What Does OverProofed Sourdough Bread Look Like?

As a sourdough baker, you have probably heard the term “over-proofed sourdough”. But as a newbie, you might be asking yourself, “What is it and what does overproofed sourdough bread look like? Well, you’re in the right place!

Explore the realm of sourdough baking, where we uncover the ins and outs of over-proofed sourdough. Discover why it happens, how to spot it, and the tricks to keep your sourdough from over-fermenting.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned sourdough baker, you are bound to bake a few … or many … over-proofed loaves. First, know that you are not alone! This is an inevitable, but growing, part of learning the process of sourdough.

There are so many aspects of sourdough that it can seem quite overwhelming in the beginning. But like with anything else, the more exposure you have to it, the more you learn and grow. 

So, what is over-proofed sourdough? Why does it happen? What does overproofed sourdough bread look like? How do you prevent over-proofing your dough?

All valid questions. Let’s dive in!

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What is Proofing?

Before we can discover what over-proofed sourdough is, let’s back up and learn what proofing is in general. 

In sourdough baking, proofing plays a crucial role in developing the flavor, structure, and texture of the bread. 

It consists of two distinct phases: bulk fermentation and final fermentation.

So let’s break it down. 

Bulk Fermentation

Bulk fermentation, often referred to as the bulk rise, is the dough’s first rise after mixing the initial ingredients. 

During this stage, the dough undergoes a slow fermentation process where wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria begin to feed on the sugars in the flour. This results in the production of carbon dioxide gas, which causes the dough to expand and rise.

Bulk fermentation can last from several hours to an overnight proof, depending on the recipe and other factors.

Final Fermentation

After the bulk fermentation, the dough is shaped into its final form and then enters the final fermentation stage, also known as the final proof. This can be done at room temperature on in the refrigerator, also known as a cold proof. 

During this step, the shaped dough is allowed to rest and rise once more. When done in the fridge at a lower temperature, this slower, cold fermentation allows the flavors to further mature and intensify while slowing down the activity of the yeast and bacteria. 

The cold-proof can last anywhere from several hours to a few days, depending on the desired results and recipe.

In summary, bulk fermentation is the dough’s initial rise where it gains its foundational flavor and structure, while final fermentation, or cold-proof, is the second rise that takes place at a lower temperature, enhancing the bread’s flavor and texture before it’s baked to perfection. 

Understanding and mastering these two phases is essential for achieving the ideal characteristics in your sourdough bread.

Signs that Your Sourdough Bread is Properly Proofed:

Now that we know why we have to proof our sourdough, it’s important to know the signs of adequately proofed sourdough.

How can you distinguish a fully proofed sourdough loaf versus an under or over-proofed bread? 

Let me share!

Here are some telltale signs of a beautifully proofed and baked sourdough loaf. 

Rounded shape 

After baking, the first telltale sign of properly proofed sourdough is a beautifully risen and rounded appearance with a slightly domed top. Slicing into your sourdough, you will find what some call “rounded shoulders”. This means the sourdough loaf is as round as it is tall. This shows that your bread had a good oven spring, or that it rose properly while it baked. 

Under-proofed sourdough will typically have a pyramid shape, meaning, it will typically have a tall center, but flat corners. Oftentimes, the tall center will come from large air pockets, or tunneling, in the crumb.

Over-proofed sourdough most likely will be rather flat because it was unable to rise during the baking time due to the weak structure of the dough.

No dense crumb

Sourdough that has been proofed well will have a light and open crumb, or the interior part of your sourdough bread. With a sufficient amount of gas bubbles through the dough, the bread will rise and cook properly. The dough won’t be undercooked, dense, or gummy in taste.

Consistent holes throughout the crumb

When you slice into your sourdough loaf, you will find small and medium holes through the loaf. Many times under-proofed dough that has been baked will have larger holes near the top of the crust.

Over-proofed sourdough will have more medium to small holes, and often a dense bottom since the weight of the dough is crushing the air bubbles.

What is Over-Proofed Sourdough?

Over-proofed sourdough bread occurs when the dough has fermented for too long during the bulk or final rise before baking.

