Troubleshooting
Sticky sourdough: find the cause before adding flour
Distinguish freshly mixed dough from a handling problem, excess water, or dough that has lost strength.
Read the guide ↗THE SOURDOUGH REFERENCE
Start with what you noticed
Work backward through the process. A symptom is a clue, not a complete diagnosis.
Troubleshooting
Gummy sourdough: check cooling, baking, then fermentation
Use the loaf’s history—not a single crumb photo—to narrow down a wet or gummy interior.
Read the guide ↗Troubleshooting
A starter that is not rising: check before changing
Distinguish a young culture, a missed peak and an established starter that has slowed down.
Read the guide ↗Troubleshooting
Dense sourdough: reconstruct the bake
A tight crumb is an outcome, not a diagnosis.
Read the guide ↗Troubleshooting
Poor oven spring: inspect what happened before baking
Expansion depends on dough condition as well as heat, steam and scoring.
Read the guide ↗Troubleshooting
Why a loaf spreads sideways
Separate a soft formula from a dough that has lost strength.
Read the guide ↗