Something went sideways? Let's fix it.

Likely causes

• Too cold. Under 70°F, wild yeast slows to a crawl.
• Too dilute. A 1:5:5 feed at low temperature will barely rise at all in 8 hours.
• Wrong flour. All-purpose with low protein and low ash starves the culture over time.
• Weak from neglect — one or two skipped feeds after fridge storage.

Try this

1. 1.Move it. On top of the fridge, in a turned-off oven with the light on, or near a warm mug of water. Aim for 76–80°F.
2. 2.Feed it 1:1:1 twice a day for three days. Small feeds, high frequency, no fridge.
3. 3.Switch to a bread flour + 10–20% whole wheat or rye blend. The bran wakes it up fast.
4. 4.Give it a week. A tired starter almost always comes back if fed on schedule at temperature.

Likely causes

• It's hungry. The alcohol byproducts have built up because there's nothing left to eat.
• Feed ratio too small for the interval between feeds.

Try this

1. 1.Pour off the hooch (or stir it in for a tangier starter).
2. 2.Discard down to 20g and feed 1:2:2 or 1:3:3. Repeat every 12 hours for two days.
3. 3.The smell should shift from acetone → yogurt → sweet within 3 feeds.

Likely causes

• Under-fermented bulk — the dough didn't have time to develop gas.
• Cut too early. Bread needs to finish cooking as it cools.
• Oven not hot enough, or not enough steam in the first 15 minutes.
• Starter wasn't at peak when you mixed.

Try this

1. 1.Extend bulk until the dough shows a 50–75% rise and jiggles when you shake the bowl.
2. 2.Wait at least 60 minutes after baking before slicing. For big boules, 2 hours.
3. 3.Preheat your Dutch oven or stone for 45 minutes at 500°F. Never bake into a cold oven.
4. 4.Only mix when your starter has domed and passed the float test.

Likely causes

• Over-proofed. The gluten network has broken down and can no longer hold gas.
• Bulk went too long, or final proof stretched past its window.
• Kitchen much warmer than the recipe assumes.

Try this

1. 1.Shorten bulk by 30–60 minutes. Watch for the 50–75% rise, not the clock.
2. 2.Move the final proof into the fridge earlier — cold slows things enormously.
3. 3.In summer, drop your dough temperature by using cooler water (65–70°F).

Likely causes

• Under-proofed. Yeast still had a lot of work to do when it hit the oven.
• Bulk cut short, or cold retard done on a still-young dough.

Try this

1. 1.Extend bulk by 45–90 minutes and re-evaluate the poke test — a proper dough springs back slowly, not immediately.
2. 2.Let cold-retarded dough warm on the counter 45–60 minutes before baking.
3. 3.Score deeper and at a shallower angle to give the loaf a defined ear instead of a burst seam.

Likely causes

• Hydration too high for your flour.
• Insufficient gluten development during bulk.
• Too much bench flour making the surface slick instead of grippy.

Try this

1. 1.Drop hydration 3–5% next bake, or switch to a stronger bread flour.
2. 2.Add one more set of folds early in bulk (in the first 90 minutes).
3. 3.Use a bare, dry bench for the final shape — a little grip is what builds tension.
4. 4.Wet your hands, not the bench. Water beats flour on a sticky dough.

Likely causes

• Oven not hot enough, or dough uncovered too early.
• Fermentation gone too long — the yeast ate all the residual sugars, leaving nothing to brown.
• Steam evaporated before the crust had a chance to shine.

Try this

1. 1.Preheat longer and hotter. 500°F for 45 minutes minimum in a Dutch oven.
2. 2.Keep the lid on for the first 20 minutes to trap steam.
3. 3.If over-fermentation is the cause, pull back on bulk time — a slightly under-fermented dough browns better than an over-proofed one.

Likely causes

• Score angle too vertical.
• Blade dragging instead of slicing.
• Weak surface tension from a loose final shape.
• Over-proofed dough with nothing left to spring.

