In an effort to have a firmer dough at bake time, I tried the "no
knead" technique. I still ended up with gloopy dough that would not
hold its shape after forming into boules. There is some oven spring,
but bread is still kinda flat and dense.

I have been using a sponge method with a total hydration of 60%. 28%
of the flour and 55% of the water go into the sponge upfront. The
sponge ferments overnight (~14 hrs), then the rest is added, mixed and
fermented about 4 hours (with real good "doubling"). Boules are shaped
and let rise another hour or two, then slashed and baked.

The only thing I know to try now is reduce the hydration to say, 55%.

Am I on the right track?

Thanks,

Todd K.