Bread SOS Episode 5: STICKY / TACKY / GUMMY Sourdough Crumb - Bake with Jack

Overfermentation Video Number 116: • 116: Sourdough: What i...
Send your bread making problems to [e-mail] your name, your location, a method or recipe if possible and the temperature of your kitchen if you know it and we'll get to the bottom of your most common problems right here.
Online Bread Making Courses in the Homebaker's Club: www.bakewithjack.co.uk/online...
Dough Scrapers and more in the SHOP: www.bakewithjack.co.uk/shop
Buy my BOOK
Amazon US: www.amazon.com/BAKE-JACK-Brea...
Amazon CA: www.amazon.ca/dp/1529109701?t...
UK and everywhere else: smarturl.it/BakeWithJack
Sign Up
Home Baker’s Bulletin: www.bakewithjack.co.uk/youtub...
Follow on Instagram: / bakewithjack
Follow on Facebook: / bakewithjack
THANK YOU for supporting me on Patreon: / bakewithjack

[@adrianacantisani]

Just wanted to share one of my first overfermented disasters which I salvaged like this: put it back into a bowl, whipped in a cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1 T baking soda more or less, some milk and a handful of blueberries. Baked it up and it was a nice, albeit dense, breakfast cake! Very digestible, too. Because it was so dense we were fine with a small piece. Just saying to never give up and never throw away ;-) thanks, Jack! xxx from Italy!

[@sharonparker7697]

What a very honest post Jack, a lot of us have lost our way, lost our jobs and are even unable to be with our elderly parents.

[@criswilson1140]

I live in SC, USA and during the summer my kitchen often gets to 80F/27C and higher. When that happens I end up cutting the time in half for the steps in Jack's 101 video. Late spring and early fall I take about 15 minutes off of the steps. As you back more, you will learn from your mistakes and will be able to just look at the dough and know it's time to do the next step or it needs a few more minutes. And listen to Jack, he is awesome.

[@paulakahn9384]

Those are helpful tips for those of us like me in hot places.

[@LeaCrust]

Like lots of people in the world right now Jack, I am in lockdown. But, In Spain which is 1500 kms from my home in mid France. I'm always making bread and follow you and your videos Jack. The nice thing is that there are quite a few of my friends are now making bread and, they too have become Jack addicts. Many thanks for helping to keep us all sane in our hour of "knead"

[@kathleenfairykats1166]

If I have a loaf come out too gummy, I make crispy toast out of it lol Thanks so much, Jack! Steady on for all of us. Kat in Texas.

[@davidsauls9542]

Jack, you are such a good teacher. The way you structure your thoughts and slip in a complex process using simple terms, Brilliant. You could teach anything. Thank you sir.

[@thepowderriverfarrier9545]

Hey mate if you call this "I've lost my way" ... keep it up. Thanks to you I've nailed the 'holy grail', as you call it, of sourdough. What's common to most of us at this time is we're in situations where what we used to use to get by, to manage, no longer works for any number of reasons. This is the time where we're challenged to use all our skills all of our sense of goodness all of our sense of doing what is right in the face of adversity. For you there is no doubt you and your videos are going a very long way to helping us. We may not be able to help you directly but we can turn around and help others as you have unselfishly helped us.

[@101mosioatunya]

I've taken to chanting two mantras: "Try again. Fail again. Fail better" (Samuel Beckett) and "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." (Henry Ford). Thank you for your posts, Jack :-)

[@virginiatozier9957]

Only able to get to the local mom and pop store now. All purpose, bleached,but I refuse not to be grateful. I quartered your sourdough recipe, that way if it comes out terrible I don't have to eat too much of it.

[@johnweimer3249]

Jack I have to say, baking with you makes me happy. You have a way about you that just makes me feel good. I’m learning so much and thank you for this channel. You mix the simple with the complex. You make it easy for beginners and then bring it from easy to advanced seamlessly. Thank you., “Happy Jack!!” The Who ❤️ Standing tall and proud.

[@irener1111]

Keep on keepin on Jack, you are doing an amazing job and helping us all find our bread making way!

