Hitting batch number 75 of the same dinner roll recipe

I keep a tally on the inside of my recipe card binder, and last Tuesday I hit batch 75 of my standard dinner rolls. That number surprised me because I only started baking them back in January when my wife asked for something to go with her chili. I still burned two of them on the edges because I got distracted watching the game, so the milestone felt more funny than impressive. It made me realize I've basically memorized the dough feel now, even when the kitchen humidity changes. Has anyone else tracked how many times they've baked one specific thing, and did you ever get worse at it before you got better?

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martinez.diana16d ago

The part about the dough feel is what gets me. There's this weird thing that happens with baking where your hands learn the recipe before your brain does, so on days when you're tired or distracted you stop using your hands and start guessing, and the rolls come out wrong for no clear reason. Batch 75 is usually right around where that hits, because you're bored with it but not paying close attention anymore. I wonder if the real skill is learning to trust your hands again instead of trying to think your way through a recipe you already know. The two burnt ones probably had nothing to do with the game and more to do with you going through the motions.

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