Gummy Sourdough Bread? Testing If Baking Time Is the Culprit

Gummy sourdough bread is one of the most frustrating problems for home bakers. You put in all the effort—feeding your starter, carefully fermenting the dough, shaping it just right—only to end up with a sticky, dense crumb instead of the open, airy texture you hoped for. But what causes this dreaded gumminess?

There are many theories: under-fermentation, an immature starter, excessive hydration, and improper cooling. However, one factor that is often mentioned is baking time. Some say cutting the bake short leaves excess moisture in the crumb, making the bread gummy. But is that the case?

To find out, I experimented with baking four loaves for different durations—30, 35, 40, and 50 minutes—to see if total bake time is a critical factor in gummy sourdough bread. My control was my usual 50-minute bake. To put this to the test, I cut into each loaf immediately after removing it from the oven to see how it behaved while still warm.

Let’s get into the details!

Watch this experiment as a video

The Experiment Setup

For this test, I baked four loaves of sourdough bread at different baking times: 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes, and 50 minutes. Since my usual baking time is 50 minutes, it naturally served as the control.

To maximize the chance of gumminess, I immediately cut into each loaf after taking it out of the oven.

Dough Formula

I used my standard experiment dough:

Weight	Ingredient	Baker's Percentage
1120g	bread flour	80%
280g	rye flour	20%
1092g	water	78%
280g	starter (100% hydration)	20%
28g	salt	2%

I skipped stretch and folds to keep variables minimal since they don’t impact the final bread. Gluten development occurs naturally through bulk fermentation and pre-shaping.

Baking Process

Here’s a breakdown of how I experimented:

1. Mixing and Bulk Fermentation
   • Mix the dough and place it in a proofing container.
   • Set the proofer to 30°C (86°F) and let the dough rise by 25% before dividing.
2. Shaping and Proofing
   • Divided the dough into four equal pieces.
   • Pre-shape them into rounds and let them rest for 20 minutes.
   • Shaped each loaf into a batard and placed them in the fridge for 8 hours.
3. Baking at Different Durations
   • Oven preheated to 230°C (450°F).
   • Each loaf was baked sequentially to ensure an accurate comparison.
   • Steaming was used for the first half of each bake. Then, the lid was removed for browning.

Baking Times

Bake Time	Steaming Phase	Browning Phase	Total Time
50 min	25 min	25 min	50 min
40 min	20 min	20 min	40 min
35 min	20 min	15 min	35 min
30 min	15 min	15 min	30 min

Each loaf was immediately sliced upon removal from the oven.

The Results: Does Baking Time Cause Gummy Sourdough Bread?

Here’s a summary of my observations:

Bake Time	Crumb Structure	Moisture	Crust	Gumminess	Taste & Texture
50 min	Open and airy	Moist but not wet	Crisp and well-developed	None	Perfect chew and crunch
40 min	Similar to 50 min loaf	Moist but not wet	Crisp	None	No noticeable difference
35 min	Tighter crumb	Slightly denser but not wet	Crisp	Slight gumminess when warm	Slightly different texture
30 min	Noticeably tighter	Initially seems gummy	Crisp	Gummy when warm, but fine when cooled	Similar to 35 min loaf

Conclusion: Can Baking Time Prevent Gummy Sourdough Bread?

Does Baking Time Alone Cause Gumminess?

Not exactly. If you cut it warm, a shorter bake time can make sourdough bread feel gummy, but the crumb is fine once cooled.

From this experiment, I found that even at 30 minutes, the bread wasn’t truly gummy—it was just a bit denser. The gumminess observed was only a temporary effect caused by trapped steam inside the loaf when sliced too early. Once the loaf cooled, the crumb structure stabilized, and the “gummy” sensation disappeared.

Key Takeaways

1. If you want to slice your sourdough warmly, bake it for at least 40 minutes. This helps drive out enough moisture to prevent temporary gumminess.
2. If you bake for 30-35 minutes, let the bread cool completely before slicing. The gumminess will naturally disappear as steam redistributes.
3. Higher hydration doughs likely need longer bake times. While this test used an 80% hydration dough, I suspect that doughs with 85-90% hydration may need even more time to fully set.

What Causes Gummy Sourdough Bread?

Since this test didn’t confirm baking time as the main culprit, I’d love to explore other possible causes.

• Under-fermentation: Does cutting bulk fermentation short lead to gumminess?
• Starter Strength: Does using a weak or immature starter result in a sticky crumb?
• Hydration Levels: At what point does high hydration contribute to gumminess?

These could be the real reasons behind gummy sourdough bread, and I plan to test them in future experiments.

What’s Next?

So, what do you think? Have you ever experienced gummy sourdough bread issues? If so, please drop your suggestions in the comments; I might test them in a future experiment!

Overall, I hope this experiment has helped you better understand the science behind sourdough baking.

Please share this article about gummy sourdough bread on social media