Weak starter or underproofing
Your starter may not have been strong enough, or bulk fermentation ended before the dough was ready.
Eat Well ABQ Sourdough Troubleshooting Guide
12 Common Sourdough Mistakes Beginners Make—and How to Fix Them
Most beginner sourdough problems come from one of four things:
weak starter, incorrect fermentation, poor dough handling, or baking before the loaf is truly ready.
The symptom tells you where to look first.
Quick answer
The most common sourdough mistakes are using weak starter, rushing bulk fermentation,
overproofing, adding too much flour, using more hydration than you can manage,
shaping without enough tension, ignoring dough temperature, scoring poorly,
baking without enough heat or steam, and slicing before the crumb has set.
Interactive loaf diagnosis
What went wrong with your sourdough?
Choose the symptom closest to your loaf. The rescue lab will show the likely cause,
the first fix, and what to watch on your next bake.
Rescue 01 · Dense loaf
Start with starter strength and fermentation.
A dense loaf usually means the dough did not create or retain enough gas before baking.
Strengthen and wait
Use starter near peak and let the dough show visible rise, bubbles, softness, and aeration.
Read the dough
Track starter behavior, dough temperature, rise percentage, and the feel of the dough—not only the clock.
The complete beginner checklist
12 mistakes that quietly sabotage a loaf.
Each mistake has a symptom, a cause, and a practical correction. Change one variable at a time so you know what actually improved the bread.
01
Using weak starter.
If starter barely rises after feeding, it will struggle to raise bread. Build consistency before mixing dough.
Fix: feed until reliably active02
Rushing bulk fermentation.
Underfermented dough often bakes dense, tight, gummy, or heavy.
Fix: watch rise, bubbles, and texture03
Overproofing.
Too much fermentation can leave dough weak, sticky, flat, and unable to hold shape.
Fix: check earlier in warm kitchens04
Only watching the clock.
Starter strength, flour, hydration, and room temperature change every timeline.
Fix: use time as a guide, not a verdict05
Adding too much flour.
Trying to eliminate all stickiness can create dry, dense, uneven bread.
Fix: use a scraper and light hands06
Using too much hydration.
High hydration is not automatically better. Dough you cannot manage is harder to strengthen and shape.
Fix: lower water until control improves07
Weak shaping tension.
A loose surface can make the loaf spread instead of rising upward.
Fix: create tension without tearing08
Over-handling.
Repeated shaping and rough handling can knock out gas and damage structure.
Fix: shape with purpose, then stop09
Ignoring dough temperature.
Warm dough ferments faster; cold dough moves slower. Room temperature alone does not tell the full story.
Fix: connect temperature to timing10
Scoring poorly.
A shallow, hesitant, or badly placed score can cause side bursts and restricted expansion.
Fix: score decisively with a sharp blade11
Not enough heat or steam.
Weak preheating and insufficient steam can reduce oven spring and leave the crust pale.
Fix: preheat thoroughly and trap steam12
Slicing too soon.
The crumb continues setting after baking. Early slicing can make a good loaf appear gummy.
Fix: cool completely before cuttingAlbuquerque sourdough note
Your kitchen changes the recipe.
Albuquerque’s elevation, dry air, and temperature swings can alter hydration,
surface drying, fermentation speed, proofing, and crust development.
Generic recipe timing is a starting point—not a guarantee.
Keep dough covered during rests so the surface does not form a dry skin.
Expansion, evaporation, and bake behavior can differ from sea-level kitchens.
Track dough temperature and signs of fermentation instead of copying a fixed schedule.
Adjust hydration, timing, or heat individually so you can identify what helped.
Hands-on sourdough help
Stop guessing. Learn to read the dough.
Articles can explain symptoms. Hands-on instruction lets you feel starter strength,
fermentation, shaping tension, proofing, scoring, and dough readiness in real time
with Chef Evangalene in Albuquerque.
Frequently asked questions
Sourdough problems, explained.
Your loaf is giving you clues
Troubleshooting is how bakers learn.
One imperfect loaf can teach you more than a perfect recipe.
Read the symptom, change one variable, and keep building the skill.
Ask Chef Evangalene
Leave a sourdough question or comment.