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?
Back in 2009 I was working out of a shared kitchen in Portland. Had a bride order a 3-tier vanilla cake with raspberry filling. Baked all the layers the night before, stacked and crumb coated them. Got to the venue the next day and did the final frosting. Looked perfect. Bride cut into it at the reception and took one bite. Her face just went flat. I had left the sugar out of the batter. She was nice about it but I offered to refund the whole $450 and she took it. Still think about that sometimes when I'm measuring ingredients. Anyone else had a basic ingredient slip ruin a big order?
I was watching a video from a baker in Copenhagen and noticed he barely dusted his proofing basket. I always caked mine on like I was breading chicken. Turns out all that extra flour was creating a gummy crust on my loaves. Switched to a light dust of rice flour and a brush-off after a guy at my local bakery in Austin pointed it out. Has anyone else found their bread changed after tweaking their banneton routine?
I was visiting my sister in Phoenix last July trying to make croissants and the butter kept melting into the dough before I even finished the first fold, so now I freeze my baking sheet for 15 minutes between every turn and I'm curious if anyone else has a weird trick for keeping things cold in a hot kitchen?
I keep seeing people post pictures of their muffins with those big tunnels inside, and they call it a success. But I worked with a pastry chef in Portland for 6 months who said those tunnels mean you mixed too much and developed too much gluten. The other side says you need to mix until smooth or the texture is uneven. So which is it, do you mix until the flour just disappears or do you keep going until it looks like cake batter? I've been doing the lumpy method for 2 years now and my muffins come out tender every time, but maybe I'm missing something.
Was at a coffee shop in Portland last Tuesday and overheard this old baker talking to a new hire. He said cold butter makes layers snap instead of stretch, and I realized that's why my croissants always came out with those big air pockets. I been keeping my butter in the fridge right up until I roll it. Tried it his way with room temp butter that's still firm and the lamination came out way better. Anyone else have a simple fix like that change your whole bake?
Some guy at the bakery counter yesterday was dead serious telling his friend that sourdough is just "fermented batter" and doesn't count as bread. I was standing there holding a loaf of my own starter bread and had to bite my tongue so hard. Like buddy, I've been feeding this starter for 8 months straight through night shifts and weekend chaos. Has anyone else run into people who think their grandma's white sandwich loaf is the only "real" bread out there?
Figured I'd just adjust the salt in the recipe but ended up with dense layers that tasted more like pretzels than pastry, so now I'm wondering if anyone else has ruined a batch by switching fats without testing it first.
I was a volume-measurement purist for years (cups and spoons, you know). But my croissants kept coming out flat. A pastry chef friend in Portland told me water weight varies by 20% depending on how you scoop flour. Finally broke down and bought a $25 scale off Amazon. First batch of brioche was legit fluffier than anything I'd made in 10 years. Any other bakers here switch over and never look back?
After my sourdough loaves were dense for months, a baker in Portland told me to ditch the cups and use a scale. Has anyone else seen a real jump in consistency after making that switch?