Shaping
Shaping gives dough its final form before proofing and baking. In bread it is structural rather than cosmetic: shaping builds surface tension, which holds the loaf together and directs the oven rise upward instead of outward.
It is usually done in two stages. Pre-shaping gathers the dough into a loose round and lets it rest 15–30 minutes so the gluten relaxes. Final shaping follows — into a boule, a bâtard or another form — this time with real tension across the surface.
Shape too loosely and the loaf spreads and bakes flat; shape too tightly and the surface tears, and the bread will open at those tears unpredictably regardless of where it was scored.
Work with minimal flour on the bench: excess flour stops the dough gripping the surface, and no tension builds. Pinch the seam closed and set the loaf seam-side up in the banneton.