Bread faults and causes

Crust too pale

Not enough milk or sugar, over fermented dough, over proofed, oven temp too low, baking time too short, too much steam

Split or burst crust

Over mixing, under fermented, seam not on the bottom, uneven heat, not enough steam

Poor flavor

Spoiled ingredients, under or over fermented

No flavor

Too little salt

Too much volume

Too little salt, too much yeast, too much scaled dough, over-proofed

Crust too thick

Too little sugar or fat, improper fermentation, baked too long at wrong temp, too little steam

Poor shape

Too much liquid, flour too weak, improper makeup/moulding, improper fermentation or proofing, too much steam

Blisters on crust

Too much liquid, improper fermentation, improper shaping

Crust too dark

Too much milk or sugar, under fermented dough, oven temp too high, baking time too long, not enough steam

Dense or close grained crumb

Too much salt, too little liquid, too little yeast, under fermented, under proofed

Poor volume

Too much salt, too little yeast, too little liquid, weak flour, under or over mixing, oven too hot

Crumb too coarse or open

Too much yeast, too much liquid, incorrect mixing time, improper fermentation, over proofed, pan too big

Gary crumb

Fermentation time too high, temperature too high

Poor texture, or crumbly

Flour too weak, too little salt, fermentation too long or short, over proofed, baking temp too low

Streaked crumb

Improper mixing, poor shaping, too much dusting flour