Sunday Notes: Reading a Poor Loaf

The loaf split at the seam and had a big cavern below the top crust. Classic under-proof. But the crumb near the bottom was tight and gummy, which is usually an over-proof signal. How?

The answer, once I traced back the schedule, was that I'd cold-retarded the dough for 22 hours in a very cold fridge. Bulk hadn't quite finished at room temp, and the long cold retard slowed the yeast so much that the interior stayed underdeveloped while the crumb near the bottom pooled with moisture during the bake.

The fix: finish bulk properly at room temp, retard for 8–14 hours, not 22+. Cold slows the yeast. It doesn't finish fermentation for you.