Baking help
What Went Wrong With Your Gluten-Free Bake?
Choose what you noticed, then answer a few questions to find possible causes and an adjustment to try next time.
What did you notice about your bake?
Choose the problem that looks closest to yours.
Can't find the problem you're seeing?
Try Bread Diagnosis with a loaf photoBaking problems at a glance
💔Crumbly or falling apart
When does it crumble: coming out of the pan or as you slice? Look for binder in your blend, then compare the flour and liquid weights with the recipe. For bread, let it cool for the stated time before cutting.
🧱Dense or gummy inside
Think back to when you noticed the gummy or dense texture. Compare the flour and liquid amounts with the recipe, then look at leavening and doneness. Let bread cool as directed before judging a cut slice.
🫓Spread out or lost its shape
For flat cookies or cakes, look at any rest or chilling step your recipe calls for. Flour choice, binder and leavening can play a part too. For yeast bread, compare the rise with the recipe's cue before putting it in the oven.
📉Bread did not rise
Compare the leavener amount with your recipe and prepare it as the package directs. Use the specified rise cues; add a separate yeast-foaming step or extra baking powder only if the recipe calls for it.
🏜️Dry and crumbly
A dry bake is a reason to revisit the flour weight as well as liquid, baking and storage. Cupfuls can vary with how you fill them. A kitchen scale helps you repeat the flour weight so you can compare the next batch with the same recipe.
🔥Burned outside, raw inside
If the outside browns while the center stays raw, compare your oven temperature, pan and rack position with the recipe. Judge the center with its doneness cues, measuring an internal temperature if it gives one.
🍞Sticks to the pan
Think about how you prepared the pan and when you removed the bake. Use the greasing or lining steps for your pan, including silicone, then give it the recipe's cooling time before lifting it out.
🌾Grainy or gritty texture
For a gritty crumb, look at the flour grind and any mixing or resting step you missed. Use superfine flour if the recipe specifies it. Before changing the blend, follow the recipe's hydration steps; brown rice flour isn't necessarily finer.
💧Wet or dense bottom layer
Was the bottom wet while the loaf was hot, or did moisture appear later? Compare doneness and pan removal with your recipe, then cool it on a wire rack as directed before deciding whether baking time needs to change.
💥Split along the side
For a split loaf, compare the pan and batch sizes with your recipe, then look at rise and oven setup. Fill the pan and score the top as that recipe directs before changing the temperature.
Questions about a bake that went wrong
What can make a gluten-free bake crumble?
First, look for binder in your flour blend and compare the flour and liquid weights with the recipe. Crumbling can also come from handling, so note when it starts: in the pan, as you lift it out, or when you slice.
What should I review when a gluten-free bake is dense or gummy?
Liquid, leavening and underbaking are possible causes. If it's bread, think back to when you cut it: slicing before the recipe's cooling period can leave a gummy crumb.
What should I check when a gluten-free bake comes out flat?
Look at the flour and binder you used, then the leavening and any rest or proofing step. For yeast dough, use the recipe's rise cue to decide when it's ready for the oven.
What should I check if my gluten-free bread did not rise?
Start with the leavener: is it in date, and did you prepare it as the package directs? Compare dough temperature and rise with a recipe for your blend, and keep its baking powder amount unless it calls for a change.
What should I review when a gluten-free bake feels dry?
Too much flour is one place to look, especially if you measured it in cups. Compare the liquid amount and baking time too, and note how you stored the bake. Weighing flour makes the amount easier to repeat.
What should I check if the outside burns before the center cooks?
Compare the actual oven temperature with its setting, and look at your pan's size, material and rack position. Use the recipe's doneness cues to judge the center before deciding how to change the next bake.
What should I check when a gluten-free bake sticks to its pan?
Start with the recipe's greasing or lining instructions. A parchment liner may help you lift it out; the cooling time before removal matters too.
What should I review when a gluten-free bake feels gritty?
Look at the flour grind and whether the recipe asks for superfine flour or a batter rest. Follow those steps before changing the blend proportions, since grind and hydration can both affect the texture.