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BREAD TOPICS:
HOW TO
MAKE BASIC BREAD:
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Troubleshooting:
Occasionally
problems arise during bread baking. The chart below is a reference guide to
some of the problems.
However, if you
have additional questions, click here for "Chat".
BACK to Bread Baking 101 |
WHAT HAPPENED TO MY YEASTED BREAD LOAVES & ROLLS?
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PROBLEM: |
WHY: |
WHAT TO DO: |
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Bad recipe |
Use recipes from reliable sources. An incorrect
recipe is a common cause of baking failures and is not discussed often
enough as a potential problem -- if a recipe is off balance with its ratio
of dry and wet ingredients, has something left out , has an incorrect oven
temperature, etc. it simply won't work. (Recipes are not required to be
tested before publishing). The only way to find out is by trial and error;
you've baked something several times and it doesn't turn out right. Well, I
always suggest trying a new one before you get too frustrated, feel like a
failure and hate baking. If you have a question,
Ask (Me) Sarah. |
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Bread did not rise |
Did you check
yeast's expiration date?
Was
the yeast stored properly?
Did you use
liquids that were too hot or cold when dissolving the yeast ?
Did you use
the flour called for in the recipe?
Was
your oven's temperature correct ?
Did you let
the dough rise properly ?
Was it kneaded
enough ?
Did you forget
any ingredients?..I have done this one before...grrrrr...
Did you add
the salt to the dry ingredients instead of the dissolved yeast ? |
Proof
the yeast
before using. If it is expired, your bread won't rise. Yeast will expire
even if its expiration date is in the future.
Check out some
tips on checking the proper
water temperature before dissolving the yeast.
Dissolve all of it before
using, if applicable. Make sure all of the yeast is used in the recipe.
Review
flour types
Use an
oven thermometer to make
sure your oven is accurate. They are notoriously off.
For tips, review
Bread 101: Rising. The
Kneading Section will guide you so
you know what to do.
Pre-measure all ingredients before baking. This prevents leaving
something out. Also, make sure they are properly
measured.
Salt added directly to the
yeast inhibits or kills it. |
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Sour flavor, strong yeast
odor |
Over-risen bread dough.
Incomplete baking. Rising temperature too high
so bread rose too quickly. Not kneading enough. |
Stop the rising when the
dough has doubled in size (use
finger-top test).
Keep rising temperature at 75 -
85 degrees F. |
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Odd or uneven shape |
Forcing dough when shaping. Incorrect bread pan
size |
Let dough rest for 10 minutes
for easier
handling/shaping.
Be sure
bread pan is
correct size for recipe.
Knead
for the amount of time. |
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Crust cracked on top |
Too much flour used during kneading and shaping |
Lightly dust countertop with pinches of flour
before
kneading.
Do not use an excessive amount when
shaping. |
|
Bread collapsed |
During the rising period, dough was overrisen
During baking, the loaf collapses. |
Don’t let dough
continue to
rise
beyond time called for in
recipe. Avoid too
high temperature for
dough-rising period.
Oven
temperature that's too low. This means the dough rises to its maximum, then
collapses before it gets hot enough to set. |
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Flat top |
Too short kneading period
Allowed dough to rise too long before baking |
Knead
as directed in recipe, as well as for
rising |
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Wrinkled crust |
Improper shaping |
Review
shaping
tips |
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Soggy crust |
Not cooled properly |
Do not keep bread in pan
after baking.
Remove promptly; let cool on its
side on a wire cake rack |
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Crust separates from bread |
Problems during rising |
Grease surface and cover dough with plastic wrap
when
rising |
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Thick crust |
Baking and kneading problems |
Do not overbake
Bake in
correct oven temperature
When finished
kneading,
dough should be ‘tacky’, not dry |
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Tough crust |
Wrong flour |
Use the
flour
called for in the recipe |
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Bread did not brown on sides |
Pans |
Shiny
pans
reflect heat, causing
insufficient browning
Use glass pans |
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Gummy Crumb (Insides)
"Blisters" on the loaf's
top crust, and possibly cracking between the crust and the sidewalls. |
Oven too hot at beginning
Dough too stiff.
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Baking bread at too high a temperature. Use an
oven thermometer. f the crust browns too
early, the loaf can't expand to its maximum volume. This interferes with the
inner texture of the bread.
If it's taken from the oven too soon; just
because the outside looks done, and the baking is actually incomplete, the
inner crumb will be gummy and lacking in flavor. The
doneness test will help.