Try this

1. 1.Hold the lame at 20–30° from the surface, not straight down.
2. 2.Score in one confident, quick motion. A dull blade tears; use a fresh razor.
3. 3.Tighten your final shape — the surface should feel taut like a drumhead.
4. 4.If it's an over-proof problem, revisit bulk timing first.

Likely causes

• Score too shallow — the crust set before the dough could expand where you wanted it to.
• Seam on the bottom wasn't fully closed and became the weak point.
• Under-proofed dough with a lot of oven spring but nowhere to release it.

Try this

1. 1.Score at least 1/4-inch deep, in one confident pass. A hesitant score reads as no score to the oven.
2. 2.Pinch the seam tightly after final shape and place it seam-side up in the banneton so it stays sealed.
3. 3.If the crumb is tight, extend bulk 30–60 minutes next bake — spring needs somewhere to go.

Likely causes

• Interior wasn't fully baked — starch hadn't set and couldn't hold the structure as steam left.
• Over-proofed dough with a weak gluten network.
• Pulled from the oven too early because the crust looked done.

Try this

1. 1.Bake until internal temperature reads 208–210°F on an instant-read thermometer, not just when the crust is dark.
2. 2.For a Dutch oven bake, take the lid off at 20 minutes and finish uncovered for another 20–25 minutes.
3. 3.If it's an over-proof issue, watch bulk closer to the 50–75% rise mark and use cooler water.

Likely causes

• Not enough flour on the banneton, or the wrong kind.
• Banneton wasn't seasoned — a brand-new one hasn't built up its non-stick layer.
• Very high hydration dough with a slack final shape.

Try this

1. 1.Dust generously with a 50/50 mix of rice flour and bread flour. Rice flour doesn't absorb moisture and won't glue itself to the dough.
2. 2.Season a new banneton by heavily flouring it, using it for a few bakes, and brushing (not washing) it between uses.
3. 3.Tighten the final shape so the outer skin doesn't press into the ridges, and cold-retard the dough — a chilled surface releases much cleaner.

Likely causes

• Under-baked — internal temp never reached 205°F+.
• Sliced too early. Bread continues cooking as it cools; cutting into a warm loaf traps steam and reads as gumminess.
• Under-fermented bulk, so the crumb never opened enough for heat to reach the center evenly.

Try this

1. 1.Bake to an internal temperature of 208–210°F. Ten extra minutes uncovered will not burn a well-crusted loaf.
2. 2.Let boules rest at least 90 minutes on a wire rack before slicing. Batards and small loaves, at least 60 minutes.
3. 3.Push bulk a little further — dough should be jiggly and full of small surface bubbles before shaping.

Likely causes

• Actual mold or bacterial contamination — this is one of the few cases where the starter is genuinely unsafe.
• Long neglect at room temperature without feeds.
• Contamination from a dirty jar or utensil.

Try this

1. 1.Discard the entire starter. Don't try to scoop out the top — mold networks run through the whole jar.
2. 2.Wash and sterilize the jar thoroughly, or use a new one.
3. 3.Restart from a backup (dried starter, frozen starter, or a friend's culture). If you keep a mother jar in the fridge, this is why.
4. 4.Hooch (grey/brown liquid) and darkening at the top are normal. Only fuzzy or brightly colored spots warrant discarding.

Likely causes

• Weak surface tension from a loose final shape.
• Over-proofed dough that can no longer hold its structure.
• Cold retard done in a banneton that was too wide for the dough volume.

Try this

1. 1.Build tension deliberately: after pre-shape, letter-fold the dough, then roll it toward you into a tight cylinder, sealing the seam under.
2. 2.Match the banneton size to the dough — an 800g dough needs a 9-inch oval banneton, not a 12-inch one.
3. 3.If dough overproofs regularly, reduce levain 20% or drop dough temperature by using cooler water.