Dense bread can follow insufficient fermentation, weak dough structure, recipe changes or baking and cooling problems. The word “dense” does not tell you which one occurred.
Write a short bake record
- Formula and flour actually used, including substitutions.
- Starter condition at mixing.
- Dough temperature and changes during bulk fermentation.
- How the dough held its shape before and after proofing.
- Baking stages and whether the loaf cooled fully before slicing.
Use the pattern to choose a check
If there was little expansion throughout, investigate starter activity and fermentation conditions. If the dough expanded then became slack, inspect time, temperature and strength. If the outside is baked but the center is gummy, inspect baking and cooling too. These are hypotheses to test, not automatic diagnoses.
Change one decision next time
Choose the weakest part of your record rather than changing hydration, flour and timing together. Compare the next loaf after full cooling. A sandwich-style crumb can be deliberately fine; large holes are not the only measure of successful bread.
Continue with bulk fermentation, final proof, or gummy crumb.
Sources & scope
Source-based explanation and editorial checklists by SourdoughStart, operated by Tag Ad Limited. AI-assisted article revised 2026-10-12. Source links are not endorsements.
Revision note: prepared for the new reference-led edition. Suggest a correction.