Why is My Sourdough Bread Gummy? – Solving Chewy Sourdough Problems

We’ve all had our fair shares of failure – especially in our culinary pursuits. There are no limitations to annoyance and frustration, especially when you’ve spent so many hours – sometimes days – trying to make something that doesn’t turn out edible. Sourdough baking is not exception to situations you might fail at. The irritation that occurs once you slice your bread finding that its produced gummy slabs. With every problem, there’s a fine solution. So if you’re worried that your sourdough bread might become gummy after several attempts, then let’s find the best solution!

Table of Contents

• What Does Gummy Bread Mean?
• What are the Causes of a Gummy Crumb?
• Things You Can Do to Prevent a Gummy Loaf
• How to Make a Great Sourdough Starter
• Using your Sourdough Starter
• Issues to Watch Out For
• Why is my Sourdough Dense?
• Gummy Sourdough – Solutions
• FAQs

What Does Gummy Bread Mean?

Gummy bread, particularly in the context of sourdough, is a term used to describe a loaf that has a dense and chewy texture. This undesirable characteristic is one of the most common sourdough bread problems. The loaf fails to achieve the desired light, airy, and well-structured crumb that is the hallmark of a properly made sourdough bread.

When a sourdough loaf turns out gummy, it typically means that the bread hasn’t risen sufficiently during the baking process. The loaf may appear flat or only slightly puffed up, lacking the expected oven spring and volume. Upon slicing the bread, the interior reveals a dense, moist, and almost sticky texture, quite different from the open, tender crumb that sourdough enthusiasts strive for.

What is the Texture of Gummy Sourdough Bread?

A gummy sourdough loaf is heavy and dense. The interior texture is moist, compact, and lacks the characteristic open crumb structure associated with well-made sourdough bread. Instead of a light and airy texture, the bread feels difficult to chew, almost reminiscent of a gummy candy.

What are the Causes of a Gummy Crumb?

Several factors can contribute to the development of gummy sourdough bread.

• One of the primary causes is using a sourdough starter that is either too young or inactive. A starter that hasn’t had enough time to mature and develop a robust population of wild yeast and bacteria may not have the necessary leavening power to produce a well-risen loaf.
• Similarly, a starter that has been neglected or hasn’t been fed regularly may become inactive, leading to poor fermentation and a gummy texture.
• Using of incorrect flour can make a bad sourdough. Different types of flour have varying protein contents, which directly impact the gluten development in the dough. If flour with a low protein content is used, it may not provide enough structure to support the crumb, leading to a dense and gummy texture. On the other hand, using flour with too much protein can result in an overly tough and chewy crumb.
• A wet dough, with a high proportion of water to flour, can be more challenging to work with and may result in a gummy texture if not handled properly. The excess moisture can prevent the gluten network from forming correctly and can also hinder the proper gelatinization and recrystallization of the starches during baking and cooling.
• Another common cause of gummy sourdough is under-fermentation. If the dough hasn’t been given sufficient time to ferment and develop its structure, the resulting bread may be dense and moist.
• If the bread is not baked for long enough or at a high enough temperature, the interior may not reach the desired level of doneness. This can leave the starches in a partially gelatinized state, leading to a gummy texture.
• If the bread is baked for too long or at a low temperature, it can cause the crumb to become dry and gummy. This is because the extended baking time allows more moisture to evaporate from the bread, leaving behind a dense and chewy texture. It is important to monitor the bread closely during baking and to use a thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches the desired level for doneness.
• Hydration level of the dough means if the dough contains too much water relative to the flour, it can result in an overly moist crumb. The excess water prevents the starches from drying out and recrystallizing properly during the cooling process, leading to a gummy texture.
• Excessive steam during baking can contribute to a gummy crumb. While steam is often used to create a crispy crust, too much steam can prevent the bread from forming a proper crust and can keep the interior moist, leading to a gummy texture. It is important to balance the amount of steam used and to allow the bread to finish baking in a dry oven to achieve the desired crumb structure.
• Improper gluten development can also contribute to a gummy crumb. If the gluten is not sufficiently developed through proper kneading and fermentation, the bread may lack the necessary support to maintain its structure.
• Improper proofing can also contribute to a gummy crumb. Proofing refers to the final rise of the shaped dough before baking. If the dough is under-proofed, meaning it has not been given enough time to rise and develop its structure, it may result in a dense and gummy texture. Conversely, over-proofing can cause the dough to collapse and lose its structure, also leading to a gummy crumb.
• Lastly, cutting into the bread too soon after baking can disrupt the crucial cooling and setting process. If the bread is sliced while it is still hot, the steam and moisture within the loaf can escape rapidly, preventing the starches from recrystallizing properly. This can lead to a gummy and compressed crumb.

