Hi Friends,

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I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to get serious about baking fantastic bread.

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Quick clarification before we dive into this tricky topic:
I’m not talking about loaves that sink on top—that’s usually overproofing.

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I’m talking about loaves that look fine out of the oven, then cave inward on the side as they cool. That kind of collapse almost always points to a structure problem, not fermentation. Here are the most common reasons.

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• Salt was omitted or drastically reduced​
Salt strengthens gluten. Without it, dough rises but the side walls can’t support themselves.

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• Dough was too wet​
Slack dough lacks sidewall strength. As steam escapes during cooling, the sides pull inward.

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• Pan too small for the dough​
Forcing dough upward creates thin, weak sides that collapse as the loaf cools.

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• Poor shaping or an unsealed seam​
A weak seam becomes a fault line. Collapse often happens exactly where tension was missing.

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• Not enough surface tension​
Even sealed loaves need tension to support the sides—especially soft sandwich doughs.

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• Weak gluten structure​
From insufficient kneading, whole-grain dough without enough hydration or rest, or flour that’s too low-protein (i.e. substituting all-purpose flour for bread flour) for a tall loaf.

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• Oven not fully hot​
If the loaf expands before the sides set, the structure forms unevenly and fails during cooling.

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• Sliced or unmolded too soon​
Bread continues setting as it cools. Cut early, and the crumb compresses inward—usually on the sides first.

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Bottom line:​
Side collapse usually means the dough rose fine—but the gluten, shaping, or pan size wasn’t strong enough to hold the loaf as it cooled.
​This kind of collapse is about structure, not yeast.

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If the loaf caves in, think strength.
If it splits open, think pressure.

We'll talk more about that next time.

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Wishing you a wonderful New Year,

Paula Rhodes | Home Economist

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p.s. Reminder: You can find all of my previous emails under "Newsletters" at the bottom of any page on my website or under the WELCOME tab at the top.

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