Hi Patricia, that your dough is soft and stretchy when you finish kneading does sound like a good sign. Did the dough gain in body and strength with each fold? At the time of shaping, the dough should still be tacky, but easier to handle than when you first finished kneading it. You might find that giving the dough a little preshape after you divide it and before you shape it will help. We have a short video of Jeffrey Hamelman dividing and preshaping dough:http://www.kingarthurflour.com/videos/techniques-for-the-professional-baker-3-dividing-shaping. Take care, Jaydl@KAF

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