Excessively high baking temperatures cause
blisters. Maybe your oven temperature is "off" or the recipe calls for
baking temperatures that are too high. The norm is 400 degrees F for lean
dough, and a slightly lower 350 degrees F for sweet yeast breads.
Use only enough flour to handle dough. Avoid too much
flour on board when kneading first time. |
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Heaviness |
Low-grade flour. Insufficient rising period.
Over-risen dough. Too much fat |
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Thick, tough, pale crust |
Too much salt. Under-risen dough. Over-handling
or over-risen dough. Too little sugar. |
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Dark crumb |
Low-grade flour. Too cool an oven |
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Streaked crumb |
Poor mixing of dough and insufficient kneading.
Drying out of dough before shaping |
Knead thoroughly. Lightly grease top of
dough. |
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Crumbliness |
Weak flour (lacking in gluten strength).
Over-risen dough |
Use the flour called for in the recipe. Allow loaf to double
its bulk before baking. |
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Coarse texture |
Low-grade flour. Too cool an oven. |
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Large holes |
Poor kneading, causing bubbles of gas to be distributed
unevenly. Over-risen dough. |
Thorough
kneading. |
General baking troubleshooting
Courtesy of
sourdoughhome.com
| Symptom |
Cause and possible solutions
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| Loaf collapses, or falls really
flat, may have doughy, gooey streaks in slices. |
Bread rose too long, became
over-proofed and fragile. Keep a closer eye on your bread next time, when a
loaf is over-proofed it will have a stretched look on its surface. If you
catch this before baking, you can knead, reform, and re-rise the loaf.
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| Loaf sags in the middle, slices
are soggy to the bite. |
Dough was not aerated enough,
probably had too much liquid, and did not get enough kneading. Next time,
work in more flour as you knead and keep at it longer. |
| Loaf has good crumb, but tastes
damp |
Bread not baked long enough. Try
putting it in the oven at a slightly lower temperature and let it cook
longer. |
| Loaf rose more on one side than
the other |
Bread in the wrong position in
the oven. Next time place a single loaf in the center of the oven so that
uneven heat distribution won't upset the form and shape of the bread while
it is baking. Usually if you have several loaves in the oven, evenly spaced,
this problem will not occur since the flow of air around the pans will be
regular. |
| Loaf cracked on one side during
baking. |
This is likely to be a perfectly
good loaf, even if it doesn't look perfect. This is something that at times
even the best bakers can't prevent. |
| Bottom and side crusts are pale
and soft, you have to saw the bread has to cut it. |
Next time remove the bread from
the pan and place it on the rack or tiles in the warm oven to brown and
crisp the bottom and sides, turning the loaves once, before cooling. (Also,
do not ever wrap loaves in plastic before they are thoroughly cooled. This
will soften the crust, and can promote mold.) |
| Bread has mushroomed, with a
deep indentation around the bottom. |
Loaf broke away from the bottom
crust, usually caused by too much dough into too small a pan, putting a
free-form loaf into an oven that was too hot at first, causing the bottom to
cook too fast and break away. Either way, you'll have an uneven slice,
denser at the bottom than the top, but the bread will still be enjoyable.
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| A free-form loaf spread too much
as it was rising. |
The dough was too soft.
