Support
Last updated 2026-10-04
Answers to the questions we hear most. Can't find yours? Email viral.b.tandel@gmail.com.
Worried about your starter right now? If you see fuzzy mold of any color, or pink, orange or red streaks anywhere in the jar, do not wait for an app. Discard the whole starter, wash the jar in hot, soapy water and start fresh. Never scrape it off.
Using Loaf Scout
How does a read work?
Tap Read in the middle of the tab bar and choose the crumb or the starter. A dashed guide frames the cut face (straight on, in daylight, fully cooled) or the jar (from the side, at eye level, with a band at the fed level). Take one photo or pick one from your library, then Keep or Retake. You can add optional details: for a loaf, when it was cut, the flour and the hydration; for a starter, hours since the last feed, the ratio, how warm the room is and the smell. In about ten seconds you get the read and a verdict, saved to your bakes or your starter page.
What do the crumb verdicts mean?
Bake it again: well fermented and well baked. Keep the same timing and temperatures.
Nearly there: the fermentation is right or very close. What is left is small and mostly about looks.
One change next bake: one clear thing held this loaf back. Change that one step and leave the rest alone.
A few changes next bake: several things stacked up. Start with the fermentation, then the bake and the cooling, one change at a time.
What do the starter verdicts mean?
Ready to bake: at or near its peak, bubbly and well risen. Mix your dough now.
Not yet: active but still on its way up. Give it more time somewhere warm and check again.
Past its peak: it rose and has started to fall. It will still raise bread, but for the best rise, feed it and use the next peak.
Start fresh: it looks spoiled or too weak to rescue. Any fuzzy mold or pink or orange color means the whole jar goes.
The AI says what it sees, and fixed rules set the Loaf Score and the verdict. Those rules can only make a verdict stricter, never kinder.
What is the Loaf Score?
A number from 0 to 100 for each crumb read, worked out by the same fixed rules every time from the proof call, the bake and the findings, so your loaves compare fairly across months. Whole wheat, rye and spelt loaves are not marked down for a tight crumb, and a loaf cut warm is told so before the bake is blamed. It is a guide for you, not a grade.
How do I take a photo the app can read well?
For a loaf: let it cool fully, cut straight down through the middle with a serrated knife, and shoot the cut face straight on in daylight. No flash.
For a starter: a clear, straight-sided jar, shot from the side at eye level, with a rubber band or tape at the level it was fed to.
Fill the frame, keep it sharp, and keep fingers and labels out of the way.
How many free reads do I get?
3 in total, crumb or starter. A read that cannot find a loaf or a jar does not use one. The bake log, the starter page, the hydration calculator, the bake planner and everything in Learn stay free, with or without Pro.
What does Pro add?
Unlimited reads, your Loaf Score trend across bakes, and any two bakes compared side by side.
Accuracy and safety
How accurate is Loaf Scout?
An honest answer: Loaf Scout gives an AI read of one photo; your own eyes, nose and the poke test still count. It reads what a photo can show, like the outline of the loaf, how even the holes are from top to bottom, the base, the gap under the crust, and the rise against your band. It cannot taste, smell or feel, and light, angle, a warm knife or a dirty jar can all fool it. Use it as a consistent second pair of eyes, not the final word.
Can Loaf Scout tell me my starter is safe?
No. Loaf Scout never tells you a starter or a loaf is safe to eat. Its rules only ever push toward discarding: mold or pink or orange in the jar always reads Start fresh. If you see fuzzy mold or pink or orange streaks, throw the whole jar out, even if a read missed it.
Privacy and your data
Where do my photos go?
When you run a read, your photo travels over an encrypted connection to our server, which sends it to Google Gemini to be read and returns the result to your phone. We do not store photos on our servers; they are held in memory only for the request. The app asks for your OK, and names Google Gemini, before the first photo is sent. Details are in our privacy policy.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no account, no login and no email address to give. Loaf Scout has no ads and no tracking.
Where are my bakes stored?
On your phone only: your bakes, photos, reads, recipes, notes and starter log. There is no copy on our servers, so if you delete the app, they go with it. If you move to a new iPhone, they come along only if they are included in your own iPhone backup or transfer.
How do I delete my data?
In the app, open Settings and tap Delete my data. This erases your bakes, photos, reads, notes and starter log from your phone and replaces the anonymous id with a new one. Deleting the app does the same. There are no photos or bake logs on our servers to delete. If you would also like your purchase record removed from RevenueCat, our subscription service, email us.
Purchases
What does Pro cost?
$29.99 a year with a 7-day free trial for eligible new subscribers, $4.99 a month, or $44.99 once for lifetime access, as of October 2026. These are US prices; prices in other countries are set through the App Store and may differ.
How do I restore purchases?
Open Loaf Scout, go to Settings or the Pro screen, and tap Restore purchases. Make sure you are signed in to the App Store with the same Apple ID you used to buy Pro.
How do I cancel my subscription?
On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose Loaf Scout and tap Cancel Subscription. Cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date, or before the free trial ends, to avoid being charged. Pro stays on until the end of the period you paid for. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
Can I get a refund?
Purchases are made through Apple, so refunds are handled by Apple. You can request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. If something went wrong, email us too and we will help where we can.
Contact
Email viral.b.tandel@gmail.com. Tell us your iPhone model, the app version (shown in the app's Settings) and what happened. Screenshots help, and so does the photo you read, if you are happy to share it.