion of stretch and folds.When Should You Choose It?- With higher-hydration dough, which can quickly feel sticky and fragile.- Later in bulk fermentation, when the dough has already developed some structure and you do not want to overwork it.- Simply when you notice that stretch and folds seem to be weakening the dough rather than strengthening it.A commonly used combination is to begin with a few rounds of stretch and folds early in bulk fermentation, let the dough rest, and then switch to coil folds for the final one or two rounds.This allows you to build strength first and then refine the structure more gently.There Is No Exact ScienceHow much you fold, and which technique you use, depends on your recipe, hydration and how the dough feels at that particular moment.As you gain experience, you will naturally learn to recognise when the dough has had enough — and ultimately, that is a more reliable guide than a fixed number of rounds.Part of The Baking Process.Read next: Stretch & Fold · Bulk Fermentation · Gluten (Bread Science)