Ruined a batch of macarons at a client's house in Nashville last weekend. Anyone else have a cheap thermometer throw off their bake timing?
My mentor at the shop last Tuesday told me 75% hydration was too wet for my hand-kneading style, and after 6 collapsed loaves I finally realized she was right, has anyone else had to downgrade their hydration to match their technique?
Had to finish whipping 8 egg whites by hand for a triple batch of macarons, and ruined the texture because my arm gave out after 3 minutes.
I couldn't figure out why my starter kept going moldy no matter what I did, turns out my tap water had too much chlorine. Switched to filtered water and it doubled in size by the next morning. Anyone else run into a dumb easy fix that took way too long to discover?
I used to beat the heck out of my muffin batter until it was smooth. Two months ago my neighbor, who bakes at a diner, watched me mix and literally pulled the bowl away. She said "you're developing the gluten, stop." Now I fold it about 12 times until it just barely comes together. The muffins come out so much taller and softer, it's honestly embarrassing it took me this long. Has anyone else had a baking habit that took years to break?
I've been baking bread since 2008 and somehow never managed to get the timing right until last week. Has anyone else had a perfect baking day where everything just clicked without any effort?
I was at a farmer's market in Austin last Saturday and a guy selling bread told me to let my starter ferment longer, did that next bake and got the best oven spring I've ever had, anyone else have one random tip from a stranger click like that?
I always thought letting bread dough sit overnight was just extra work for no real difference. Then last month my schedule got messed up and I had to put a batch of sourdough in the fridge for about 14 hours before baking. The crust came out way crispier and the flavor had this deeper tang I never got from my usual 4 hour rise. I just used my regular recipe with 500 grams of flour and 350 grams of water, nothing fancy. Has anyone else noticed a big change from a long cold rest or am I just lucky that one time?
I used to always soften my butter before mixing it in, but last weekend I tried grating frozen butter straight into the flour and the layers came out SO much better. Has anyone else had luck with the cold butter method or do you still prefer shortening?
She said my crumb was like a brick and I was mad for a week but then I realized she was right about my starter being too young. Anyone else have a customer critique that made you rethink your whole process? What did you change?
I got this bag of imported bread flour from a speciality shop in Portland last month. Thought it would make my sourdough taste amazing. Paid $40 for a 25 pound bag, way more than the regular stuff. But I didn't seal it tight enough and it sat in my pantry. After 3 weeks the flour smelled off and my loaves came out flat and dense. I should have just stuck with my normal King Arthur flour from the grocery store. Anyone else waste money on expensive flour that didn't work out?
Three weeks ago a woman at the farmers market bought one of my plain croissants, took a bite right there, and said they were too buttery. She asked if I could make them with less butter next time. At first I was offended because butter is what makes a croissant a croissant. But after I cooled off I realized she was probably used to the dry, sad ones from the grocery store. So I tried a batch where I cut the butter layers by about 15 percent. They were easier to roll out and still came out flaky, just not as rich. I sold those at the market last Saturday and a different customer bought six of them. Now I keep both versions on hand and let people choose. Has anyone else gotten feedback that seemed ridiculous at first but actually made you adjust your recipe?
So I finally baked my 100th loaf of sourdough last Tuesday. I've been keeping a notebook tracking every bake since I started last January. At loaf 23 I had that perfect ear and crumb, thought I figured it all out. Then loaves 24 through 47 were total garbage, dense and gummy. Now at loaf 100 I'm wondering if chasing that one perfect loaf is even the point. Does hitting a milestone like this make you focus more on technique or just remind you that baking is a never ending experiment? Curious how other folks here feel when they hit their big numbers.
I made a yellow cake for my niece's 3rd birthday last weekend using the reverse creaming method from the King Arthur blog. The texture came out almost like pound cake instead of fluffy, which nobody at the party really liked. I think it works better for recipes that call for buttermilk, not just regular milk. Has anyone else had this issue with basic vanilla cakes?
I read in a King Arthur flour blog post that giving dough a 20 minute rest after mixing lets the gluten relax and makes it way easier to handle. Tried it with my whole wheat loaf this week and the crumb was way softer than usual. Anyone else noticed a big change from just waiting a bit?
I spent 10 years using a stand mixer for everything, but last month I tried hand kneading a ciabatta batch and the texture was night and day better. Has anyone else noticed their bread comes out different depending on the method, or am I just imagining it?
I've been keeping a tally in a notebook since I started baking during that weird winter of 2020. Last Wednesday I pulled loaf number 500 out of my old gas oven and it felt like a weird milestone. Most of them went to neighbors or my kid's school bake sales, not like I'm selling them or anything. The numbers surprised me because I never thought I'd stick with something this long past the initial phase. Has anyone else tracked their total bakes and found a number that caught them off guard?
I started tracking my bakes back in March 2023 just out of curiosity. Hit loaf number 500 last Tuesday. Thought I'd have it all figured out by now but I still get flat ones and burnt bottoms. The starter is 2 years old and still acts moody sometimes. Anyone else keep a count and find it doesn't actually mean you're good?
Kept getting flat loaves with no oven spring. Dense crumb, pale crust. Spent months blaming my starter. Then I timed my bulk ferment with a straight-sided container. Room temp was 78F and I was letting it go 10 hours. Took a class at a bakery in Denver and the owner pointed out my dough was basically collapsing. Dropped it to 6 hours and got my first ear the next bake. Anyone else have a basic process step that took forever to figure out?
After 3 weeks of feeding it rye flour instead of white, it finally popped off this morning. Anybody else find that switching flours makes a huge difference?
Been seeing folks rave about the tangzhong method for fluffy sandwich loaves. Figured I'd give it a shot last Sunday. Made the paste with flour and water like the recipe said, added it to my dough, let it rise double. Baked it at 350 for 35 minutes. Crust looked fine but when I sliced it the inside was this weird gummy sticky texture. Almost like undercooked but it wasn't. Did I use too much water in the starter? Used 3 tablespoons of flour to 6 of water. Anybody else had this turn out weird instead of soft?
I left my starter in the back of the fridge during a heatwave last July, and when I pulled it out there was green fuzz on top. I tried scraping it off and feeding it again, but the whole thing just smelled like rotten fruit after two days. Has anyone successfully saved a starter that got mold or did I just waste 6 months of nurturing?
Read it on a King Arthur baking blog post last night while I couldn't sleep. They said like 2 tablespoons per loaf. Tried it this morning with my usual white bread recipe and the crust came out way less crunchy and more like a storebought sandwich loaf. My kids actually ate the whole thing without complaining. Has anyone else messed around with this? Does it change anything else I should watch for?
I've been making pie crust for like 10 years and always used ice cold butter straight from the fridge. My neighbor June showed up for our baking swap with her crust and it was flaky as heck. She told me she lets her butter sit out for 15 minutes before cutting it in. Tried it Sunday with a cherry pie and the crust came out way more tender and less tough. Has anyone else had luck with slightly softened butter or am I late to the party?
Did it and the texture came out way fluffier, has anyone else tried this with enriched doughs?