doughy

Doughy is an English adjective used to describe a texture that resembles dough: soft, pliable, and often sticky. It can refer to dough in its uncooked state as well as to finished foods that retain a dough-like inside. The term conveys moisture and elasticity rather than crispness or crumb.

In cooking and baking, doughy describes both the raw mixture and products that have not set into a firm structure. A dough may be too hydrated or not kneaded enough, resulting in a sticky, cohesive mass that lacks strong gluten development. When baked goods are undercooked or underproofed, the interior can remain dense, moist, and chewy in a way that feels doughy rather than airy.

With finished breads and pastries, the word can be used descriptively in sensory evaluation. A doughy center is often considered a defect for most traditional breads, cakes, and cookies, signaling underbaking, insufficient fermentation, or imbalance between ingredients. Some lighter pastries, however, may purposefully show a soft, dough-like crumb that readers might still describe as doughy.

Etymology and scope: the word derives from dough plus the adjectival suffix -y. It is primarily used in culinary contexts and in informal writing to compare textures.