Large holes in bread

Which kind of hole you have

The shape of the hole names the cause.

Many irregular holes throughout

Not a fault. This is a well-fermented, well-handled open crumb and it is what a good sourdough looks like.

One large cavern in the middle

Trapped air from poor shaping, or a large gas pocket that was never degassed.

A tunnel running along the loaf

Usually a shaping fault — the dough was rolled with a gap left inside.

A gap between crust and crumb

Often called a flying crust. Under-proved dough plus fierce oven spring: the crust set before the crumb had finished expanding.

Holes only at the top

Gas rising through a slack dough that could not hold it evenly.

What is causing it

• Shaping that trapped air. Rolling a dough up without pressing each turn leaves a spiral gap that bakes into a tunnel.
• Not degassing before shaping. Large bubbles from the bulk ferment survive into the loaf and become caverns.
• Under-proved dough in a very hot oven. The loaf springs violently, the crust sets, and the crumb pulls away as it continues to rise.
• Too slack a dough for the shape. A very wet dough in a tin cannot hold structure and the gas migrates upwards.
• Uneven shaping tension. A loaf that is tight on one side and loose on the other tears internally as it expands.
• Slashing too shallowly, so the loaf bursts at a weak point instead of opening where you cut it.

Shaping to avoid it

1. Degas deliberately before shaping. Press the dough out flat and push the large bubbles to the edges with your fingertips.
2. Shape on a lightly floured surface, not a heavily floured one — flour trapped inside a fold becomes a seam that does not join.
3. When rolling a loaf, press each turn firmly against the last so no air is enclosed.
4. Build even tension across the whole surface. A well-shaped loaf has a taut skin and a sealed seam underneath.
5. Prove it properly. Under-proved dough is the main cause of a flying crust.
6. Slash decisively, about a centimetre deep, at a shallow angle. A confident cut gives the loaf somewhere to open.
7. Do not over-flour the banneton — the flour ends up inside the loaf at the seam.

When big holes are the point

Ciabatta, focaccia and many sourdoughs are prized for a very open crumb, and there the large irregular holes are a sign of a well-fermented, gently handled dough. A tight even crumb would be the fault.

The practical distinction is whether the holes are distributed. Many holes of many sizes throughout the loaf is an open crumb. One or two holes with dense bread around them is a shaping fault.

There is also a practical objection to a very open crumb that has nothing to do with baking: the butter falls through. A sandwich loaf is meant to have a close even crumb, and shaping it tightly is how you get one.

Common questions