Here's a bread and dough (works for pizza dough too) troubleshooting guide, culled from a variety of sources. I hope to continually update this as I learn more in my quest to make great artisan bread.
| Category | Amount | Effects | More information |
| kneading | under-kneading | Dough is floppy and loose, tears easily, looks shaggy. Lack of oven-rise, dense texture. Gluten has not become elastic enough. Windowpane test fails because the dough doesn't have the strength to stay together. | http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/bread-baking-clinic-underkneading-overkneading-157484 |
| kneading | adequate kneading | Dough is elastic but not too tight. Windowpane test success - you can stretch a small portion of the dough thin enough so that you can almost see through it, like a translucent window. | http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/bread-baking-clinic-underkneading-overkneading-157484 |
| kneading | over-kneading | Dough is dense and tough and tears easily. The gluten is so tight that it has little give. Windowpane test fails because you have to pull so hard you tear the dough. | http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/bread-baking-clinic-underkneading-overkneading-157484 |
| hydration ratio (aka water to flour ratio, or baker's percentage) | low hydration (<60% or so)not enough water! | Dough is crumby, craggy, and really hard to work with. It doesn't stick together when you work with it. When baked, small, tightly-formed cells in crumb. This may be desirable in some cases, such as for bagels. Add more water to fix this. | My own hydration experiment for bagels |
| hydration ratio (aka water to flour ratio, or baker's percentage) | medium hydration | Dough is easy to work with but not too sticky. Note: Some flours, like rye flour, are just sticky by nature. | |
| hydration ratio (aka water to flour ratio, or baker's percentage) | high hydration (>70% or so)too much water! | Dough is floppy and sticky and hard to shape. Large holes will appear in bread when baked (if they don't collapse). The bread won't rise as much because it will be weaker. Some breads are supposed to be high hydration - like ciabatta. | http://www.pizzamaking.com/pizza_glossary.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W580u--9poM |
| rise | too little | Fails poke test - poke the bread with two fingers. If the bread rebounds to its original shape then the dough is still too firm. The bread will be dense and "doughy" - it will smell and tastes like dough. The loaf will have a light or greyish crust - no Malliard reaction (browning of sugars) occurs because the flour hasn't been broken down. To fix, make sure the yeast you've used is active and/or let the bread rise for longer or increase the rise temperature (optimal temperature is about 100-110F. Too much heat will kill your yeast!) | http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/21628/finger-poke-test-problem |
| rise | just right | Passes poke test. If the hole from the poke rebounds part of the way then proofing is just right. | |
| rise | too much | Fails poke test - (the hole does not rebound at all.) Dough collapses on itself. There's so much air in the loaf that it cannot hold its weight. | |
| baking temperature | low | Lower baking temperatures generally make softer and thinner crusts. | |
| baking temperature | medium | Somewhere in between. | |
| baking temperature | hot | Higher temperatures generally make crustier loaves. This means darker and thicker crusts. Note: to really promote a thick, chewy crust, bake in a dutch oven. This traps steam near the loaf, which delays crust formation and allows it to get thicker. | |
| salt | none or not enough | The loaf may look good but it'll taste like cardboard. It's surprising how much salt enhances the flavor of the bread. If you realize you've forgotten before you bake, you may be able to make a salty paste and spread it onto the dough while you stretch and fold. | |
| salt | just right | The general rule of thumb is to use 2% (baker's percent) salt. That's 20 grams for each 1000 grams of flour. | Encyclopizza, chapter 4 |
| salt | too much | Too much salt can inhibit yeast fermentation and may be too salty to taste. | |
| bake time | too short | Light crust, doughy and gummy interior. | |
| bake time | just right | Bread sounds hollow if you knock it on the bottom. Nicely browned crust. The internal temperature will be about 190-210F. | |
| bake time | too long | Longer baking times mean a darker crust and a firmer and dryer crumb. Too much bake time = burny. | |
| gluten | too little | Low-gluten breads will not rise well. The bread won't have the strength to expand when the yeast creates carbon dioxide. The dough won't stretch well. | |
| gluten | just right | Stretchy enough to hold CO2 bubbles without being too taut | |
| gluten | too much | If there is too much gluten, the bread won’t be able to expand because the dough will be too tight. The bread will be really chewy and rubbery. | |
| yeast | too little | Dough rises really really slowly or not at all. Your loaf will be dense. In extreme cases, it'll feel like a brick or a stone. And the inside will be gross and barely edible. With artisan sourdough breads, this can happen if your starter has died or if you haven't adequately refreshed it. | |
| yeast | just right | (1-2% by weight) | http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2008/03/26/bakers-percentage-2/ |
| yeast | too much | The dough can rise too quickly and collapse back upon itself |
Have questions? Share them in the comments below.