>Hi - do any experts have some guidelines on judging why bread didn't
>work out.
>I make bread & scones and sometimes they are perfect, sometimes too
>brittle, sometimes to chewy/doughy, sometimes too dense.
>I'm trying to figure out what went wrong and am looking for guidelines
>such as:

Guidelines? That would sound simplistic=E2=80=A6any fault of a bakery
product cannot be attributed to one cause but a can be due to multiple
reasons.

>if too brittle then you didn't add enough xxx ?

This can be due to one or more of these causes.
These are two pence worth of opinions
Scones
=EF=82=A7 If the scone is brittle it means that it has less amount of liquid
=EF=82=A7 also an excess of baking powder.
=EF=82=A7 Another the flour is too weak that cohesiveness is not that good
that it has little ability of absorbing more liquid .
=EF=82=A7 . Too little binding agent in the form of milk and even eggs
=EF=82=A7 Insufficient mixing
=EF=82=A7 Baked at lower temperature , resulting that the product dries out
=2E
>if too dense then you added too much xxx ?


Among the causes. For scones
=EF=82=A7 can be too much liquid
=EF=82=A7 Little baking powder
=EF=82=A7 More milk solids
=EF=82=A7 Overmixing of the scone dough
=EF=82=A7 Baked at a lower temperature preventing the baking powder to
release gas; scones are supposed to be baked at moderately high heat
=EF=82=A7 Too strong flour
=EF=82=A7 Excess scrap dough added in the fresh dough
=EF=82=A7 The dough was standing for too long before being baked
=E2=80=A6
>if too doughy then you added too much/little xxx?
etc..
Now with regards to bread dough (if this is what you mean if the too
doughy it can be one or more of these reasons
=EF=82=A7 Underbaked
=EF=82=A7 . Dough is young ,
=EF=82=A7 The dough temperature is cold that its slow proofing
=EF=82=A7 The recipe is not balanced, either too much liquid
=EF=82=A7 Not enough fermentation to release the fermentation aroma
=EF=82=A7 Not enough yeast that the dough is slow moving that when baked the
texture appears compact
=EF=82=A7 Too strong a flour protein without the benefit of adequate
fermentation
=EF=82=A7 Proofed with excess steam resulting that the bread tends to be
partially cooked or the proofer temperature is too high while the dough
is cold due to (force proofing.).

>Is it possible to answer these questions or is this too simplistic an
approach ?

It is possible to answer these questions and you can refer to the
guidelines that are provided link by other posters.; but keep it mind
that the answer to that question depends upon the situation you are in;

You have to consider every reason that can arise from such fault. And
bakers will not just follow the cause in textbook fashion but have to
analyse the cause of fault and how did it occur and finally how it can
be prevented .