Dense bread is basically the ugly sweater of baking. It’s humble, but it’s still bread. In fact, some cultures prefer a denser crumb—think German pumpernickel or Irish soda bread. Dense doesn’t mean bad; it just means your loaf is extra sturdy for toast or dipping in soup. You accidentally made artisan bread!
Bread Machine Loaf Too Dense at Renee Jeter blog
But if you want airy sandwich bread, think of the process like a traffic jam. The yeast are tiny cars trying to drive through the dough. If the roads (gluten) are too narrow or bumpy, everyone slows down. The result? A bread jam, literally. Your fix is to give the cars more space (more kneading) and better pavement (right flour and hydration).
