Why is my bread dry and crumbly?

I have lots of people calling with the same questions and came to the conclusion that maybe there are a lot people out there with those same questions but simply haven't called to ask.

1. My bread is dense, dry and crumbly. What am I doing wrong?

Solutions:
I know it will be hard to believe but you are adding too much flour. 

 
a. If you are using your Bosch Universal Mixer, you add flour till it just starts pulling away from the side of the Bosch bowl. If you find your bread is still crumbly, back off on the flour again. Bottom line: back off on the flour!

b. Don't automatically use the recipe flour measurement! Most recipes have about 15%-20% too much flour! If you are using freshly milled flour it is like a sifted flour consistency. If you are using bagged store flour, it is compacted and thus you are using more flour with each cup of flour. Did I say...back off on the flour? :)

c. Don't flour your counter surface or knead with extra flour. Oil your counter surface and oil your hands. This will keep the dough from sticking to your hands and counter but not add the flour which dries out your loaf of bread.

Bottom Line: Too much flour makes a dense, dry, crumbly loaf of bread!


2. My bread always sinks in the middle while baking.

You need to put your rising bread into the oven sooner. The dough has risen too much outside of the oven. Remember, it will continue to rise as it begins baking. The best test is to lightly touch the side of the rising bread. If the bread stays indented when lightly touched, it is ready to go into the oven for baking.