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?
I had this baker at a local shop in Portland tell me I needed to feed my starter for at least 6 months before it would give good oven spring. Well it's been 3 months and I proofed a loaf overnight, baked it at 475, and got a great ear and crumb. Has anyone else had good results ignoring that 'wait forever' advice?
I was struggling with getting my pie dough to stay flaky, and my 82-year-old grandma watched me for like 5 minutes last Sunday. She just said 'stop overthinking it, the butter should be the size of peas not crumbs' and walked away. Turns out I was grinding my butter too fine for years, making the crust tough. Any of you bakers have a relative's offhand tip that totally changed how you do something?
I used to think all thermometers were the same until my vanilla sponge came out dry and cracked three times in a row, then I tested that plastic one against my instant-read probe and it was off by 25 degrees, has anyone else had a tool they trusted totally fail on them?
Tbh I had a total mess happen last Saturday at my kitchen counter. I was baking two loaves of sourdough for a family get-together and my starter just went flat halfway through the final proof. I think the room temp dropped because I left the window open for like 20 minutes. I panicked and threw the dough in the fridge for an hour hoping to slow things down and save it. One loaf came out dense as a brick, the other had a decent crumb but no oven spring. Now I'm wondering if I should have just pitched it and started over. Has anyone else dealt with a starter going dormant from a quick temperature swing?
At a class in Portland 2 years ago, this old baker told me to keep my starter in the fridge and feed it once a week. I did that for months and got flat, boring loaves every time. Started feeding it daily at room temp and now it doubles in 4 hours - why do so many pros push the cold method?
Bought a silpat baking mat three weeks ago from a local kitchen supply place and after maybe 10 uses the edges are curling up and the coating is flaking off. Anyone else had this happen or did I just get a bad batch?
I was at the farmer's market last Saturday selling some bread, and this lady starts going off about how my starter is probably full of bacteria and that commercial yeast is more sanitary. She said her grandmother always used Red Star and never had problems. I tried to explain that the bacteria is kinda the point, but she wasn't having it. Now I'm wondering if I'm being stubborn or if she's got a point for home bakers who just want a consistent loaf. What do you guys think - is keeping a starter worth the hassle over instant yeast?
I was watching a baker at Nuvrei line his oven with a damp towel during the first 5 minutes of proofing, and my bread crusts have been way better since I tried it. Has anyone else messed around with steam timing for baguettes?
I have been fighting with my starter since December over in my little kitchen in Austin. Last week I fed it at the same time every morning and kept it in the warm spot by the window, and it finally doubled in 6 hours flat. The crumb was so open and airy I almost cried. Anyone else have a stubborn starter that took forever to get going?
I paid $15 for a 5-pound bag of imported bread flour from a fancy online store last month, thinking it would make my loaves amazing. Instead, it acted just like the regular $4 flour from the grocery store and my bread came out exactly the same. Has anyone else tried those premium flours and found they're not worth the extra cost?
I was visiting this little shop called Buttercup Bakes last weekend, and right above the register they had a sign that said 'We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who asks for gluten-free sourdough.' I mean, I get the joke, but the cashier told me three people actually asked for it that morning before I showed up. The whole place smelled like butter and sugar, and all their croissants were perfectly golden. Has anyone else run into a bakery with weird or funny house rules?
I tried that no-discard starter method I saw on Instagram, just kept feeding the same jar without tossing any. After 5 days my kitchen smelled like a barn and the starter turned gray on top. Anyone else have this go sideways on them?
I was watching a baker at a small shop called Tabor Bread handle their dough and noticed they barely touched it with their hands. Turns out I was overworking my dough for years, using too much water and pressing it flat. Now I get a flaky crust that actually holds up without shrinking. Anyone else have a random moment where watching someone else work fixed your biggest problem?
I stopped into a place called Termini Bros in South Philly last weekend and watched a guy fold croissant dough like it was nothing. He told me to stop overworking it and let the butter do the work. I tried his method on my batch at home and my layers actually came out flaky for once. Has anyone else picked up a random trick from just watching a baker work?
I keep my starter in a big mason jar with a loose lid on the counter. Around 2 AM last Tuesday I heard this pop and then glass hit the floor. The thing had fermented so fast it blew the lid off and sprayed sticky bubbly goo all over my cabinets. Now I put it in a bigger bowl with a towel on top, especially in warm weather. Anyone else had a starter go rogue like that?
Kept getting flat, dense bread no matter what I did. Turns out I was letting it rise for almost twice as long as needed after I got a cheap thermometer and saw my kitchen was 10 degrees warmer than I thought. Anyone else figure out their proofing was off because of room temp?
I tried fresh yeast from a bakery in Portland last week instead of my usual dry stuff because the baker swore it would make my starter more active. Three days later my dough is bubbling like crazy but it smells like old socks and I'm not sure if I ruined the whole batch or if this is just normal fresh yeast behavior. Anyone else had fresh yeast turn their kitchen into a science experiment gone wrong?
He said sifting is just extra work for no real gain in most recipes. Told him he's wrong but now I'm second guessing it after he showed me 3 cakes that came out fine without.
For years I babied my starter with twice daily feedings and precise ratios. Then last month I forgot about it for 3 days in the fridge during a vacation. Came back, fed it once, and it produced the best rise I've ever gotten. Now I just dump it in the fridge and feed it once a week with whatever flour I have. Anyone else cut back on feeding schedules and get better results?
I've been baking for 3 years and always just eyeballed the water temp for my laminated dough. Last Tuesday I forgot to let my butter block warm up, ended up with butter volcanoes all over the sheet pan. Has anyone else had their dough temp totally ruin a batch of laminated pastry?
He was like 70 and he said he never uses a scale, just his hands and a scoop. I was standing there with my pocket scale and bench scraper feeling like a total rookie. He told me he learned from his dad in a tiny shop in Chicago and they baked by feel and smell. Made me wonder if I'm overthinking everything with my fancy tools.
Used to spend 20 minutes kneading dough by hand every Sunday, but after I got a KitchenAid last month I can do it in 5. Anyone else find their arms hurt less after making the switch?
Ordered this 'heirloom' sourdough starter kit online last month. Supposed to be some 100 year old strain from a bakery in Portland. Got a jar of what looked like gray sludge that smelled like feet. Tried feeding it for 3 weeks, never bubbled. Just sat there and grew mold. The thermometer they included was off by 15 degrees too. Total waste. Anyone else just make their own starter from scratch and save the cash?