Sourdough Troubleshooting
By casey w · Published · Updated
Flat, dense, gummy, or that weird gluey line at the bottom.
Tags: Food, Learning, Research
Prompt template
## What went wrong with my loaf Work through this like a diagnosis, not a list of everything that can go wrong with bread. **Step 1. What came out of the oven.** [textarea: Describe the crumb, crust, rise, smell and taste. Photos in words.] **Step 2. What I did.** - Recipe and timings: [textarea: Flour, hydration, starter amount, bulk time, proof time, bake temp and time] - Starter condition: [textarea: How old, feeding schedule, how it looks and smells at peak] - Kitchen temperature: [text: Roughly, and whether it swings] - Shaping and baking setup: [textarea: Banneton, Dutch oven, steam method] **Step 3. History.** - How many loaves have I made: [dropdown: This is my first, A handful, Dozens, Usually fine but not this time] Now: name the single most likely cause, then the runner-up, and explain how each one produces exactly the result I described. Not five possibilities, two. Give me one change for the next bake so I can tell what fixed it. Describe what the dough should have looked and felt like at whichever stage went wrong, since that is the part I cannot judge yet.