[@carlablanc7473]

Hang in there Jack, never stop doing this its the best! 🥰🙏

[@uzername1nvalid]

Man, your presentation and delivery of information is so refreshing and digestible. Keep up the great work!

[@radosvetav]

It does help A LOT this is the answer to a question I've asked over and over on forums, boards, blogs and all, nobody was getting what I was asking. Thank you I hope more people discover your channel it will be game changing

[@debbiejohnson4034]

I love tacky! A bit rubbery, yum! I do make sure the bread temperature is 100-105 c or 210f when I take it out of the oven. Love Jack’s videos!

[@gabijones2445]

Just listening to you rattle along is helpful. You always have a bright spirit about you. Thanks Jack, you and yours stay well.

[@solarpony]

Thank you for your enlightenment on the tacky crumb. I just made my first sourdough, I suspect that my starter is not strong enough, because after 8 hours of bulk fermentation, it only got a 30% rise. Anyhow, I was able to shape it easily and put it into the basket in the fridge. It stayed there for 12 hours. It was very easy to score, did not stick to the basket, and went into a cast iron dutch oven at 500. I achieved a beautiful ear and good oven spring after 20 minutes. Baked for another 20. Cut into it after over 2 hours of cooling. And the crumb is absolutely beautiful and open, however it is denser and has some tackiness to it, nothing major. I assumed it was because my starter wasn't strong enough to fully inflate it, and now you say it's the Holy Grail of sourdough bakers lol

[@vikkiwilliams3960]

Thanks Jack, you're videos are unbelievably helpful, from beginning to end, I hope you keep doing them now that I've discovered you! Victoria, Wales.

[@MamaTeeHam]

You know that scene in The Matrix where humans can "upload" complex skills and training into their brains in just a few seconds? I would love to use it to acquire Jack's bread making skills & knowledge.

[@WunderBrot]

Hahah that's the thing about bread! It's all about patience and trial and error. :)

[@craigkelly7288]

Guy's a legend, glad to see sub numbers increasingly close to 100k. Loaf 130 and sourdough recipes are my go to's now.

[@fionang4414]

I'm from Sg too! Psyched to see you have fans from around the world. Love your videos, been very helpful. You are a great teacher!! :) Hope you and your family are keeping well in these uncertain times.

[@marinak5112]

Jack, your advice is invaluable! You helped me some much in conquering my first sourdough! Thank you so, so much. From Russia with love!

[@shaunb813]

Also, people may be cutting the loaf before it's cooled properly. I've found that waiting at least an hour after baking makes a less tacky/crumpet-like crumb

[@gattamom]

Shaun B This, for sure👆

[@criswilson1140]

That's why I make two loaves. One to eat right out of the oven while it's chewy and gummy and smells so good. The other loaf for later. :-)

[@melanieweaver7331]

And if you can wait til the next day, it is usually less sticky.

[@sharendonnelly7770]

Much value, Jack! After your response to my "sticky dough" problem, and now this sticky crumb video, I have a much clearer understanding of how this is process supposed to work out. Very valuable information and very much appreciated!

[@keithdunton1769]

Always on point Jack!! Love your Humor and the Joy you bring every Thursday.. Oh Yeah, thanks for the tips... Using over fermented Starter.🥴 New Mexico, USA😉👍🏼

[@garylester8621]

Good pep talk. From Texas.

[@oneswtl8y]

Perfect timing! My last loaves were..slightly sticky. After this vid I think it just needed a couple more mins in the oven. Thanks!

[@Fritzyritz]

We are all losing our way and finding it again! Hang in there Jack. Making bread grounds us all x

[@kestag2110]

Thanks Jack. I made my first loaf of sourdough bread last weekend. The crumb was a little doughy but it still tasted very good. I think it was due to my wholemeal spelt starter. I really appreciate your channel, it’s given me the motivation to bake 👩🏻‍🍳🍞

[@corey688]

Thanks Jack for chasing the bread passion flame again and sharing it with the world.

[@gloglos100]

That soft slightly gummy is the holy grail for me...perfect crumb .....think of extreme gummieness in bought crumpets.. I have tasted the holy grail in a still slightly warm bread from an excellent sourdough teacher....so if it was left overnight this probably has gone on the dry crumb bread. Thank you Jack, love your permissiveness and generosity of soul. Not a controller!!