Free-form loaves must be quite firm when shaped. Next time, add more flour,
use a ring to contain the dough, or let it rise in a basket. |
| Top crust separates from the
rest of the bread. |
This can have a number of
causes. The most likely is a poorly formed loaf, allowing oven heat to cause
instant aeration when put in the oven. Look at alternate loaf forming
techniques. Over-proofing can cause this, so don't let the bread rise quite
so long in the future. Too stiff dough, insufficient rising time, or the
dough drying out and forming a crust during rising. This can also happen if
you freeze the bread to store it for a while. |
| Large holes in your bread
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Dough could have been
over-kneaded or the dough rose too long. This is an advantage with certain
free-form loaves, particularly French or Italian loaves, but with other
breads an even crumb is one of the attributes of good baking. All this is
really a matter of taste though, so if you want a strong bread with big
holes and a chewy crust, give the dough lots of kneading and a long, slow
rise – even two risings. |
| Circular streaks in your slices
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They are usually caused by the
rolling and pinching of the dough when you formed the loaf, and your
probably pinched the dough too vigorously. |
| Doughy or small, hard lumps in
your bread slices |
The original dough was not mixed
sufficiently, possibly because it got too stiff to handle. Next time, hold
back on the flour so that the dough gets thoroughly mixed, then work in
additional flour as you knead. |
| Loaf has poor shape |
There was too much dough in the
pan, the load was improperly or poorly shaped, or there was insufficient
rising time. |
| Loaf is too small |
Too much salt, not enough yeast
or starter, the bread rose at too cool a dough mixture to allow yeast
development, too short a rise, dough not kneaded after the last rise and
before forming the loaf, or the oven temperature was too high. |
| Loaf is pale |
There was too little sugar in
the loaf, or the dough temperature during mixing and rising was too high (so
the yeast ate all the sugar before baking, not allowing enough for
carmelization during the baking process), or the oven temperature was too
low. |
| Crumb is too tough |
Not enough kneading, the bread
didn't rise long enough, or it was baked too long. |
| Crust is too thick |
The bread could be over-baked,
or the oven temperature was too low, or the rising time was too long so the
bread formed a crust as it rose |
| Loaf has streaked texture
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Ingredients not fully mixed, or
not kneaded enough, or too much flour used in shaping the loaf (the flour
used after the rising will not become properly incorporated into the bread).
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| Bread has a coarse texture
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The dough that was too soft, the
temperature of the dough during mixing and rising being too high, the rising
time was too long, or the baking temperature was too low. |
| Excessively yeasty flavor
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Bread rose too long, the
temperature of the dough during mixing and rising too high, or too much
yeast. |
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Bread Machine Baking Problems:
adapted from fleishmanns.com and allrecipes.com
Click to Go to Bread Machine
Baking 101 |
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Short, small loaf |
Dough too dry - added too much
flour. Correct with a teaspoon of water at a time during the kneading
cycle. Check expiration date on yeast package and
test for freshness. |
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No rise |
Use fresh yeast only. Check
expiration date on yeast package and
test for freshness. Add ingredients in recommended order |
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Underbaked, gummy core |
Dough too wet. Add 1 to 2
tablespoons flour in the kneading cycle. |
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Collapsed loaf |
Sometimes
bread will over rise or rise too fast - adjust amount of yeast by 1/4
teaspoon or add in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour |
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Open texture / raw on top |
Sometimes
bread will over rise or rise too fast - adjust amount of yeast by 1/4
teaspoon or add in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour |
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Mushroom Shape |
Water used to dissolve the
yeast was too warm. Dough too wet. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour in the
kneading cycle. |
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Heavy, dense texture |
Too much
flour or add-ins such as bran or oatmeal. Watch dough as it mixes and add
extra water 1 teaspoon at a time, until a soft, but elastic, dough is
formed. |
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Full of holes,
or the texture is coarse. |
Too much yeast
or too much liquid in the dough. Measure carefully. |
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Underdone
or burned. |
Try adjusting
the temperature control. Breads with a lot of sugar and milk or dairy will
brown faster than those without. |
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Lumpy |
Try adding a
little more liquid. Watch the dough during the kneading process to make
sure there's enough moisture to form a ball. |
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Sticky and
won't form a ball when kneaded |
Try adding
more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until a ball is formed. |
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Rose to the
top of the machine or overflowed. |
Not enough
salt - add in full amount, but no more or less. Sometimes bread will over
rise or rise too fast - adjust amount of yeast by 1/4 teaspoon or add in 1
to 2 tablespoons flour |
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Top of your
loaf is soft. |
Remove the
bread from the machine as soon as it is finished baking because moisture
will quickly condense on top. |
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Crumbly and
dry and doesn't form a ball when kneaded. |
Try adding
more liquid, a teaspoon at a time, until a ball is formed. |
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COMMON
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FOR ARTISAN BREADS:
Click to go to Sourdough Bread 101 |
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My bread rises, but it does so horizontally,
resulting in a very flat loaf. |
Not kneaded enough. Add more flour and add 1/8 tsp per 3 cups of flour of
ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). You can crush tablets. |
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My bread rises, but then it falls during
baking. |
Add salt to the bread dough because it prevents a risen loaf from falling.
Make sure you have 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of salt for every 3 cups of flour or
follow the recipe. |
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My bread just doesn't seem to rise properly.
It turns brown and gets a crust before its time.
