Troubleshooting
Why Is My Sourdough Bread Dense?
Lesson 1 of 13
Dense sourdough is usually a fermentation or dough-development problem—not a sign that you are bad at baking.
Read the guideLearning topic
Troubleshooting
Diagnose common starter and dough problems, understand what happened and get your next bake back on track.
Troubleshooting
Why Is My Sourdough Loaf Flat?
Lesson 2 of 13
A flat loaf usually means the dough could not hold its shape by the time it reached the oven.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Is My Sourdough Dough So Sticky?
Lesson 3 of 13
Sticky dough is normal to a point. The question is whether it is simply wet—or structurally weak.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Won’t My Sourdough Dough Rise?
Lesson 4 of 13
If the dough will not rise, start with starter strength and temperature before changing the recipe.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Is My Sourdough Crumb Gummy?
Lesson 5 of 13
Gummy crumb can come from baking, cooling or fermentation—so the timing of the problem matters.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Is My Sourdough Crust Pale?
Lesson 6 of 13
Pale crust usually means the loaf needed more heat, more uncovered bake time or better fermentation.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Does My Sourdough Burn on the Bottom?
Lesson 7 of 13
A burnt base is usually an oven heat problem, not a fermentation problem.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Does My Sourdough Have No Oven Spring?
Lesson 8 of 13
Oven spring is the final expansion of the loaf—but most of the work happens before the dough reaches the oven.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
How to Recognise Overproofed Sourdough
Lesson 9 of 13
Overproofed dough has fermented beyond the point where its structure can comfortably hold the gas it has produced.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
How to Recognise Underproofed Sourdough
Lesson 10 of 13
Underproofed dough reaches the oven before enough fermentation has taken place.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Does My Sourdough Have Large Holes?
Lesson 11 of 13
Large holes can mean great fermentation—or poor fermentation. The surrounding crumb tells you which.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Is My Sourdough Crumb Too Tight?
Lesson 12 of 13
A tight crumb is not automatically bad—but if you want a lighter loaf, fermentation is the first place to look.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Why Is My Sourdough Bread Too Sour?
Lesson 13 of 13
Sourness comes from fermentation choices, and you can adjust it without losing what makes sourdough special.
Read the guide
Troubleshooting
Sourdough Troubleshooting – Common problems with Sourdough Baking
Here you will find the most common problems all bakers face when making sourdough bread products. Poor Rise: Issue: The dough doesn't rise adequately during fermentation. Possible Causes:…
Read the guide