Sourdough Troubleshooting by Symptom: A Quick Reference

Short answer: look up your symptom in this guide. Most issues trace back to one of: under-fermentation, over-fermentation, wrong hydration, weak shaping, or oven issues.

This is your "quick lookup" for fixes.

Crumb issues

Tight, dense crumb

• Cause: under-fermented or weak starter
• Fix: extend bulk by 60–90 min, refresh starter twice before baking

Open but uneven crumb (big hole at top)

• Cause: weak shaping + over-proof
• Fix: tighter shape, shorter proof, lamination during bulk

Wet, gummy interior

• Cause: cut too soon or under-baked
• Fix: cool 2+ hours, bake to 205°F internal

Rubber-band-like texture

• Cause: over-developed gluten or not enough fermentation
• Fix: gentler folds, longer fermentation

Cake-like texture

• Cause: too soft a flour or way over-fermented
• Fix: bread flour (12%+), shorter fermentation

Crust issues

Pale, soft crust

• Cause: under-baked or low temperature
• Fix: bake longer at 475–500°F

Thick, tough crust

• Cause: over-baked or low hydration
• Fix: shorter bake, higher hydration, brush with butter

Cracked crust (wrong place)

• Cause: shallow scoring or under-proofed
• Fix: deeper scores, longer proof

Burned crust

• Cause: too hot oven
• Fix: drop temperature 25°F

Blistered but pale

• Cause: short cold retard
• Fix: longer cold retard for blisters AND deeper color

Shape issues

Flat, spread loaf

• Cause: weak shaping or hydration too high
• Fix: tighter shape, lower hydration

Lopsided

• Cause: asymmetric shaping or basket issue
• Fix: even shaping, check basket

Too tall, then collapsed in oven

• Cause: over-proofed
• Fix: bake earlier, build more strength

Won't rise in oven

• Cause: under-proofed or low temperature
• Fix: longer proof, higher temperature

Fermentation issues

Starter doesn't double

• Cause: cold, weak, or wrong feed ratio
• Fix: warmer spot, refresh, 1:1:1 feed

Starter too sour

• Cause: over-fermented between feeds
• Fix: more frequent feeds, smaller amounts

Bulk too fast

• Cause: warm kitchen or strong starter
• Fix: cooler spot, smaller starter %

Bulk too slow

• Cause: cool kitchen or weak starter
• Fix: warmer spot, refresh starter

Bake issues

Bottom is doughy

• Cause: insufficient preheat
• Fix: 60-min preheat, middle rack

Top burned, bottom raw

• Cause: oven hot spot
• Fix: middle rack, rotate during bake

Crust separates from crumb

• Cause: under-proofed or low oven temp early
• Fix: longer proof, hot oven start

Loaf doesn't sound hollow

• Cause: under-baked
• Fix: extend bake, internal temp 205°F

Flavor issues

Too sour

• Cause: long cold retard or mature starter
• Fix: shorter retard, refresh starter

Not sour enough

• Cause: short ferment, mild starter
• Fix: longer cold retard, whole grain blend

Bland flavor

• Cause: under-fermented
• Fix: extend bulk, longer cold retard

Bitter or off-flavors

• Cause: contamination or rancid flour
• Fix: discard, restart with fresh flour

Storage issues

Stale on day 2

• Cause: stored uncovered or in fridge
• Fix: paper or cloth bag, room temperature

Mold on day 3

• Cause: humid environment or contamination
• Fix: cool fully before bagging, separate mold-free area

Crust softened

• Cause: stored in plastic too long
• Fix: cloth or paper bag

Quick decision tree

For any bread problem:

Step 1: Identify the symptom Step 2: Look up the cause (this article) Step 3: Apply the fix on next bake Step 4: Confirm the fix worked

Repeat as needed.

A pattern observation

In my experience, 80% of sourdough problems are:

• Under-fermentation (most common)
• Over-fermentation
• Wrong hydration
• Weak shaping
• Insufficient preheat

If you've fixed all five, the bread is consistently good.

When to ask for help

If you've tried fixes and bread is still bad:

• Post on r/Sourdough with photos
• Ask in baking communities
• Take a class
• Watch professional baker videos

Often a fresh perspective spots what you missed.

A "one fix at a time" rule

Don't change multiple variables per bake:

• Change one thing
• Bake
• Evaluate
• Then change another

Rapid changes mask which fix worked.

A bake review

After each problematic bake, ask:

• What was the recipe?
• What was the timing?
• What did the dough look like?
• What did the bread look like?
• What's the most likely cause?

Five questions, five minutes. Improves the next bake.

A final note

Most sourdough problems are common. Most have known fixes.

Don't despair on a bad bake. Identify the cause, apply the fix, bake again.

Within 5–10 problematic bakes (with deliberate troubleshooting), you'll have ironed out 90% of issues.

Then the bread is consistently good — and you have the knowledge to handle the occasional misfire.

That's the journey of a sourdough baker.