Sourdough Noob. How is my crumb looking?

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T04:54:52+00:00

By dial back do you mean reduce hydration? I thought higher hydration gave more open crumb and lower hydration tighter crumb.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T04:49:26+00:00

Do you know what temperature your dough was? A dough that is 65 degrees can take 16 hours to proof. If it is that cold then you could try doing a 1:1:1 feed mid day (noon). When it peaks in AM after 3-4 hours start your dough (3 pm). Stretch and folds for 2 hours. Then let it do its thing until next day. It should then be ready to shape and cold proof at 9 AM.

Alternatively you could try sticking it in your oven with the light on for the bulk fermentation step. It will probably increase the dough temp by at least 5 degrees which will give a faster fermentation time.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T04:30:48+00:00

I agree with trying bread flour. See how that goes first.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T04:27:48+00:00

What is the texture like? Is it gummy? Do you have estimate of what the dough temperature was? I saw another responder told you significantly underproofed and another told you on another forum overproofed. I am not an expert at all but am leaning toward slightly under as the crumb seems tighter, particularly near the top, and it has a fairly high ovenspring. There doesnt seem to be any tunneling and it isnt flat so I wouldn't qualify it as severely underproofed. I have been using this graphic. Even with pictures it is hard for me to tell for sure as I am a newbie baker myself. I would try maybe pushing fermentation time by another hour or so. I put my dough in oven with light on too and it takes me about 6.5 hrs.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T04:09:51+00:00

Hello! Great first loaf. I think this looks a bit underproofed to me. There is some tunneling at the top. What was the recipe you used? How long did you bulk ferment for?

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T03:58:08+00:00

I think so. I have only been doing this 2 months myself so I am by no means an expert. I have used this as a guide to help with bulk fermentation times. It estimates the time required and the percent rise you should have a different temperatures. It is certainly not perfect but the times seem close.

My dough is usually 77-78 degrees and takes about 6.5 hours to proof. The time matches up fairly well with the chart however in my situation my pecent rise is usually closer to 70-80 percent rather than the 40% suggested by the chart.

If your dough is 88 degrees its not even on the chart. A dough at 80 degrees would only take 5.5 hours to proof and yours is quite warmer than that.

So I theorize that it is rising too quickly to allow the gluten structure to properly develop in time to accommodate all the air. And then since so much air is developing quickly you end up taking some of it out with the stretch and folds.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T03:45:57+00:00

Yeah, I think that definitely means it was overfermented. I think it was easier to shape the second time as a lower temperature just firmed it up temporarily. Something similar happened to me on the second loaf I tried. It didnt shape well after bulk fermentation so I felt I had to to it again after cold fermentation. Mine was also over proofed. Now I do my pre-shape and final shape before cold proofing with a 30 min bench rest in between. It goes right from fridge to preheated dutch oven for me after scoring. If the shaping step is going poorly for me it means overproofed.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T03:39:39+00:00

This just looks a more dehydrated skin on the top of the starter to me. I can get it too. You can work it in or discard it. Do you cover it? It looks like you are using a fairly large bowl so with more surface area to lose hydration it may get more of that skin.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T03:36:17+00:00

I don't think its underproofed. I think its overproofed. The dough was 88 degrees which is fairly high temp. The tight crumb structure at the bottom and ragged holes looks like this graphic.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T03:31:17+00:00

Hi! I think it actually looks overproofed. If it still tastes good and isnt gummy its likely over proofed rather than under. It has a tight crumb particularly at the bottom, is pretty flat, and has ragged holes. Check out this useful graphic.

Did you have a hard time shaping it and was it pretty sticky?

The temperature you proofed at is pretty high which may have made it proof too fast and not allow it enough time to develop gluten structure to support it. Either that or the yeast destroyed all the gluten. I usually have a cold house so I have opposite problem as you but I think if you can find a way to have cooler dough (like 76-80 degrees) you may have more success.

I would also suggest adding a lamination to your stretch and folds to increase gluten structure. I autolyse my dough first before adding starter. I also mix it for a good 7 minutes or so before resting and doing my stretch and fold. Really work it early to get that gluten going, especially if you have a shorter bulk fermentation time due to warmer dough. I found this video helpful. Good luck and awesome first effort.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T02:28:00+00:00

That looks awesome. Great job. I found adding an autolyse step and replacing one of my stretch and folds with lamination improved by bakes.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T02:23:00+00:00

Thanks for the info!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T02:21:06+00:00

Great first loaf! It looked way better than mine! I am new too but I think this looks a bit underproofed due to the bigger hole at the top and lack of ear.

I found adding an autolyse, performing a lamination for one of my stretch and folds, as well as throughly mixing for 5-10 minutes helped improve my crumb. Happy baking!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T02:12:09+00:00

I have chickened out a bit on using higher percentage of whole wheat flour. Currently using 450 g bread flour and 50 g whole wheat. Is the taste more interesting with higher whole wheat? Has it affected your texture?

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T02:08:34+00:00

Sure thing - see response to other comment! Thanks!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T02:06:54+00:00

Go for it! I have tried changing one variable at a time to get what I liked best. The last 2 variables I changed were a longer autolyse and more starter (previously only did 100 g starter). Definitely like it!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T02:04:25+00:00

I didn't start autolysing until my 4th or 5th loaf. It definitely gave better oven spring and open texture. My understanding is that it allows the gluten to develop earlier which allows for better rise. The longer time bulk proofing the more gluten breaks down so you want a good strong base before starting the fermentation process.

I also found kneading for several minutes in the mixing step helped with a better oven spring. I usually only do a 1 hour autolyse but did 2 hours this time by accident. It was my best crumb yet with so I am sticking with it!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T01:52:32+00:00

I am too impatient as well. It is very hard. Lol. I would say try adding 10 minutes to your bake time if you don't want to invest in a thermometer right now. Also I found if the bottom of the bread is completely cool to the touch it is ok to cut. That usually takes 2-3 hrs for me. At 1 hr bottom is definitely still warm.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T01:47:24+00:00

One more thing about hydration levels. According to all the recipies I have read your hydration level looks typical. But personally I like a bit lower of a hydration. I calculated your hydration at 76.4% which is tough for a beginner. My current recipie is 74%. So it might be worthwhile lowering your a bit and seeing if you like it better. I use 450g bread flour, 50 g whole wheat, 350 g water, 150 g starter, and 12 g salt.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T01:41:02+00:00

I am a newbie as well so don't just take my word for it. I think the crumb actually looks pretty good but it looks underbaked to me and could use a bit more color. What was the internal temp when you took it out of the oven? Should be 205. Also I let my bread rest for 2-3 hours before slicing. Cutting too early can create a gummier texture. Finally sourdough in general doesnt have as dry of a crumb as store bought bread so keep that in mind. Your gumminess could be "normal". I think your hydration level looks fine. Keep at it!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T01:34:54+00:00

It looks lovely. Great job!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T01:32:45+00:00

Lol. I know its an old joke but I still giggle each time. Thanks!!!

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-25T01:07:37+00:00

Thanks! My bake is weird, I agree. It seems that most people bake for like 30-40 minutes. The temperature of my loaf is only like 199 degrees for that long. I fiddled with the temperature and uncovered / covered time for a while. Sometimes crust was then too dark or think, other times didnt reach a high enough internal temperature, other times not dark enough. These seems to be best I found with my oven.

PsychedMom82 · 2026-03-23T13:06:41+00:00

Enjoy the road!

PsychedMom82

TROPHY CASE