[@janeneathey8977]

Hi Jack. Spot on, as always. My dough was very sticky and spread even when coming out of the fridge. The bread was a little dense but tasted great - now I know why! Hang on in there, we’re all there with you and willing you to do well. And BTW, thanks for getting more stock in, I can’t wait for my scrapers to arrive - it’s what’s keeping me going this week 😜 xxx

[@nichj487]

Hope you’re doin ok mate 👏

[@barbaragoss6177]

Keeping my diary, making small mistakes and rectifying them !Sourdough is a challenge I'm enjoying, competant with yeasted breads !Stay well and safe from Tasmania Australia, 😷😷♥️

[@matth5680]

I got my first Sourdough starter from Oatlands in Tassie back in 2011. Unfortunately I've had to start several new starters due to my bad parenting, but it was there that I started my Sourdough journey. 😊

[@toddcranston498]

We are with you, Jack! With your advice I’ve been baking up a storm here in Rochester, NY. Your content has allowed me to make some delicious sourdough, focaccia, and English muffins for me and mine. If you’ve lost your way know that you’re helping a 6th, 4th, 1st, and preschooler learn all about bread and all the biochem, math, and PATIENCE that comes with it. Keep your chin up...you make a difference...

[@rhianhowell4415]

Jack you've not lost your way... Your on your way to big things. I can see a huge future for you, where are these TV companies to snap you up! Keep going, We're all here to support you. Your number one fan in Wales, Rhian

[@diezelpopa2896]

Wow, Jack really knows what he's talking about. Very informative and refreshing video. Thanks!

[@landoutdoors860]

This just happened to me, I threw it in the fridge somewhere between the "Fragile" and the scrambled egg stages. tossed the clump of dough into the Dutch oven anyways, and ended up with a loaf of bread that was exactly as he described. Dense, "gummy" and more sour than I like. Its Edible, even enjoyable toasted with butter, but now I know what to look for, and what to avoid, when doing a bulk ferment in the 90+ degree summer heat and almost 100% humidity.

[@clairbellatv]

Your videos have been highly recommended in our local sourdough FB group in Singapore! Your tips absolutely made a great difference between my sticky, flat, gummy first loaf to a better second loaf that actually looked like bread. 😅

[@lindacampbell316]

This is so helpful. From time to time this has happened to me as well. This gummy texture. Your explanations truly helped me to figure out the REASON for this outcome. You are doing an amazing job and helping so many people. I am separated from all of my family including my 90 year old mum and at times, I do feel lost, but I am much better off than many others. I really look forward to every Thursday to watch your channel and new posts. I like many are so grateful for your presence and your spirit. Be safe Linda Quebec Canada

[@juliew8]

As usual, you have all the answers! I feel my result is what you describe as the "Holy Grail" result and my feeling I'd done something wrong is because I'm comparing your recipe to the Pain au Levain from Peter Reinhart's book, which I made last week. It's like a completely different bread. So, now I know it IS completely different bread and your directions turned out the result I was supposed to get and my thermometer probe isn't broken.

[@SweetThuy]

My sourdough has never been that nice and tall before I started Jack's easy method. It's absolutely foolproof! I'm just taking it from there and tweaking it a bit according to my preference, but it is the best starting point! With all the other method my loaf began spreading and looked like it melted all the way sideways lol. Many greetings from Germany - and thank you so much for helping hobby bakers around the world improve!💗

[@SportsRx]

Thanks Jack that’s helpful. Just made my first sourdough in a tin!

[@soniaclarkson3766]

Jack you are soooo helpful!! I learn tons every time i watch a video. Thanks so much for what you do for all of us!!

[@dianesandland8068]

Jack finally having fun baking. My first sourdough bread is actually edible thanks to you, even using whatever flour I could get my hands on I used common sense when adding water. By Jove it worked!

