A dense sourdough loaf is nearly always one of two things: a starter that was not ready, or a dough that did not rise for long enough. Both come down to time and temperature rather than skill, and both are easy to put right on the next loaf.
My sourdough bread is a simple loaf: very strong flour, a few rounds of stretch and folds and a night in the fridge. These are the checks I use to make sure it comes out light and open.
The short answer
Check the starter first: it should roughly double and dome within a few hours of a feed. Then let the dough rise until it is domed and wobbly, however long that takes in your kitchen. Bake it hot, make sure the middle is cooked, and let it cool before you cut it.
1. The starter was not ready
A sourdough starter is wild yeast and bacteria living together. The yeast makes the gas that lifts the bread, and the bacteria make the sour taste. In an old, cold or hungry starter the bacteria take over: the yeast makes less gas, and the acid weakens the dough as well. Both give you a heavy loaf.
Use it when it is at its liveliest. I feed mine, leave it somewhere warm, and only bake when it has roughly doubled and domed, which for me is about five hours. If it has not risen, I feed it again and wait until it doubles reliably within six to eight hours. A starter that is fed often, and stirred well when you feed it, has more lift than one that sits in the fridge between bakes.
2. The dough did not rise for long enough
This is the most common cause, especially in winter. Recipe times assume a warm kitchen, and in a cold one the same dough can take much longer. Go by the dough, not the clock: it is ready when it has risen noticeably, looks domed rather than flat, and wobbles as one mass when you nudge the bowl. In a cold kitchen that can take well over two hours.
Somewhere comfortably warm suits it, around 20 to 25°C. Much warmer than that suits the sour bacteria more than the yeast.
If the dough rose well and then sank before it went in the oven, it has gone too far the other way. Next time, shape it sooner.
3. Not enough strength in the dough
Stretch and folds build the gluten, the stretchy network that holds the gas in. I do three or four rounds, 30 minutes apart, and you can feel the dough change from slack and tearing to smooth and springy.
Do not skip the salt. As well as flavour, it holds back the bacteria that would otherwise weaken the gluten.
4. The flour and the water
Wholemeal and rye make a denser loaf than white, because the bran gets in the way of the gluten. If you are struggling, bake it with strong white flour first and add wholemeal once the loaf is coming out right. A drier dough also gives a closer crumb and a wetter one a more open crumb, though a wet dough is harder to handle.
5. Cut too soon, or not baked through
A loaf cut while it is still hot looks gummy and dense in the middle, because the crumb is still setting as it cools. Leave it on a rack until it has cooled. And make sure it is baked through: the middle should reach 96°C. My oven goes up to 275°C with a Dutch oven inside; if yours tops out lower, preheat it for longer and give the loaf a few extra minutes.
How to tell which one it was
- Barely rose in the oven and dense all the way through: the starter, or the rise.
- Rose well but gummy in the middle: cut too soon, or not baked through.
- Rose, then spread flat: it went too far before baking.
If your dough is not rising at all, my guide to dough not rising in winter goes through the warm spots in a cold kitchen. And once your loaf is right, the same starter makes my sourdough focaccia and sourdough pizza.
FAQ for Dense Sourdough
Can I still eat a dense sourdough loaf?
Yes, as long as it is baked through. The middle should reach 96°C. A dense loaf is heavy rather than unsafe, so slice it thin and toast it.
Why is my sourdough gummy in the middle?
Usually it was cut while still hot, or it was not baked through. The crumb is still setting as it cools, so leave the loaf on a rack until it is cool, and check the middle reaches 96°C.
Does a dense loaf mean my starter is dead?
Not usually. Feed it and watch: it should roughly double and dome within a few hours. If it has not, feed it again until it doubles reliably within six to eight hours.
How do I get a more open crumb?
Use a starter at its liveliest, let the dough rise until it is domed and wobbly, build strength with stretch and folds, and keep the salt in. A wetter dough gives a more open crumb than a drier one, though it is harder to handle.
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