The Sourdough Mistake That Made My Bread Gummy (and How I Fixed It)

If you’ve ever had sourdough bread or starter that was working perfectly and then suddenly wasn’t, you’re not alone. Or maybe you have just started making sourdough bread and you are following the recipe to a T and it just isn't working! 

Last year, I started making sourdough again and everything was going well. I made my starter from scratch, my loaves were consistent, the dough felt right, and the process made sense. Then, all of a sudden, nothing worked.

My bread was under-proofed, over-proofed, and turning out gummy in the middle, no matter what I did. I adjusted proofing times, played with stretch and folds, and questioned every step of my method. Nothing fixed it.

What made it even more frustrating was that it was my recipe, it had worked before and was still working for everyone else. 

What I Thought Was the Problem

At the time, I completely stopped trusting my instincts which as a professional baker and home cook, it is never a good idea we rely on our instincts so much. 

Like many people, last year was a tough one for me personally, and when your head isn’t clear, it’s easy to overthink and miss the obvious. Instead of stepping back and looking at the basics, I kept trying to force the process to work. 

I assumed it had to be something I was doing wrong. We had gone into winter so at first I thought maybe ok that would affect it, which yes it would but not like this. 

The Real Reason My Sourdough Stopped Working

Eventually, once I slowed down and trusted my instincts again, I realised the issue.

I had changed flours! 

I had completely forgotten that I’d switched to a different flour part way through last year, and because it was a good quality, high-protein flour from a brand I like, I didn’t even consider it could be the problem and just kept thinking I was doing something wrong. But it was the flour. 

It Wasn’t a Bad Flour, Just the Wrong Flour for My Recipe

This is where a lot of people get stuck with sourdough.

The flour wasn’t bad. It wasn’t low quality. It just wasn’t right for the recipe I was using.

Different flours absorb water differently. Even flours that look similar on paper can behave very differently once water is added. That absorption rate affects how the dough feels, how it ferments, and how it bakes.

Because the flour wasn’t absorbing the water in the same way as my original flour or the one I am using now, the dough structure was never going to be right. No amount of proofing adjustments or extra stretch and folds could fix that.

To make that flour work, I would have needed to change the recipe itself. And because I love my recipe, I didn’t want to do that just to fit one specific flour, when there is others on the market I can use. 

Why Flour Absorption Matters More Than You Think

People often say flour is just flour, but it really isn’t. And if you grew up in Australia, America or even the UK we usually grew up on Plain Flour and Self raising that was it. 

If a flour absorbs less water, the dough can feel overly wet, weak, or slack. If it absorbs more, the dough can feel tight and dry. Either way, the fermentation and final crumb are affected.

When the flour and recipe aren’t matched, you can end up with bread that looks fine on the outside but turns out gummy inside, even when everything else seems right.

This is also why sourdough can suddenly stop working when you change brands or types of flour without adjusting anything else.

And the easiest way I can think to explain it, (because lets be honest you are probably thinking what does she mean absorption) is to think of paper towel and how you can have a brand that picks up most of the water on the first go but also holds its shape, the next brand picks up the water but not as much as the first and you need more, the 3rd completely falls apart and doesn't clean up the water at all really. And if you are an adult you maybe have your fav brand for this reason. But this is absorption the 1st paper towel absorbs it super well and is great for water spills, the second is ok but you need to adjust how much you use, the 3rd really isn't great for water spills at all. 

And that is how I like you to think of flour, its not just high protein it's also the grain and how fine it is to absorb the water in the dough and how that reacts. 

The Fix Was Simple Once I Knew What to Look For

As soon as I switched flours my recipe worked again perfectly.

The dough behaved the way I expected, the fermentation made sense, and my loaves baked through properly. Even my starter improved once the flour was right.

The fix wasn’t more technique or more effort. It was matching the right flour to the recipe and trusting myself again. 

What I Want You to Take From This

If your sourdough suddenly stops working, or you are following a recipe to a T and nothing is working take a step back before changing everything or before giving up

Ask yourself:

• Have I changed flours? Or is this flour not the right one for my starter or recipe. 

• Does this flour absorb water differently? (is it a finer grain)

• Am I trying to force a recipe to work with the wrong ingredients?

Sourdough isn’t about being perfect. It’s about learning how the ingredients behave and trusting your instincts in the kitchen.

If you’re having trouble with your sourdough and can’t work out why, it really could be as simple as the flour. It may not be but worth a look at right. 

If you need help, you’re always welcome to send me a message and I’ll try to help where I can because I know how it can seem confusing but really you maybe just need a little hand to make your sourdough delicious.