Bulk fermenting and stretching question

Speaking from the perspective of using a long bulk ferment, usually all the stretch & fold sessions would be done before much of the bulk fermentation happens. So you won't lose much if any gas because of them. Sometimes my dough will have tripled hours before I want the BF to be done.  Then I degas by stretching gently.  The dough by then is producing gas so well that it easily refills before the targeted end of BF.  With that kind of BF, the final amount of expansion doesn't signify much - if the dough is producing gas well, and your target time has elapsed, you can go ahead and shape your performs and loaves.  In fact, stretching the dough mid-BF can actually re-invigorate the dough - it may rise faster than before.

All things depend on the details, of course.  My general plan is to use between 2 and 4 S&F sessions depending on the dough composition and on how it feels. Then leave it alone unless you need an intermediate degas.

My favorite no-knead recipe uses stretch and folds (once after an hour of letting the dough sit, then every 30 minutes for several rounds) during the bulk ferment, and the dough gets so incredibly light and airy, as if it had just been kneaded to perfection at the start, and left to sit and rise. Then I preshape/shape from there without degassing. So the s&f doesn't seem to inhibit rising or knock out air at all, in that recipe, anyway. 

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Hello Benjamin,

Stretching develops gluten and tightens it, folding traps air in between gluten sheets. These trapped air pockets are the nuclei of the future pores in the bread crumb. Larger pockets lead to larger pores so appreciated in some varieties or artisan breads, not in pan de mie obviously.

Together, S&Fs are a form of kneading or punching down (degassing) and serve to develop gluten, to make it stronger, and to degass the dough as it ferments and matures (accumulates acidity).

I'm wondering whether stretching before preshaping knocks out all the air

Stretching is the gentlest form of kneading or punching down/degassing, so it never knocks out all the air. Also, the last punch down in any form, whether as a rigorous kneading to fully degass the dough or a gentle stretch and fold is never done at the end of the fermentation, right before dividing and preshaping it. It is done at least 20-30min before that, so that the dough could relax somewhat and would be able to tolerate the mechanical stress of dividing it and preshaping it.

I'm also wondering why bother stretching at all if I've developed the gluten well enough in the mix phase. 

Stretching during fermentation is done in higher hydration doughs which are weaker by their very nature to give them strength and in doughs that do not reach maturity by the time they rise to the max volume. They need to be gently degassed to continue fermenting (accumulating acidity, taste and aroma) without their gluten collapsing under gas pressure.

I laminated at the end of the bulk fermentation. The lamination actually seemed to harm the structure of that dough and weaken it. The dough became a little 'bitty' (not smooth). After lamination it was stickier than the one I left and I had to rip it from the board which may have also compromised things. did I laminate too late? 

It was not the lamination per se but too much mechanical stress of both lamination and preshaping/shaping that destroyed gluten, tore it apart and made it sticky/gluey and bitty. Your dough needed a 20-30min rest after lamination which stretched it to the max before doing anything else with it.

When it see the gluten breakdown like that I simply throw the dough back into my mixer and knead it vigorously, beating it on high speed and remixing it until perfectly smooth and shiny like a freshly mixed dough. Stretch and fold it, leave it alone for 30 min, then proceed to divide it, shape it, etc.

I'm wondering whether it's best to leave the dough to ferment after the gluten has been developed to satisfaction. No stretching, no laminating. Just leave it to get gassy then gently pre-shape and shape when I think it's ready. Would people concur? 

This might work in some breads like ciabatta but not others which need to ferment longer or when the goal is an even fine crumb, they need several vigorous punchdowns as they ferment, or a large honeycomb open crumb, they need occasional laminating or s&fs to trap large bubbles of air as in puff pastry and viennoiserie, etc. A lot of factors and desired outcomes play a role here when bakers design their breads from certain ingredients given time constrains, labor requirements, etc.