Every couple weeks or so, we send out a little roundup of new recipes, techniques, and tutorials that we’ve recently posted on the site. Occasionally we announce exclusive giveaways to newsletter subscribers as well. We won’t spam you with ads or share or sell your email address. Every email we send has a 1-click unsubscribe link if you decide it’s not for you.
Why is my bread so dense?
A “tight crumb” aka small holes in the interior of your bread can be the result of different factors: under-fermenting, over-fermenting, and a lack of gluten development.
The most confounding part of sourdough bread baking is that the rise times of recipes are just a suggestion or range. You as the baker have to watch the dough to make sure it is fermenting nicely, and you might have to stop the process earlier if your kitchen is very warm or let the process go longer if it’s cold or if your sourdough starter is a bit sleepy or you used less than the recipe called for.
This article, Demystifying Sourdough Bread Baking, is a great read to help you understand sourdough fermentation, and here are some fermentation diagnostics to help you understand what may have happened with your dense bread:
For a more open crumb, fermentation must be accompanied by a strong gluten structure. Gluten is developed through time (no knead) and actions on the dough, such as stretching and folding or kneading. Here is a useful blog post about Gluten Development with videos showing various techniques to employ on the dough to strengthen it and allow it to hold large pockets of air.
Why is my bread so dense?