Bread Faults and their Causes

Poor volume

Too much salt

Too little yeast

Too little liquid

Weak flour

Under- or overmixing

Oven too hot

Too much volume

Too little salt

Too much yeast

Too much dough scaled

Overproofed

Poor shape

Too much liquid

Flour too weak

Improper molding or makeup

Improper fermentation or proofing

Too much oven steam

Split or burst crust

Overmixing

Underfermented dough

Improper molding—seam not on bottom

Uneven heat in oven

Oven too hot

Insufficient steam

FLAVOR

Flat taste

Too little salt

Poor flavor

Inferior, spoiled, or rancid ingredients

Poor bakeshop sanitation

Under- or overfermented

TEXTURE AND CRUMB

Too dense or

Too much salt

close-grained

Too little liquid

Too little yeast

Underfermented

Underproofed

Too coarse or open

Too much yeast

Too much liquid

Incorrect mixing time

Improper fermentation

Overproofed

Pan too large

Streaked crumb

Improper mixing procedure

Poor molding or makeup techniques

Too much flour used for dusting

Poor texture or

Flour too weak

crumbly

Too little salt

Fermentation time too long or too short

Overproofed

Baking temperature too low

Gray crumb

Fermentation time or temperature too high

CRUST

Too dark

Too much sugar or milk

Underfermented dough

Oven temperature too high

Baking time too long

Insufficient steam at beginning of baking

Too pale

Too little sugar or milk

Overfermented dough

Overproofed

Oven temperature too low

Baking time too short

Too much steam in oven

Too thick

Too little sugar or fat

Improper fermentation

Baked too long or at wrong temperature

Too little steam

Blisters on crust

Too much liquid

Improper fermentation

Improper shaping of loaf