In the sourdough bread-making process, yeast and bacteria in the starter culture produce carbon dioxide gasses, which causes the dough to rise and develop its characteristic texture, and acid, which breaks down the strength of the gluten developed in the dough.

However, if the dough is left to ferment for an excessive amount of time, it can become over-inflated and acidic, losing its structure and strength. This results in a bread that is excessively puffy, sticky, lacks good oven spring and may have an overly tangy flavor due to the prolonged fermentation. 

The resulting bread is often characterized by a flattened appearance, a spongy crumb structure, and a less-than-desirable taste and texture compared to properly-proofed sourdough bread.

What Can Affect Your Proofing?

There are many factors of the sourdough process that can affect the crumb of your sourdough loaf, but the greatest step to hone in on is your bulk fermentation. Most often, this step will determine whether your bread will be under, over, or properly proofed.

There are three factors that are the key contenders in affecting your proofing process and ultimately, your final crumb. 

Time

This was the hardest for me to get a handle on because instead of a traditional yeast recipes where you can follow the recipe strictly by time, this isn’t always the case with sourdough. When it comes to baking sourdough, some loaves will take longer to ferment, while others with take less time. This is because warmer temperatures or varying amounts of starter can alter the sourdough baking process. 

Therefore, I would recommend that you find a sourdough bread recipe that you like and try it again and again until you discover what timing and routine works best for your situation and enviornment.

Temperature

Most recipes will base their time measurements given in a recipe on a 72-degree space. But this may not be the case for you – your room temperature may run cooler or may be much hotter than that. Dependent on your situation you will need to either increase or decrease your fermentation times. 

Sourdough loves warmer temperatures. In high temperatures, the wild yeasts will feed and release gas at a much faster rate than in a cooler spot. Many people will need to be reminded of this, especially during season changes. 

It is best to regularly check on your dough when you are trying to identify how it is reacting to your baking environment. 

Sourdough Starter

Your proofing will also be affected by your sourdough starter. You want to use your starter when it’s mature and at its optimal strength. You mustn’t use your starter before its peak (when the starter has doubled in size and the top of the starter is no longer rounded and instead is starting to droop). This starter is optimal. Use a starter before or past its peak, it will be a weak starter, which can slow down the proofing process. 

It also depends on how much sourdough starter you use in a recipe. Use a larger amount, your bulk fermentation will take a much shorter time because the wild yeast can feed on the flour quickly. Use a smaller amount of sourdough starter, it will take the wild yeast longer.

What Does Overproofed Sourdough Bread Look Like:

So what does overproofed sourdough bread look like? Here are some quick ways to identify pre-bake and post-bake. 

Pre-Bake:

Large bubbles on the top with a thin membrane: 

If you see large bubbles on top of your sourdough with a thin membrane after the bulk fermentation, the dough may have been over-proofed.

Sticky/ wet to touch: 

After bulk fermentation, your sourdough dough should be tacky in feel, not sticky or wet. If you notice moisture on top of your dough or it feels like wet dough, you may have over-proofed it. 

The dough is runny, and won’t hold its shape: 

After a cold-proof, once you flip the shaped sourdough loaf out of its proofing basket, the dough will no longer hold that round boule or batard shape. Instead, you will notice that it looks runny on the parchment paper. That’s because the acid has broken down the gluten development and it can no longer hold its shape. This is a common sign for over-proofed dough. 

Scoring tags: 

A well-proofed sourdough will usually come with a smooth, slick cut. Scoring over-proofed dough will be more finicky. The dough will often stick to the lame or sharp knife, making it a struggle to cut. The scoring might look jagged. Again, this is due to the weak gluten development in the dough. 

Scoring spreads open like a book: 

​Once the dough has been scored, it won’t take long for the scoring to drastically open, instead of beautifully displaying a scoring design. 

Post-Bake: 

Flat as a pancake

The quickest way to spot an over-proofed sourdough is by how it looks. After baking it will be a flat disc. It’s because the starter has exhausted its gas-producing yeast activity during the prolonged fermentation, leading to a weak dough that cannot support a proper rise in the oven.