Signs of a Gummy Crumb

Did you know that the smell of your sourdough bread can determine whether there will be a gummy crumb? Sweet and fruity-smelling sourdough is a clear indication that your bread will turn out gummy.

Things You Can Do to Prevent a Gummy Loaf

• Select a flour that you know other bakers have had success with in similar recipes. If you use a local mill, ask them for some guidance, or to be pointed in the direction of a bakery who uses a certain flour for sourdough. Whole wheat flour will emerge gummy regardless. This is mainly due to the fact that the protein content is too high. Try swapping 50% of the flour with a lighter flour and review the results.
• One of the most straightforward solutions to preventing a gummy sourdough bread is to adjust the amount of water used in the recipe. Try reducing the amount of water used in their sourdough recipe. By slightly decreasing the hydration level, the dough becomes more manageable and allows for better gluten development. This adjustment can help in achieving a more desirable texture and crumb structure in the final bread.
• Take great care of the starter. Feeding the starter at regular intervals provides it with the necessary nutrients and fuel to maintain a healthy and active population of wild yeast and bacteria.

• Try the poke test to test whether the dough is ready. Lightly oil or flour a finger or knuckle, then give the dough a gentle but firm poke, as if you’re trying to get its attention. If the dough springs back instantly, then it needs a few more minutes to rise. If the dough springs back slowly, and your poke leaves a minor indention, its all ready.
• If a loaf spends too long in the oven it can easily become gummy. To achieve a dryer crumb you’re going to want the crust and the gluten matrix to set quickly and the moisture to pass easily through the crust as the bread cools.
• When the bread looks ready some turn the oven off and leave it inside for 20 minutes, sometimes with the door slightly ajar. This is said to dry out the gumminess. However, this technique will prevent the moisture from escaping when the water activity is at its peak. It’s going to cause the bread to be more gummy. Instead, preheat the oven at a higher temperature 465F and then drop the temperature down to 450F as the bread enters the oven. Once it starts to brown (15 to 20 minutes) lower the temperature again to 390 to 410F depending on the color of the bread. In this situation keeping the door slightly ajar can be helpful.

• Leaving a water bath in the oven for the duration of the bake as a way to add steam in the oven may create too much steam in the oven. Signs of this are observed in cuts not splitting fully and a discolored softer crust. Releasing the steam after the oven spring has finished allows the crust to set. And this can be a contributing factor to letting moisture escape the crumb. This is typically achieved by releasing the damper in specialist bread ovens which is basically a plug that covers a little hole at the back of the oven. Opening it up allows the steam to exit.
• Preferably you’d want a small amount of airflow to continually remove the steam from the bread. This is hard to do as the heat also disappears out the gap. Most find lifting the lid on their Dutch ovens works in a similar way. Try opening the door for 5 seconds every 5 minutes once you get to 20 minutes of baking. If you are using a Dutch oven you should do this alongside lifting the lid.

How to Make a Great Sourdough Starter

Making a sourdough starter for the first time can be scary, but actually the process needed to create the starter is the same for every sourdough starter. The natural fermentation process does most of the work so not much effort is acquired from your side.

To make your sourdough starter you will need:

• Flour
• Water
• A set of scales
• A small bowl or tub with a plastic cover or lid.

Here’s how to make your starter:

1. Place the bowl on a set of scales, set it to zero then add 50 grams of water followed by 50 grams of white bread flour. Mix with a spoon, or your fingers if you like, until you find that a thick paste without lumps has formed. To thicken or thin the starter, add extra water or flour.
2. You might want to adjust future feedings by the same ratio. Cover the contents of the bowl with a plastic lid or wrap. The pressure will increase inside the bowl, so the lid should be tightly secured, and left for 24 hours.
3. Try to keep your starter above 68 °F to increase the activity of the wild yeasts.

First Refreshment

1. On the day following the creation of your sourdough starter, you may notice the appearance of a few tiny bubbles. These bubbles are a promising sign that the wild yeast and bacteria are beginning to establish themselves within the mixture. However, if you don’t observe any bubbles at this stage, don’t be alarmed. Sometimes, it can take a few more days for visible signs of fermentation to occur.
2. To refresh your starter, you’ll need to remove half of the existing mixture. This portion, known as the discard, will be removed from the bowl, leaving you with approximately 50 grams of the original starter. Using a kitchen scale for accuracy, measure out an additional 50 grams of water and 50 grams of flour. Add these ingredients to the remaining starter in the bowl.
3. Using a spoon or whisk, stir the mixture thoroughly until no lumps remain. It’s important to ensure that the water, flour, and existing starter are well combined to create a homogeneous mixture. This process of feeding the starter with equal parts of flour and water helps to provide the necessary nutrients for the yeast and bacteria to thrive.
4. Once the refreshed starter is smooth and lump-free, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Set it aside in a warm, draft-free location for another 24 hours. During this time, the microorganisms will continue to feed on the fresh flour and multiply, strengthening the starter and preparing it for future use in your sourdough baking adventures.

