c/baking-fails-and-wins

Spent $40 on a fancy sourdough starter kit and killed it in 3 days cause I forgot to feed it

Bought this whole kit with the jar and thermometer and everything from a shop in Portland and then got busy with work and the thing just went moldy, anyone else waste cash on supplies they never ended up using?

2 comments

phoenix_campbell88•12h ago

Butter vs shortening in pie crust - not even close

I made two apple pies last weekend for a family dinner in Phoenix. One used my grandma's recipe with all butter, and the other used a popular blog's method with shortening. The butter crust was flaky and golden, the shortening one was pale and kinda greasy. My aunt actually asked if I forgot to bake the shortening pie long enough. Has anyone else found butter just wins every time for pastry?

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lily360•23h ago

That $150 KitchenAid mixer was a total regret until I fixed one thing

I splurged on a refurbished KitchenAid stand mixer last spring, thinking it would finally make me a bread baking pro. But for months, it just sat on my counter looking pretty while I kept burning loaves and getting dough stuck everywhere. Turns out I was using the wrong paddle attachment for bread dough. The standard flat beater is useless for thick dough, it just flings flour everywhere. Once I bought the spiral dough hook for like $20, everything changed. My bread actually rises now and I don't have to scrape dough off the ceiling. But for cookies and cakes? That mixer is a beast, totally worth the money for frosting alone. Has anyone else had a fail with a pricey gadget that just needed the right part?

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loganburns•1d ago

Rant: My mother in law told me my pie crust was 'too pretty'

She meant it as a backhanded compliment but it bothered me for days. I was spending 45 minutes crimping and decorating edges that would just get eaten. Now I do a simple fork press and focus on the filling instead. My apple pies actually taste better because I'm not overworking the dough trying to make it look perfect. Has anyone else had someone's weird comment make you rethink your whole process?

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finley_bennett28•1d ago

TIL you can rescue overproofed dough with a splash of cold water and a fold

I let my brioche go way too long on the counter last Saturday while I got sidetracked laying flooring for a buddy. Quick cold water fold and it baked up fluffy instead of flat, anyone else got a weird fix for a baking fail?

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nathan545•1d ago

Switched from a kitchen scale to measuring cups for cookies

Used to weigh everything for my chocolate chip cookies down to the gram, had a whole system. Then last month I lost my scale and just used cups and spoons instead, cookies came out way softer and chewier. Anyone else find that measuring by volume actually works better for certain recipes?

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clark.iris•2d ago

That sourdough starter I babied for 6 weeks turned into moldy sludge

I followed every online guide to the letter, fed it at the same time each day, kept it at a steady 75 degrees. But last Tuesday morning I opened the jar and found a fuzzy green layer on top, not the nice bubbly surface I was hoping for. I dumped the whole thing in the trash and glared at my jar for a solid 5 minutes before washing it out. Anyone else had a starter go bad after you thought you had it all figured out?

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abby_henderson•3d ago

Shoutout to the lady who told me my pie crust was 'too brown' at the county fair

I was at the Johnson County Fair last September and this older woman stopped by my apple pie entry. She told me the crust was too dark and that I should have pulled it out 5 minutes earlier. I was really annoyed at first but now I think she had a point, my pies have been better since I started watching the edges closer. Has anyone else had a random stranger's baking tip actually turn out to be helpful?

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robin_wright•4d ago

Tried that viral cookie trick with the browned butter and sea salt...

I was super skeptical about browning butter for chocolate chip cookies because it seemed like extra work for nothing... but I finally tried it last Sunday and the flavor was amazing. My family ate all 24 cookies in one night and asked for more. Has anyone else been surprised by a baking trend they thought was overhyped?

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roberts.jordan•18d ago

Baked my 100th loaf of sourdough and it was the first one that actually looked like a real bread

I've been keeping a little notebook tally for the past 18 months and hit loaf number 100 last weekend. It wasn't even the best tasting one but the crumb had those nice holes and the ear popped up just right. Back when I started I was making these dense hockey pucks that my neighbor's dog wouldn't even touch. Has anyone else tracked a specific baking milestone like that just to see how far you've come?

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janac59•19d ago

My worst baking week ever ended with a $60 grocmy mess

Last Wednesday I tried making a three layer cake for my niece's birthday and every single thing went wrong. First the butter was too cold for the frosting, then the cake stuck to the pan like glue. I ended up with a lopsided mess that fell apart when I tried to stack it. To top it off I dropped the whole thing on the kitchen floor while carrying it to the car. So I spent $60 on a store bought cake instead and felt like a total failure. Has anyone else had a week where nothing baked right no matter what you did?

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stellawood•20d ago

Bread flour vs all purpose was a game changer for me

I used to just grab whatever flour was cheapest for my sourdough. After 6 months of flat loaves I finally switched to King Arthur bread flour last week. The difference was night and day - got a real oven spring for the first time. Has anyone else noticed a big jump just from swapping flour brands or types?

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pat_park•22d ago

Took me 3 years to figure out my pie crust was weeping from this one mistake

I kept getting soggy bottom pie crusts no matter what I did. Blind baking, preheating the stone, even trying different butter brands. Finally at a family dinner my aunt asked if I was resting my dough long enough in the fridge. Turns out I was only giving it 10 minutes when it needs at least 2 hours for the gluten to relax and the fat to firm up. Now my pies come out flaky and dry on the bottom every time. Anyone else have a baking problem that took way too many tries to solve?

