No OvenSpring.

The loaf goes into the oven and comes out looking almost exactly the same. No dramatic rise, no burst along the score, no dome. Just… flat.

Watch: No Oven Spring
sourdough fixes

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1. most common

   Overproofed dough

   When dough overproofs, the yeast exhausts its food supply and the gluten structure weakens. By the time the dough hits the oven, there's no gas left to expand and the weakened structure can't hold a rise. This is the most common cause of no oven spring.
2. very common

   Oven not hot enough

   Sourdough needs a blast of intense heat to spring. If the oven hasn't fully preheated — or if the Dutch oven wasn't also preheated inside it — the dough warms gradually instead of hitting a wall of heat. The yeast produces gas faster than the crust sets, and it all escapes sideways instead of up.
3. common

   Weak or young starter

   A starter that isn't active enough doesn't produce sufficient gas during proofing. By bake time there's simply not enough leavening power to drive a rise. The float test won't save you here — a starter can float without being vigorous enough for a full oven spring.
4. common

   Poor surface tension when shaping

   If the dough wasn't shaped tightly enough, there's no surface tension to contain and direct the expansion upward. The dough spreads rather than rises. Tight shaping isn't about being rough — it's about creating a taut surface that acts like a balloon skin.
5. occasional

   Score too shallow or wrong angle

   The score directs where the loaf opens. Too shallow and it seals shut in the oven heat, trapping expansion. The ideal score is 1cm deep at a 30–45 degree angle along the side of the loaf, not straight down into the top.

1. Turn oven higher and wait longer

   Your oven needs to be at 500°F (260°C) minimum, with the Dutch oven inside for at least 45–60 minutes. Oven thermometers rarely match the dial — buy a $10 oven thermometer and actually check.
2. Score deeper and at an angle

   Re-score the dough if it hasn't gone in yet: 1cm deep, blade held at 30–45 degrees, one confident stroke along the side. Hesitation drags the blade and deflates the dough.
3. Bake from fridge, not room temp

   If your dough is cold from a refrigerator retard, bake it straight from the fridge into the screaming-hot Dutch oven. The temperature shock is what triggers spring.

1. Check starter activity before mixing

   Your starter should double within 4–6 hours of feeding at 75°F. If it takes longer, give it more feedings before baking.
2. Reduce bulk fermentation time

   If overproofing is the culprit, shorten bulk by 30–45 minutes. Use the poke test — a gentle indent should spring back slowly, not immediately and not stay.
3. Preheat Dutch oven inside your oven

   Put the Dutch oven in cold, heat both to 500°F together, and allow at least 45–60 minutes total. Then work fast when loading.
4. Work on shaping tension

   Practice the letter-fold then round shaping method. The dough should feel taut on the surface when you pick it up, like the skin of a drum.