The Sourdough Fix a loaf
What went wrong with your bake?
Start with the symptom you can see. Each guide explains the likely causes from most to least common, and what to change next time.
- Starter isn't rising, or it's wateryTemperature, flour, feeding ratios and a new starter's quiet phase →
- Starting a starter from scratchA day-by-day schedule and how to tell when it's ready →
- Dough is too sticky to handleHydration, flour, gluten development and over-fermentation →
- Dense, tight or gummy crumbWeak starter, short bulk, shaping, a cool oven or slicing too soon →
- Flat loaf: overproofed or underproofed?The signs in the dough and crumb, and how to use the poke test →
- No ear, or the loaf bursts at the sideHow to score with a lame: angle, depth and blade →
- Pale crust or poor oven springTrapping steam with a lidded pot, and preheating properly →
- Everything is slow in a cold kitchenWarm spots and proofing boxes for steady temperatures →
- Loaf goes stale or mouldy fastStoring and freezing sourdough →
Not sure where to begin? Bake our basic sourdough recipe as a baseline, then change one thing at a time.