Bread and yeast doughs
Gummy, undercooked interior
3 likely causes, sorted by where the problem lives. Work down the list and change one variable at a time.
Likely causes
- techniqueSliced while still hot. Cooling finishes the bake.
- techniqueUnderbaked.
- equipmentThe oven runs cooler than its dial claims.
What to change
- Bake to an internal temperature of 190 to 210 °F (88 to 99 °C).
- Cool completely before slicing. Lean loaves want one to two hours; dense ryes want a full day.
- Check the oven against a separate thermometer rather than trusting the dial.
Read it with the four domains in mind
FormulaThe recipe itself: ratios, quantities, and ingredient choice.
TechniqueWhat you did: mixing, shaping, timing, handling.
EnvironmentThe room: temperature, humidity, altitude, storage.
EquipmentThe gear: oven calibration, pans, mixer, tools.
Adapted from the master symptom matrices in Environmental Variables & Troubleshooting. General sourcing across these tables: Figoni (2011); Gisslen (2016); Corriher (2008); McGee (2004); Modernist Bread (2017); King Arthur Baking technical guides; BAKERpedia.
Other bread symptoms
Dense, heavy crumb
Flat, spread loaf with little height
Collapses when scored or loaded into the oven
Dense and tight, bursting at the side
No oven spring
Pale crust
Crust too dark
Big irregular holes, wildly open crumb
Tight, close crumb when you wanted open
Sudden collapse in the oven
Bread Atlas & Sourdough · Dough Temperature Calculator · The full troubleshooting method · All 50 symptoms