[@Bakewithjack]

Nice one Diane ☺️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@mikepapa3196]

Hi Jack, just to let know I had these problems until I found your recipe and method back in sept/oct last year. People give me so many comments when eating my loaves, "how did you get a crispy outer and soft slightly moist crumb?" I tell them it's a secret and then tell them to check out "Bake with Jack" Thanks soooo much mate! Cheers Mike from New Zealand

[@kaitlyncaple8444]

Thank you! For the last 3 weeks o have made probably 20 loaves of the coveted NY Times no mead artisan bread, trying to tweak something each time in hopes of having a less moist bread. It kept coming out of the oven super gummy and tacky, and I could not find a video or forum to help for the life of me! I’m so happy to hear that this is normal and now I have some better ideas of how to solve my “problem.” Now I can finally stop feeling disappointed every time I slice into a loaf!

[@tammydelarosabunch8160]

Thank you!!!! I had the same question. You've been my biggest go-to person in my sourdough making journey. ❤

[@ciaranass393]

Thank you, Jack, for these videos. I have been trying to make sourdough bread for years now and only just discovered your channel. I have had several Aha moments thanks to your videos and super helpful tips. So hopefully I will soon be making some good bread finally!

[@WunderBrot]

Great advice! Always love your videos Jack! Getting the fermentation right is such a challenge. I have learned (the hard way!) to always follow the cues the dough is giving you instead of the cues from your clock or a recipe! Keep up the great content!

[@redblondie7038]

I'm so pleased I found your videos, Jack! I've tried baking a few loaves recently and none of them came out right. I'd been searching for an English sourdough video (no offence to the US ones, but your climate, flour etc IS different) for ages and luckily came across yours. I have learnt sooooooooo much watching the videos over the last couple of days. I've got starter coming out of my ears (it literally fermented all over the worktop) and it smells really acidic/acetoney. I'm going to throw most of it away this afternoon and reboot my starter from a much smaller amount, and hopefully bake tomorrow. I thought I'd been helping the dough along by letting it rise in a sink of warm water, but now I know I've more likely wrecked it by doing that (it always spreads out and doesn't hold its shape). I don't have a proving basket at the moment (everywhere is sold out online), so I'm making do with a loaf tin. Sorry for the long post, but I'm excited to get going afresh after watching your videos. Thank you!

[@sarahgee8365]

Thanks Jack. Keep on steadily. Hope your way is a bit clearer. Your wisdom and advice is so valuable. What an eye-opener about how excess over-proving affects dough. Wow!

[@Mrsfabiana]

Ok so I’ve learnt from this video that you shouldn’t leave your dough too long at room temperature not to overferment it, but in another video you mentioned developing better taste and structure leaving it in the fridge longer (yours had been for 6 days). At this point forgotten what my question was...but allright🤪 Liked you as always, good-humored witty informative assertive guy😜

[@brennedownie419]

BakerJack!! Brenne from a south Africa. I am very proud to report that I have finally made a loaf of bread. It looks like bread, tastes like bread and toasts like bread!! After 6 weeks of trying... finally!! I am so happy! Thank you! Any chance u could do a video similar to ‘yeasted loaf start to finish no ads’ but for a bloomer? Or have u already?

[@calvinjones2136]

Hey Jack. Another fantastic and informative vid. Thanks for passing on the knowledge and helping an amateur sourdough baker. All the best pal ✊🏿

[@olivepressdesign]

Love your videos and I’m enjoying the scraper :)

[@maryireland4253]

Hi, Jack, I have never made sourdough bread and probably never will, but I still benefit from your videos about it. You always have some valuable tip that applies to bread in general. I also love the way you interject bits of philosophy with your advice and instruction.

[@KimSooAcu]

episode 5 - man, what a long way you & your channel have come!

[@alfia6690]

Hilariously and charmingly inspirational!

[@berkeleybenje]

I LOVE 💕 a slightly moist sourdough bread crumb. It took me a while to get it right.

