How do I fix sticky sourdough dough?
Sticky dough is most often underdeveloped gluten rather than too much water, so build more strength: knead longer at the start or add a few stretch and folds during the bulk, and begin at a lower hydration around 60 percent. If it turns sticky only after several hours and tears easily, that is the opposite problem, overfermentation, so shorten the bulk. On protein, look for a bread flour around 12 percent or more, which handles a long ferment far better.
Answered by Hendrik, The Bread Code
From the book
The easiest way to fix this is probably to knead your dough more at the start. To simplify things consider using less water for your flour too. This will result in a more elastic dough right away. This concept is commonly used for no-knead style sourdough. Alternatively, you can also perform more stretch and folds during the bulk fermentation process. Each stretch and fold will help to strengthen the gluten matrix and make a more elastic dough. The last option to fix a dough with too little dough strength is to shape your dough tighter.
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