Hi again Victoria! When I was taught to shape bread at an artisan bakery, pinching the bottom of the loaf to seal it together was a common practice, so I wouldn't shy away from this method. Also, if you're able to keep the bottom of the loaf relatively free of flour, the dough should stay together more easily. Preshaping your loaves might also make this process easier for you. Once you've done a nice preshape, allow the dough to relax enough so that it is soft and won't resist shaping. What you don't see in either blog is that the preshaped loaf is generally flipped over when it comes time to shape. This keeps the "nice" surface on the bottom and the stickier surface on the top, which will help the dough not stick to the work surface and also come together more easily as you fold it together. 

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