[@fromtheflightdeck252]

Very helpful..thanks Jack

[@traiaberg]

Wow I just happen to be scrolling through your videos looking for some more Super Helpful sourdough tips. I just backed a loaf that this happened to me for the first time. It was a beautiful dark golden brownish color great crispy crust my scoring came out decent. Low and behold while cutting into it I felt that sticky feel on the inside like you just described 😧 I thought because I messed around with different flours this time maybe my formula was too hydrated or some other mess up. This was only my third batch my first two came out perfect. This is good to know since sticky inside is not what I want for my bread it’s okay to toast only for me. Oh I have to watch every single video before my next batch. After watching many...and we know there are hundreds of how to sourdough videos yours has been by far “ The Best” for me Thank you Jack

[@222NancyG]

I've been baking your bread and it's been great!! I have been freezing it and it is the best. I thought I knew how to make bread before watching your videos...but I guess I was wrong. LoL

[@StarlightStream]

Thank you so much for yet another video. I really enjoyed that.

[@elliottrichmondwp]

Top tips, thanks Jack you're a star man!

[@Bizak057]

Thanks Jack! Look forward to the video next week.

[@jazminpoyser6351]

This is great! Thank you for this. I now know why I’ve had ‘gummy bread’... Keep up the great work, your channel is amazing! Good luck with the way-finding - from an Aussie living in France and a few months into the Sourdough culture 🙌🏻

[@unclemattscookerylessons]

I've made a few sourdough loaves in the last month or so with differing results, my last one I now think based on this excellent video is that it must have overfermented. So I'll reduce that fermentation time next time. Thanks Jack, and now have my bake with Jack bench scraper

[@svenleeuwen]

Yes, indeed exactly what I was looking for!

[@patriciabutler8248]

You will feel better soon , only a few hrs ago you needed 600 for the 100,000 now at 7.20 it's 100. Hurray!

[@blayne2029]

Congrats on 100K subscribers. You're almost there!

[@Bakewithjack]

Nearly...

[@timtimco]

Very inspiring, thanks a lot!!!

[@tarac5137]

Thanks, Jack! That was very helpful. I live in a warm climate (Florida, US) and I suspect my dough has been over-fermented at times.

[@vh7223]

Oh gosh .... thank you soo much. This was the answer to my question

[@jefftow1]

Very good info as always

[@goldenrule4064]

Illuminating. TY

[@jakemitchell1671]

I've been making some of the best yeast bread for the past couple years. It's really, really good. So I wanted to try sourdough. I created a good, bubbly, active starter over a period of about a month, watched 100 videos and went to work. I have not made ONE decent loaf of sourdough since that day. NO MATTER what I do the bread is dense and gummy. I've tried various hydration, different flours, fermentation times, temperatures, etc. It seems like it's not cooked long enough, but the outside sometimes gets rock hard, down to about 1/16th of an inch. If I cook it longer the crust will break teeth. I'm about to give up. Instant yeast is my friend! LOL

[@niklloyd-roberts4582]

Thank you Jack. Your videos are great - honest, simple and uncomplicated. Is there any chance you could give a rough guideline to fermentation times for various temperatures. I know baking isn’t an exact science in certain areas (perhaps this being one of them) but for those of us home bakers without fermentation stations, I think this could certainly help. Cheers mate!

[@9brian99]

Very impressed by your global reach. Keep it up. Looking forward to getting some flour the I’ll be able to bake again, did manage to get some yeast last week though.

[@Fidr_]

His hair looks really nice, his tats and his baking 💕😍

[@jee1shi]

I faced the same problem as Carmen. This is the first time I have made your sourdough recipe and I was surprised to see it come out "gummy". I didn't have a basket so I tried to shape the dough for a tin, and chucked it into the fridge. The next morning, I saw that the dough hadn't expanded enough to fill the tin so I left it out for a further 3-4 hours to fill it out. I suspect it may be either the over fermentation or the skin forming on the top of the dough not allowing it to rise, and the crust baking up before the dough inside had a chance to release its water. I'll give it another go and report back. Thanks for all the videos Jack!

[@michaellindasnyder7545]

Best wishes to you and your!

[@priscillareeve]

I'm making my third loaf now. Again in a tin. When the baneton arrives the tin will not be necessary - I hope!

