BREAD FAULTS AND THEIR CAUSES

Because of the complexity of bread production,many things can go wrong.To
remedy common bread faults, check the following troubleshooting guide for
possible causes and correct your procedures.

Fault Causes
Shape
Poor volume Too much salt
Too little yeast
Too little liquid
Weak flour
Under- or overmixing
Oven too hot
Too much Too little salt
volume 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 Overmixing
crust 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 Too much yeast
open Too much liquid
Incorrect mixing time
Improper fermentation
Overproofed
Pan too large
Streaked Improper mixing procedure
crumb 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 Too much liquid
crust Improper fermentation
Improper shaping of loaf