When sourdough works, it feels almost magical.
When it doesn’t—it can be incredibly frustrating.
If your sourdough starter won’t rise, your dough becomes sticky or impossible to shape, or your bread turns out flat, dense, or overly sour, you’re not alone. These are some of the most common sourdough baking problems—and in most cases, they have clear and fixable causes.
When Sourdough Goes Wrong is a practical sourdough troubleshooting guide designed to help home bakers understand what is happening inside their starter, dough, and fermentation process—and how to fix it with confidence.
This book is especially helpful if you’re trying to understand why sourdough fails and how to fix sourdough problems with simple, practical steps.
Instead of guessing, restarting recipes, or feeling discouraged, you’ll learn how to recognise problems early and apply simple solutions that actually work.
Inside this book, you’ll discover how to:
revive a weak or inactive sourdough starterhandle sticky, tight, or unpredictable doughrecognise fermentation problems before they ruin your breadimprove shaping and oven springavoid the most common sourdough baking mistakesadapt and rescue dough when things don’t go as planned
Written in a calm, clear, and practical style, this guide helps home bakers build confidence while mastering the essential foundations of sourdough baking.
Whether you’re just starting your sourdough journey or trying to solve frustrating baking problems, this book will help you better understand your dough and bake more consistent, satisfying bread.
All the techniques in this guide rely on simple kitchen tools you already have—mixing bowls, a spoon, and a home oven. No special equipment is required, though optional tools are discussed for those who want to explore further.
Because every sourdough problem has a solution—and every loaf is another step toward better bread.
