The handling quality of a dough - how extensible and elastic it is.

A bread is held together in its shape because of the gluten network developed during mixing and resting of the dough by the interactions between proteins in the flour and the other ingredients. This network can be developed to different degrees, which causes the dough to be more or less extensible and elastic (usually a dough with a more developed gluten network is more extensible and elastic, thus called "stronger").

A dough's strength can be increased by the introduction of some additives such as salt or by applying the folding technique during bulk fermentation.