First make sure the loaf has cooled
Put the loaf on a rack and give the centre time to cool. A crust that feels cool to the touch can surround a warm interior. Use the recipe’s cooling guidance as a starting point and allow extra time for a large loaf. If you already cut one end, leave the rest on the rack and compare a fresh cut near the middle later. A warm cut can compress the crumb and leave sticky streaks on the knife. [1]
A cooled sourdough can feel moist and springy. If it tears into a tacky mass, compresses into a paste or leaves a persistent film on the blade, write down where that happens. Compare the centre and an off-centre slice. A single slice from the heel can miss the area that is causing trouble.
Use the location of the gummy crumb
| What you find in the cooled loaf | What to check first | One change to try on the next bake |
|---|---|---|
| Wet or pasty centre, with the crumb near the edges set | Review oven preheat, actual bake time, crust colour and the recipe’s signs of doneness. | Follow the recipe’s full preheat and bake sequence, then record the result at the centre. If you already did that, adjust only the bake time within the recipe’s guidance. |
| Tight, rubbery zones below or between a few large tunnels | Check whether the starter was ripe and whether the dough looked aerated and expanded at shaping. | If the starter was working normally and the dough was still tight at shaping, wait for the recipe’s bulk cues on a repeat bake. |
| Sticky or heavy across the slice after a flour or water change | Check the weights and the recipe’s flour and water guidance. Look for whether the dough felt unusually loose from the start. | Repeat with the original flour and recipe water, or reduce the added water by a measured amount if the recipe allows it. |
| Warm slice was sticky, later slice is set | Look at the time between taking the loaf out and slicing it. | Keep the bake the same and allow a complete cool. |
These are starting points. A loaf can have both a short bake and a short bulk. Read the crust, the crumb and the notes together. If the bake log is blank, document the bake and cooling first. Those two details are straightforward to reproduce on a second loaf. [1] [3] [4]
What a centre-temperature reading can add
If the recipe gives an internal temperature, read near the centre and compare with the rest of its doneness guidance. For example, The Perfect Loaf’s beginner recipe gives about 208°F (97°C) for its loaf and also specifies an uncovered finishing phase and cooling on a rack. The reading helps you assess that bake. It cannot tell you how far the dough fermented or how the crumb will feel after cooling. [5] [1]
If you bake in a covered pot, note both the covered and uncovered times. “Baked for 45 minutes” is harder to reproduce than “lid came off at the 20-minute mark, and the loaf stayed in the oven until the recipe’s finish”. If the crust was already browning rapidly, also record where the pot sat in the oven. That observation gives you a place to start if the centre lagged again.
An example where the crumb gives two clues
Imagine a fully cooled loaf with a slightly gummy centre and two large tunnels over a tight base. The baker shortened the uncovered bake because the crust looked dark. Their notes also say the dough was still tight when shaped. Either clue could matter. First repeat the formula with a verified preheat, the recipe’s finishing guidance and the same cooling interval. If the centre sets but the tight base and tunnels remain, compare the dense crumb patterns and review the starter and bulk on the next bake.
The planned bake journal in Crispy Crust would let you keep a centre-slice photo beside oven times, cooling and the bulk notes. With those together, you can compare what changed between two loaves without relying on what you remember the next day.