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?
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?