Dull in color

Oftentimes, over-proofed dough is dull in color. The prolonged fermentation process causes the dough’s enzymes to break down the natural pigments in the flour, resulting in a paler and less vibrant crust.

Crumb is dense and gummy

Biting into over-proofed dough, you will notice the crumb is dense and gummy. Due to the weak dough structure, the gases will escape during the baking process, which results in a dense and overly moist texture.

No proper ear

Over-proofed dough lacks a proper ear because the extended fermentation weakens the dough’s structure, preventing it from holding a distinct and crisp “ear” or crust formation during baking.

Scoring is stretched and wide

The dough structure can’t hold the tension created by the scoring slashes, which causes them to spread more than desired during baking.

Small holes with raggy edges

Over-proofed sourdough crumb has small holes with raggedy edges, almost sponge-like, resulting in irregular, uneven hole formation.

Ways to Test for Over-proofed Sourdough Bread:

Poke Test: 

One method that you can use to test the proofing of the dough is the Poke Test. Watching the dough rise after you make an indent can share with you some important clues as to where your dough is in the proofing process.

**This test only works if your final proof is done at room temperature. Using this test is not reliable when using dough that was cold-proofing in the fridge.**

The longer the dough ferments, the weaker and more gaseous the dough becomes.

To do so, take a finger dipped in flour or water and make an indent on the surface of the dough. How the dough reacts can tell about the stage of proofing your dough is currently in.

Underproofed Dough: 

If the dough springs back quickly, this is a sign that the dough is under-proofed. Simply allow the dough more time to prove and check back again at a later time!

Properly Proofed Dough:

A finger indent in a properly proofed dough will rise slowly as if it were just waking up. There may be a tiny indent left as well. This is a great sign that your sourdough has been properly proofed.

Overproofed Dough

When you poke an over-proofed dough, the indent will not rise whatsoever, and instead, the indent will remain. 

If this happens, you can continue with your sourdough recipe and bake it! It will most likely still be delicious with a healthy slab of butter on it. Plus, if the bread doesn’t turn out as you had hoped, you can always transform it into lovely Sourdough Breadcrumbs, Sourdough Croutons, Sourdough French Toast Casserole, Sourdough Strata or Sourdough Bread Pudding!

If you rather not bake the bread, best to use some of the rescue ideas I mention below. 

How to Rescue Over-proofed Dough:

If you’ve concluded that you have over-proofed sourdough, I want to remind you not to throw it away!! Praise be, not is all lost. You still have a lovely fermented piece of dough that, when baked, can still be edible and tasty. The only difference is that your dough won’t rise to its greatest potential.

These are a few options that you can choose to transform your over-proofed dough into:

Focaccia 

This has to be my favorite way of salvaging over-proofed sourdough dough. Focaccia is a thick flatbread that is traditionally covered in olive oil and topped with salt. There are plenty of variations one can explore, from adding fresh or dried herbs to a variety of cheeses, and plenty of sliced veggie options.

Grab a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil, and then the dough on top. Then spread it around with your hands. Flip the dough and top it with a drizzle more olive oil. Dimple the dough with your fingers. This allows the oil to pool and create a flavorful and crispy crust. Top with flakey salt and any other tasty toppings. Bake at 425 for 20-25mins or until golden brown.

Pizza Crust 

​Turn this delicious focaccia into a meal! Overproofed pizza dough will make a delicious crust. Once baked, top with sauce, cheese, and all your favorite toppings. Place under a low broil until all the cheese is melted. A baker’s mistake just turned into a satisfying meal the whole family will love.

Flatbread

Section your dough into 12 or so equal pieces. Roll them into dough balls and then flatten them with a rolling pin. Heat a pan on the stovetop and fry for a few minutes on each side. Find the full recipe here.

Tortillas 

​Same process as I just described for flatbread, but divide the dough into more sections, say 16 or more. Then roll out the dough until very thin, almost translucent before frying. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Find the full recipe here.

Happy baking!

More Sourdough Tips & Techniques:

Make A Sourdough Starter – A From Scratch Recipe

How Long Does Sourdough Discard Last in a Jar?

How to Freeze Sourdough Bread: A Complete Guide