Why is my bread flat like a Frisbee??? Why didn’t my bread burst open where I scored it???? Why is my my loaf dull and hard on the outside???… the list goes on and on. In this post we will review some fixes that should make your bread looking like Instagram loafs in no time.
Everyone that makes sourdough bread inevitably learns through trial and error…. mostly error. While recipes call for only three ingredients (flour, water, salt) the technique is really what separates the good from the terrible loaf.
I should also clarify that while homemade sourdough bread is rarely “bad” tasting, visually and textually speaking there can some less than good loafs.
Why did my bread come out flat?
This is the most common question and there are tons of reasons this could be occurring. Lets take a look at a few common mistakes and few easy fixes:
- Your starter is not active enough – In order to get a loaf that stands tall with that large signature holes, you need to start with really active starter. Like really really active. Before you bake your bread make sure your starter passes the float test – take a small spoon full of starter and drop it in a cup of water, if it floats, your starter is ready.
- Your dough has developed a “skin” during your bulk fermentation or stretch and folding. This occurs when too much air touches the surface of the dough. Here are a few solutions:
- Solution one – If you are using a wet towel to cover your dough try using plastic wrap instead as it keeps more air out
- Solution two – When fermenting your dough overnight, try placing your entire banneton (with boule) inside of a plastic grocery bag and tie it off. The bag will be inflated so the plastic never touches your dough but it will also keep any drafts from also touching your dough
- Solution three – try and move deliberately and swiftly when mixing your dough and the moment you finish your stretch and folds be sure to cover your loaf immediately. Decreasing the amount of time your dough is exposed to air is essential
- Your loaf isn’t being steamed in the oven – We often see amateurs baking bread in a pie pan or on a cookie sheet even. The issue is that the bread starts to form a crust too quickly before it can finish rising in the oven (in baking speak we call this rise “oven spring”). You can fix this by baking in a dutch oven (check out our sourdough bread recipe for instructions). The idea here is that we are simulating a commercial bakery oven that has steam injecting features. When you create a steamy environment the outside of the loaf remains pliable for longer and it allows the gasses inside the bread to fully actualize and for lack of a better term, inflate. A dutch oven accomplishes this on a small scale by locking in the evaporated water (steam) from the dough and essentially letting the dough steam itself.
Why is my starter not rising?
The basis for amazing bread is the starter. If your starter isn’t rising there are a few factors that could be contributing:
- The temperature is too cold. If the temp is to cold where you are keeping your starter <70 degrees it may not be that your starter isn’t rising, it’s just that it’s rising really slowly. Try placing your starter in your microwave with the door slightly ajar (DO NOT TURN YOUR MICROWAVE ON). The light alone in your microwave will keep the temp around 80 degrees… just like put a note on the door or something if there is a chance you forget it’s in there.
- You’re not feeding your starter regularly. Just like a body builder, if you want a strong starter you HAVE to provide it nutrients regularly. Try feeding your starter twice a day (morning/night) in the days leading up to your intended day of baking. This will have your starter looking like 80’s Arnold or actually 2020 Arnold, the dude is still massive.
- You’re not feeding your starter the right flour. You can’t get huge rippling muscles eating by only eating Captain Crunch for every meal. The same is true for your starter. Stay away from bleached AP flour and try a 50/50 unbleached AP flour and whole wheat flour instead.
Why does my loaf burn on the bottom?
What a lot of people don’t realize is that their oven is most likely not calibrated correctly and can regularly fluctuate 25 degrees of the set temperature. Here are two solutions –
- Get an oven thermometer (like this one here) and verify that your oven is at the intended temp. If it’s higher than your set temp than make the adjustment when baking.
- If your oven is at the correct temp and the bottom of your loaf is burning, I suggest that you flip a cookie sheet upside down and place your dutch oven on top. this will help distribute some of the heat especially if your oven heats primarily from the bottom and you don’t have convection settings. If you do have convection settings, try using that rather than the standard bake function.
Why does my bread flatten after I take it out of the oven?
An easy solution is to allow your bread to cool “on edge”. Prop your loaf up on an upside down bowl or something that allows the bread to cool on it’s side rather than allowing gravity to deflate your loaf while it’s cooling. Also, your bread might be under baked if it is truly deflating significantly after you take your loaf out of the oven. See below –
How do you know when to take a loaf out of the oven?
Most people under-bake their bread. Obviously it’s entirely up to the individual as to how they prefer their bread, however, a lot of people miss out on the great flavorful crackling crust because they don’t bake their bread long enough.