Hi Mary! Don't worry — we've all been there. Usually when a loaf has a "blow out" it means that either the steam was unable to escape (which slashing helps with) and/or that the loaf was under-proofed when it went into the oven. Under-proofing is most common. Basically, what happens is the yeast/sourdough still has a lot of energy left, so when it hits the heat of the oven, all of that energy basically explodes out and winds up tearing the exterior of the loaf. The best way to know if a loaf is fully proofed is the poke test. If you poke the loaf with your finger and the indent pops back out, it needs to proof another 5 minutes or so. If the indent stays, it's ready to bake. We hope this helps! Annabelle@KAF

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