Guides
Reading the crumb
A cut loaf is a record of everything the dough went through. Start with the full guide to reading a slice, then go deep on the patterns people ask about most: big holes, tunnels, the gap under the crust and a dense base.
New here? Read The Sourdough Crumb: Read It Like a Baker first. It is the one page that covers the whole slice, from the outline to the base, and why the question that matters most is not how big the holes are but how even they are from top to bottom. The rest of this section takes one pattern at a time.
The rule that saves the most confusion: big holes alone do not tell you anything. Big holes in a tight, heavy crumb point to underproofing. Big ragged holes in a weak, sagging loaf point to overproofing. An even crumb with holes of many sizes is good bread, whether it is open or tight, and whole wheat, rye and spelt bake tighter by nature.
Try it
Answer seven questions about your slice in the crumb troubleshooter and get a proof call, the faults that fit, and the one lever to change next bake.
Good to know
Cut only when the loaf is fully cool, straight through the middle, and look in daylight. A loaf cut warm looks gummier and denser than it really is.
Guides in this section
Coming soon: Big Holes in Sourdough: Good Sign or Fault?; Fool's Crumb: The Gap Under the Crust; Tunnels in Sourdough: What Causes Them; What an Overproofed Sourdough Crumb Looks Like; What an Underproofed Sourdough Crumb Looks Like; Tight Sourdough Crumb: Fault or Just the Flour?.