Sourdough Rescue

Field note 02 / dense crumb

Another dense loaf?
Let's find out why

A dense, gummy crumb is not bad luck. It's data. Answer three questions about your last bake and get the most likely cause, with the fix, in about twenty seconds.

Diagnose my last bake, free See how it works
  • 3 questions
  • No card needed
  • Answer in ~20 seconds
An open, aerated sourdough crumb, evenly risen with a light structure A dense, tight, gummy sourdough crumb that never opened up Before / dense After / open
Drag to compare Same flour. Different data.

The method

From ruined loaf
to read in three steps

  1. Step 01

    Tell us
    the bake

    Crumb, bulk time and kitchen temperature. The same details you'd give a baker who actually knew their stuff.

    INPUT 3 fields

  2. Step 02

    Get the
    likely cause

    Under-fermented? Over-proofed? Under-baked? You get a plain verdict, not a forum thread of maybes.

    OUTPUT 1 verdict

  3. Step 03

    Fix the
    next loaf

    Two or three specific changes to make, plus the one-page diagnosis chart to keep by the oven.

    RESULT 2 to 3 fixes
Start the diagnosis FREE no card

Free bake diagnosis

Diagnose your
last dense loaf

Three quick questions about the bake that let you down. You get the most likely cause on the spot, then the full Dense Loaf Diagnosis Chart to your inbox.

  • 01 What the crumb looked like
  • 02 How long the bulk ran
  • 03 How warm the kitchen was
Specimen intake
1 What did the crumb look like?
2 How long was the bulk ferment?
3 How warm was the kitchen?

Pick one from each row to get your diagnosis.

What a real answer looks like

It knows your kitchen because it learns your bakes

You give the Coach the same details you'd give a baker who knew what they were doing. It gives a diagnosis back, in seconds, tuned to your log.

You

My sourdough keeps coming out dense. Bulk was 4 hours at 21°C, 75% hydration.

Coach

At 21°C, 4 hours is likely under-fermented for 75% hydration. Expect 5 to 6 hours at that temp before it's ready. Your log shows a 20% levain, and if it's peaking slower this week, add another hour and watch for a 50% rise, not the clock.

BULK 4:00 TEMP 21°C HYDRATION 75%

Sound familiar?

Five things that break a bake
Five things the Coach watches

  1. Dense, gummy crumb that never opens up.

    AI Troubleshooter reads your bulk time, temp and hydration and names the cause.

  2. Loaves that get a little flatter every week.

    Bake plans adjust timings to your kitchen so you stop losing ground.

  3. A starter that just won't double, no matter what.

    Starter insights track peak time and flag when it's sluggish.

  4. "Is this over-proofed, or under-proofed?" every single time.

    Proof Photo Check gives you a verdict from a photo of the dough.

  5. Advice online that contradicts the last thing you read.

    Your bake log means the answer comes from your data, not a stranger's kitchen.

The one to try first

Photograph your dough
Get a verdict

The poke test is a guess you learn over years of ruined loaves. Show the Coach your dough instead. It reads the rise, the surface and the bubbles and tells you plainly: shape now, or give it longer.

Verdict Ready to shape. The dough has risen about 60% and the surface is domed with fine bubbles. Wait much longer at this temp and you'll tip into over-proof.

See the Coach in action
The DoughRise Coach Photo Check screen, listing analysed bakes with a score out of ten for each

When you're ready

The Coach is £14.99 a month. One rescued bake pays for it

DoughRise Coach

£14.99/mo

Everything in Pro, plus the intelligence that diagnoses your bakes from your own log.

  • AI Troubleshooter for dense, flat and gummy loaves
  • Proof Photo Check, shape-now-or-wait verdicts
  • Personalised bake plans tuned to your temps
  • Starter insights and peak tracking
  • The full bake log, ferment timer and 25 calculators
Meet the Coach

Cancel any time. No card to use the free calculators.

★ Founding bakers

A year of Pro for £95.88 £71.88

The first 100 members lock in 25% off Pro for a year, and keep that founding rate for life. When the 100 are gone, they're gone.

See the founding offer
100Spots at launch

Before you decide

The honest answers

Isn't AI baking advice just generic?
Generic AI doesn't know your flour, your kitchen temperature or your starter's peak time. The Coach does, because it reads your bake log. The more you log, the sharper it gets. It's the difference between a stranger guessing and someone who has watched your last twenty loaves.
Will it work for my flour and my kitchen?
That's the whole point. The diagnosis is built around your inputs, temperature, hydration, timings and flour type, not a one-size recipe. A cold London flat and a warm summer kitchen get different answers, because they are different problems.
How much does it cost, and is the diagnosis really free?
The 3-question diagnosis and all 25 calculators are free, no card needed. If you want the Coach's ongoing troubleshooting, photo checks and bake plans, that's £14.99 a month. Pro, with the log, timer and starter tracker, is £9.99. One loaf you don't bin usually covers it.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes. No lock-in, no contract, cancel in a couple of taps. There's also a full refund if it turns out not to be for you. We'd rather have happy bakers than trapped ones.
Do I need to be good at baking already?
No. If anything the Coach helps most when things keep going wrong. You bring the bake, it brings the maths. You'll pick up the why as you go, which is the part that actually makes you better.

Stop binning loaves

Stop guessing
Diagnose the next loaf

Three questions. The likely cause. The fix. Then bake something you're proud to cut into.

Diagnose my last bake, free Meet the Coach when you're ready
  • No card needed
  • Cancel any time
  • Full refund if it's not for you
"I built this after too many loaves went in the bin. The maths was always the answer. Nobody had put it in one place."
Benjie, founder, London