Middle Stage Refreshment

1. At this stage the starter will be attracting yeast bacteria, and developing organic acids. For the next 4 to 5 days, try to keep the feeds small to keep the discard wastage as low as possible. Using the same 1:1:1 ratio of starter, water and flour, as we did during the initial refreshment.
2. Using the scales remove 100 grams of the starter from the bowl and throw it away, leaving yourself with 50 grams. Add 50 grams of water and then flour. Mix and cover leaving it for 24 hours. Repeat this process everyday for the next 4 to 5 days.
3. The starter should begin to show signs of activity. Some bubbles appearing followed by a slight rise between feeds. If you have little to no activity, try warming it up a little and giving it a little more time, before moving on to the next step.

Final Stage Refreshment

1. Start providing your starter with some bigger feeds, while transitioning to bi-daily feeds. This will engage the bacteria to feast rapidly and after a few days it’ll act as a boost of fuel in your sourdough bacteria.
2. Discard most of the starter, leaving a dessert spoon or 10 grams in the bowl. Add 10 grams of water, 80 grams of white flour, and 20 grams of dark rye flour. Mix and just like before, once a thick paste has formed, try to adjust the amount of water or flour if needed. Then cover and repeat this refreshment every 12 hours. It should have enough activity to be able to use in 5 to 10 days.

Using your Sourdough Starter

A ripe starter will have large bubbles throughout, breaking the surface, and a deep, sour, and slightly alcoholic aroma that is pleasant and not rancid.

Another key factor is the starter’s growth; it should triple in size within 6 to 8 hours after being refreshed. If any of these characteristics are lacking, continue feeding the starter until it reaches the desired activity level.

The time required for a starter to mature varies; some may be ready within a week or two, while others may need 3 to 4 weeks. Patience is essential, as using an immature starter can lead to disappointing results.

What is the Float Test?

To figure out whether your starter is ready try using the float test, which is a common technique many use. The float test is when a teaspoon of a starter is dropped into a glass of water. If it floats then according to this method it is ready to use.

Although this test isn’t always accurate, as every flour comes with its own variety of density, with sourdoughs being wet or stiff, so this test is prone to give misleading results.

When Can I Make Bread?

The longer you wait after feeding it will encourage the concentration of wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria to increase. Though it is not necessary for the starter to be at the peak of its rise. After feeding usually waiting for 4 hours before using it would be great, but 2 to 3 hours in warmer climates could work. If there is too much activity the bread will be slower to rise.

How Long Does the Bread Need to Cool?

Bread continues to let moisture escape from its core as it exits the oven. So its best to allow the bread to cool in an area with plenty of airflow. Try leaving it on a cooling rack for a couple of hours, then it can be cut and enjoyed.

Issues to Watch Out For

Sometimes the starter doesn’t triple in size, which only means that the bread will take longer to rise, some patience is needed. As long as there are some evident bubbles in the starter, followed by a tad of a rise, there shouldn’t be any problems. The presence of bubbles, even if they are small or few in number, is a positive sign that the wild yeast and bacteria are alive and active within the starter. 

These bubbles are a result of the fermentation process, where the microorganisms consume the flour and produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct. As long as there is some evidence of fermentation, the starter can still be used to make bread, albeit with a longer rising time.

You might find a discolored liquid floating around in your starter, don’t panic as this is perfectly normal, revealing that your starter is accepting its feeding well. This liquid is called hooch, and usually occurs when your starter begins to run out of food. Hooch typically forms when the starter begins to run out of food, which is the flour that you provide during the feeding process.

As the yeast and bacteria consume the available nutrients, they produce alcohol and other byproducts that can separate and rise to the surface of the starter. The appearance of hooch indicates that the microorganisms are active and that the starter is in need of another feeding.

Why is my Sourdough Dense?

Dense sourdough could be the effect of a few different things.

A dense sourdough occurs mainly due to the inactivity of a sourdough starter. However, it could also be due to improper hydration. Unfortunately your dough could be either over-hydrated or under-hydrated. More often than not the issues with having a dense sourdough leans towards an underhydrated dough. This means that you hadn’t provided your dough with enough water, making it resistant to the yeast allowing it to rise.

If your hydration is low, then increase it, if that’s not the problem then try the float test. Also waiting many hours after proofing your bread, before baking might do the trick.

Gummy Sourdough – Solutions

If you’re unsure of what could be the cause of your gummy sourdough, then you’ll find that you might have to go through each step individually before figuring out the root cause of the gumminess.

Of course, initial experimentation doesn’t call for perfection. Though it helps to know the possible problems, to help eliminate them for next time.

FAQs