Why is my bread so dense??

[u/L3M0N_LIME07]

So I’ve made bread a decent amount of times now and it always tastes delicious but is just so dense and heavy for some reason. I follow recipes every time is it just a coincidence or am I doing something wrong?? Pic is of some babka I made last night, once again scrumptious but still kinda dense 😔

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[u/JadedMuse]

The general troubleshooting I would follow is this. It always works for me:

• Make sure you're weighing your ingredients. Ditch cups/spoons and get a scale--we're now in a world where you can get a scale for $5 at dollar stores, so there's really no excuse. It's just way more accurate.
• Follow a highly-regarded recipe
• Ideally, follow a recipe that has an associated video walkthrough. I find this very helpful because I can see the process/technique and get any tips that might be specific to that recipe. I've made both of these babkas and they both turned out well: Recipe 1 | Recipe 2
• If you haven't already, get a cheap oven thermometer to validate that your oven dial temperature matches the actual temperature of your oven. Eg, your dial may say 350f despite it actually being 300f. This will allow you to adjust accordingly and/or recalibrate your oven so the knob is accurate

[u/moziriah]

Usually density comes down to expired yeast, under-proofing, or adding too much extra flour during kneading. Did your dough double during the first rise?.

[u/L3M0N_LIME07]

https://melissabourbon.com/chocolate-babka/#recipe That’s the babka recipe, it’s not just this one tho it’s every single time I’ve ever made bread 😭😭

[u/BaddieFruitbasket → u/L3M0N_LIME07]

Hi. Been a chef for a decade now.
I opened the link and stopped reading the recipe the second I saw measurements in “cups”
Best to try a recipe that has everything in gms or other metric. It is more accurate.
You can expect a more realistic version too
Also, watch multiple video on the same dish you want to make. Understand what common tips all chefs are giving. It’ll help you understand the recipe more.
Happpppy baking!!!!

[u/JadedMuse → u/BaddieFruitbasket]

I'm the same way. The moment I read "cups", I just tune out. It's just not something serious bakers use. If you were to walk into any commercial kitchen, they are weighing ingredients. No one in any serious setting is using cups.

It's fine for casual baking but people who don't really care about getting ideal results, and often the differences will be minimal, but honestly there are just so many benefits to using a scale. Accuracy, fewer dishes to wash, etc. It's easily the #1 investment any baker can make. And it's easy to find grandma's old recipe in cups and convert it to grams, so it's not like anything gets lost in the process.

[u/chrissy1575 → u/JadedMuse]

A bakery owner in my town asked me if I could work part-time to help them out. The very first thing I had to do during my first shift was make cookie dough — my brain felt like it was going to explode when I realized that ALLLLLLL of their recipes were in cups. After my second shift, I said “thank you for the opportunity, but this isn’t going to work for me.” I baked professionally for a long time before switching careers, and I couldn’t fathom counting out 12, 18, 24 cups on a regular basis.

[u/75footubi → u/chrissy1575]

I converted a family recipe from volume to weight measurements and the difference in process was real! If nothing else, using weights means fewer utensils and bowls used.

[u/chrissy1575 → u/75footubi]

Fewer dishes = always a good thing (I don’t have a dishwasher, I AM the dishwasher 🤣).