Pro tip: I finally found out why my bread kept coming out dense and it was one number I never checked

Sandra Flores · 2026-10-10T20:20:03.862176+00:00

So I've been baking sourdough at home for about two years now, mostly on weekends in my little apartment kitchen in Sacramento, and I could never figure out why my loaves were coming out dense and gummy in the middle even when the crust looked great. Last month I got frustrated enough that I actually bought a cheap kitchen scale for $12 after reading that cups of flour can vary by like 20 percent depending on how you scoop, and it turns out I was adding way too much flour the entire time. I used to just scoop straight from the bag with my measuring cup, which packs the flour down, so what I thought was 3 cups was more like 4. Now I weigh everything, 500 grams of flour per loaf, and the difference is honestly nuts. My crumb is open, the dough actually feels right when I knead it, and I stopped wasting flour on loaves I'd end up tossing. I felt kind of dumb for not doing this sooner since I'd seen people online say to weigh your ingredients over and over. Anyway, does anyone else have a baking habit they ignored for way too long because it seemed like a hassle? Curious what finally pushed you to change it.

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Pro tip: I finally found out why my bread kept coming out dense and it was one number I never checked | Bakers - Chatter Central