2 comments

brookerobinson•22d ago

Unpopular opinion: I used to think sourdough starter was overrated, then last Tuesday changed my mind

My neighbor brought over her discard after I complained about store bread being bland, and I finally saw how she managed the feeding schedule with her kids' school routine. I baked her recipe for a rustic loaf that day and the crust came out perfect with a crumb I'd never gotten from store yeast. Has anyone else found that using a friend's established starter makes the process click better than starting from scratch?

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robin_wright•27d ago

My first sourdough loaf finally worked after 4 tries

I messed up the starter twice and baked a brick that could patch drywall. Third loaf was flat as a pancake, but this morning I got that perfect crust crackle. What was your biggest baking win that made you feel like a real baker?

3 comments

lily360•28d ago

Finally nailed my sourdough after 6 trys (butter vs oil on the crust was the real battle)

So I had to pick between brushing the loaf with melted butter or olive oil before baking. I went with butter, figured it would add more flavor, you know? The first 5 loaves came out dense as a brick, but this time with a longer proof and my kitchen at 74 degrees, it actually got that nice spring. The crust came out golden and a little chewy, which I love. It's not bakery perfect, but it's the first one I didn't feel like tossing in the trash. Has anyone else had better luck with oil for a crunchier crust?

2 comments

smith.jordan•28d ago

Forgot to chill my butter before making pie crust and the difference is HUGE

I used to think people were being dramatic about COLD butter for pie dough. Like how much could it really matter, right? So last weekend I made two batches of crust for a peach pie. First batch I used butter straight from the fridge, second batch I let it sit out for maybe 20 minutes and got lazy. The cold butter batch came out flaky and perfect with those little pockets you want. The room temp batch turned into a greasy, tough mess that shrank in the pan. I spent 3 hours total between both attempts and now I get why my grandma always yelled at me. Do you guys keep your butter in the freezer for 15 minutes like I've heard some people do?

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robin_wright•1mo ago

Overheard my neighbor say 'baking is just following instructions' and I snorted

I was taking out the trash last week and heard this guy telling someone that baking is easy because you just do what the recipe says. I wanted to yell at him about the time my sugar cookies spread into one giant cookie because my butter was too soft. Real bakers know it's about feel and timing and a little luck. Has anyone else had a non-baker tell them their hobby is simple?

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jenny580•1mo ago

Tried a new sourdough starter during my vacation in Portland and it exploded everywhere

Last month I was in Portland for a week and decided to finally try making a sourdough starter from scratch. I left it on the counter in my Airbnb and it literally blew the lid off the jar on day 3. The kitchen had dough goo on the ceiling and walls. I spent like 2 hours cleaning it up and my host was not happy. Now I always use a bigger jar with a loose lid no matter what recipe says. Has anyone else had a starter go crazy like that?

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leo_kelly•1mo ago

The biscuits I made for a church potluck finally turned out right after 3 years of trying

I've been bringing biscuits to the First Methodist potluck in our town for about 3 years now. Every time they came out flat or too hard. Last Sunday I switched to a cold butter grating trick I saw on a youtube video from a lady in Arkansas. I grated the butter straight into the flour mix and put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before adding the buttermilk. They puffed up perfect and two people asked for the recipe. Has anyone else had luck with changing one small step like that?

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lily360•1mo ago

My sourdough starter died after I left it in the car for 2 hours in Phoenix

I was so mad at myself. I had this starter named Betty that I'd kept alive for like 8 months, fed her every week, took her on vacation with me. Then last Saturday I drove to a flea market, parked in the sun, and when I came back the jar was hot to the touch and smelled like nail polish remover. Betty was toast. I almost quit baking right there. But then I scraped some dried bits off the rim and mixed them with fresh flour and water, and three days later she was bubbling again. Has anyone else brought a starter back from the dead like that?

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matthewh28•1mo ago

Figured out a trick to stop my cookies from spreading into one giant blob

I kept having this problem where my chocolate chip cookies would just melt into each other on the pan and turn into one massive flat cookie. Tried chilling the dough for an hour and that helped a bit but not enough. Then I saw a tip online about using butter that's still a little cold instead of room temp. So last weekend I cubed my butter straight from the fridge and creamed it with sugar for like 3 extra minutes until it got fluffy. The cookies came out thick and actually held their shape without turning into a pancake. I also put the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes right before they went in the oven. Has anyone else tried this method or do you have a different way to stop the spread?

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ericp67•1mo ago

Dropped $60 on a fancy baking stone and my pizza crust is still a disaster

I bought this high-end baking stone from a local kitchen shop in Portland last month after reading all the raves online. The thing cost me $60 and I thought it would fix my soggy pizza bottom problem for good. But after three tries, my crust keeps coming out pale and tough, not crispy like I wanted. I preheated it for an hour at 500 degrees like they said, so what am I missing? Has anyone else had luck with a stone or did I just waste my cash?

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jana_hernandez•1mo ago

So I found out why my baguettes were turning out like hockey pucks

I spent three months last summer trying to get a decent crust on my baguettes, and they kept coming out rock hard. Turns out I was skipping the steam step in my home oven, I just thought throwing a tray of water on the bottom rack was enough. My neighbor who used to work at a bakery in Boston told me that you need actual steam right at the start, like tossing ice cubes into a preheated pan. Has anyone else struggled with this or found a simple workaround?

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beth_hart68•1mo ago

My sugar cookies always spread into pancakes and I finally found out why

For two years I thought my butter was too soft and kept chilling the dough more. Then a friend watched me cream it and said I was overmixing like crazy after adding the flour. I was basically developing gluten every single time and wondering why they turned out flat and tough. Now I fold the flour in by hand with a spatula and stop the second it looks combined. Has anyone else had a basic step ruin their cookies for that long?

2 comments