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Make sure you catch your sponge at its peak when you add it to the bread's
ingredients, which will help to rise the bread more. Get some ascorbic acid
and add a hefty pinch (about 1/8 tsp) to the dough. This is very helpful,
especially if the starter yeast is not that active. |
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My bread is not chewy enough. |
The longer the starter has fermented, the more chewy the bread. Let the
dough go through its first rise in the refrigerator overnight in a plastic
bag. The next day, remove the dough, form the loaves, punch down and shape.
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My bread is not crispy enough. |
Next time remember to introduce steam in the oven the first 5 to 7 minutes
of baking. |
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When I
slash
my loaves, my knife tears and
stretches it. |
Use a wet razor blade (in France, this is mounted to a holder and called a
Lame, pronounced lam). Or, use a very sharp serrated knife that is wet; run
it under the tap with cold water before each slash. |
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My
bread just doesn't rise enough. |
 Knead
in 1 teaspoon of diastatic malt to your recipe. Diastatic malt breaks down
the starch in the flour into simple sugar on which the yeast can feed more
efficiently. Commercial sourdough bakers use this ingredient all the time;
for home bakers you can get it from the
King Arthur Flour
Company.
Knead
in ascorbic acid for activating the yeast.
Add
vital wheat gluten (1-2 tsp per 3 cups of flour) so your bread will rise
better.
Add
one, 1/4-ounce packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast to the dough.
The flavor won't be the same, but it will work. |
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My bread is not sour enough. |
The longer you let the bread rise, the more sour the taste. Add 1/4 dark rye
flour to the starter in your next feeding; it will dramatically increase the
sourness of the bread. Let the sponge go past its peak before using it; it
gets very, very sour after it peaks. |
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My bread doesn't brown properly or is not
very crispy. |
During the first 5 - 7 minutes of baking, use steam
to keep the bread in a humid environment causing a crispy crust to form.
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Bread sags and is soggy |
Work in a bit more flour and knead longer. |
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Bread tastes damp |
It may have not baked long enough or the
bread wasn't kneaded long enough. |
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Flat and doughy tasting |
Watch the second rising, don't
let the loaves rise so high before baking. |
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If your slices seem doughy or
have small lumps |
Dough was not mixed or baked
properly. |
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Pale crust, gummy
insides, and less volume |
Insufficient oven heat. Use an
oven thermometer to check its accuracy. |
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Gummy insides with a burned
crust |
Too much heat. Use an oven
thermometer to check its accuracy. |
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What should my bread look like
when baked ? |
Generally, the crust should
be a rich golden brown and crisp.
Slash or
razor cuts, which allow built up steam to escape during baking and help
shape the loaf, should show a gradation of colors, each of which carries
slightly different flavors. If the dough looks convex at the cuts, it means
you have a dry dough or insufficient rising time.
Inside (crumb) should contain
holes (alveoles) of varying sizes, although this will vary somewhat
depending on the type of bread.
adapted from taunton.com |
| Symptom |
Cause and possible solutions |
| Rise takes too long |
Make sure starter is fully
active before using it, use more starter, or rise bread at higher
temperature. |
| Rise was too fast |
Use less starter, let bread rise
at a lower temperature, consider rising bread in refrigerator. |
| Loaf didn't rise, though dough
did in earlier rise |
Make sure you knead the dough
before forming the loaf. |
| Sourdough taste missing, or too
weak. |
Extend rising time, add rye
flour to recipe. Haste is the enemy of good bread. |
| Sourdough taste too strong.
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Reduce rising time, reduce rye
flour content of recipe. |
| Dead starter, starter won't
revive, mold on top of the hooch |
It's unlikely your starter is
beyond hope. In fact, Dr. Ed Wood says that in 50 years of working with
sourdough, he has never seen a starter that couldn't be revived. In both
cases, the answer is the same, if you want to recover your starter. Pour off
the hooch. Scrape off the mold. Take a tablespoon of starter from the middle
of the starter layer in your storage starter bottle.
Whisk the tablespoon of starter into a cup of water,
whisking in lots of air. Then whisk in a cup and a half of white flour.
Cover and let sit at 85 to 90 F. The next morning whisk in another cup of
water and cup and a half of flour. Repeat this every 12 hours. You should
see signs of life in a day or two. If you have excess starter due to this,
use it to make biscuits or pizza. If it doesn't revive in a week, then it's
time to start, or buy, a new starter – but that shouldn't happen.
Courtesy of
sourdoughhome.com |
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