[@WunderBrot]

You can also use a normal basket with a kitchen towel in it to do a cold proof! I have a few suggestions in my video on how to make a sourdough starter! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmPRm2eump2kjtE

[@sorenrasmussen8676]

The first couple of times you use a banneton it will not work. But don’t give up. You will improve if you are willing to learn. 50/50 AP flour and rice flour is the solution 😀 And proper shaping

[@ar2ro66]

Great explanation, I believe that I have been over fermenting a bit my doughs. Additionally I like to use more complex flours (in combination with white of course) like Rye or Spelt, which I believe only makes it more difficult but the taste makes it worth it.

[@itsame_th2283]

Just found your channel mate and just wanna say thanks, you seem like you can teach a man to fish

[@carlzy85]

I had this exact issue, i baked it for an extra 10 minutes at a slightly lower temperature and it didnt help. My issue turned out to be under fermentation. I didnt check the temperature of my room or water and followed the recipe based on time. When i checked the temperature i was at 19.5C so i added an extra stretch and then fermented for another 2 hours, when i came to the dough it was visibly puffed up, much more than i noticed before. Then i moved on to shaping and fridge and it came out spot on.

[@paulinapingkan2023]

I wish you've come to tropical country and making bread there, so you could give some advices😉

[@trevorh.3183]

Love your videos Jack & I'm learning soo much. I am enjoying making & baking Sourdough Bread. And, really loved the start of this vid where you are typing but the laptop isn't on (black/blank screen) , setting the scene to pivot , look @ your camera and give that cheesy smile of yours 🤗 😃 .

[@lizbrett2731]

I’ve had the opposite problem where I’ve been thinking my sourdough crumb is a bit dry and now I think it’s because I’ve extended the baking time as the oven I’m using is cooler than mine. Next time I’ll cut 5 or 10 minutes off the cooking time and hopefully get back to that slightly rubbery crumb that I love.

[@defiant85]

I live in Malaysia and experienced the same issues as Carmen and currently experimenting on fermentation duration as Jack suggested. The duration with the best result so far was when I halved the duration from Jack's instructions. I am still experimenting to get the perfect timing.

[@danielsay9842]

Hi Jack - i'm genuinely a huge fan and have hinted at my partner to get me bread baking lessons with you for my birthday (if we're out of lock down) I've been experimenting with Chapatti flour and found that its actually really excellent for bread - both yeasted and sourdough. You need a little extra hydration (I used 500g of flour to 382g/ml of water in my yeasted loaf) but get a really nice light crumb. I thought this might be something you'd be interested to look into as my local supermarket still has massive 10kg bags of it for £5 whilst still struggling with bread flour supplies. The bread is really tasty and I'm not sure i'm going to go back to using bread flour. Thanks loads, there no way I'd be able to impress my friends with my bread if it wasn't for this channel.

[@rosasaeidizand8438]

Thank you!!

[@michaelsmith-ue9lr]

In cases of over fermentation could you supplement your dough with vital wheat gluten in order to gain more structure? Genuinely curious! Fantastic videos, so accessible and informative!

[@rlwalker2]

Son of a gun. This was exactly what I needed. My current loaf is delicious, appears baked to perfection, had the right internal temperature, thumped just right, etc. BUT had that bit of moisture on the inside that other bakers mentioned. I'll try to cut back a bit on that fermenting time before the refrigerator time and see what that does. I do, however, enjoy that sourdough tang so if reducing the fermentation time also reduces that I'll live with the bit of moisture. Thanks so much for this video. So timely it is spooky.

[@tedbrogan1262]

Great video.

[@7mylilybelle]

I am subscribed but not receiving any weekly updates? I was about to throw in the towel with sourdough etc until I found your videos. brilliant

[@lissyperez4299]

Underfermentation can also give a gummy texture. 😊

[@datqn7244]

My first sourdough loaf is kinda sticky inside (probably underbaked) but it's quite good and it tastes amazing when toasted.

[@kimrobertson1647]

HELP!! Rye Sourdough Springwater Bread BRICK!!! No idea what happened, it's just horrible, dry, rock like, can barely cut it.....using it for dog treats. Can also be used as a weapon, if I could lift it. Memphis, TN

[@archkod]

Great Haircut! :-)

[@Mongiloyd]

I'd say all of these comments could also apply to under fermented dough. Maybe slight different and not having the jelly stages and beyond. And as Jack said, I learned and from my own experience I found that I was under proofing haha!