Crumb and proof visual diagnosis pack

You cut the loaf open, and the crumb doesn't look like the photo. Dense in one spot, a gummy streak along the bottom, a big ragged hole near the crust, and you genuinely don't know which of the six things you did actually caused it.

This pack is built to answer that question fast, every time you cut a loaf open, not just this once.

What you'll gain

• Cut into any loaf and know within seconds whether it was under-proofed, over-proofed, or something else went wrong entirely
• Match your crumb to one of seven diagnosed states, each with its actual cause named, not a vague guess
• Confirm the diagnosis with a quick test before you change anything for next time
• Read your bulk ferment against the poke test instead of a fixed clock, so proofing time actually matches your kitchen
• Use the temperature ready reckoner to judge final proof by feel, backed by a number
• Pin the whole diagnostic map on your kitchen wall so the next cut-open loaf gets read in seconds, not guesswork

What's inside

This pack is two separate deliverables, both PDF files.

The reference deck

13 pages, A4. Seven crumb-state diagnosis pages, each with the crumb illustrated, its likely cause, a way to confirm that cause, and the fix. Covers tight dense crumb, a gummy streak at the base, tunnelling under the crust, flying crust, ragged over-proofed holes, the even open ideal, and under-proofed irregular holes. Followed by a full proofing walkthrough: bulk fermentation and the poke test, then final proof and a temperature ready reckoner. Cover and contents pages included.

The "Read your crumb" poster

A2, landscape. All seven crumb states laid out as a single at-a-glance diagnostic grid, illustration, cause and fix for each, cross-referenced to the matching page in the deck. Built to be pinned up next to where you cut your loaves open, not filed away in a drawer.

What this pack doesn't cover

This pack diagnoses crumb structure against proofing, fermentation and bake timing, using the seven crumb states most home bakers actually run into. It doesn't cover flour selection, hydration percentages, or oven and steam setup, those are handled by the free calculators and other DoughRise guides. It's a diagnosis tool for reading a finished loaf, not a full baking course.

Keep going

Every page in this pack links to the free Fermentation Calculator, for timing your next bulk ferment and final proof against your actual kitchen temperature, not a generic chart.

If you're building a proper troubleshooting shelf, keep an eye out for the Diagnosis Bundle (£20), which pairs this pack with Baker's Math & Conversion Cheat Sheets, and works naturally alongside the Sourdough Rescue Handbook.