I was reading this baking blog from a guy up in Minneapolis and he was talking about how his dough takes almost 4 hours to proof in winter because his kitchen is around 60 degrees. Tried his tip of putting the bowl on top of the fridge where it's warmer and it cut my proofing time by nearly an hour and a half. Has anyone else had to adjust their rise times when the seasons change?
She told me no stand mixer could ever give the same texture as doing it by hand. I spent like 3 hours working a double batch of dough in my Phoenix kitchen last weekend and my shoulders still hurt. The bread came out fine but not any better than my usual KitchenAid batch from 20 minutes. Has anyone else had a family member push some old school method that just isnt worth the time?
I've been fighting with my starter for months. Kept getting flat dense loaves. Last Thursday I finally got that perfect ear and crumb. Took 4 attempts but it opened up like a dream. Anyone else struggle with getting their hydration right on the first try?
I was making croissants at home last Saturday and my butter block broke right through the dough on the third fold... ended up with a greasy, flaky mess instead of layers. Has anyone found a good trick for keeping the dough and butter at the same temperature?
I was just pulling my weekly bake out of the oven (a Saturday ritual for about 3 years now) and I realized my notebook had exactly 500 checkmarks next to my recipe log. I started counting loaves as a joke after my first few disasters in 2021, you know, to track progress or whatever. Then this morning I hit that even 500 and I had to just stand there staring at the steam coming off the crust for like a minute. Has anyone else ever counted up their total bakes and gotten surprised by the number?
I met this older lady at a farmer's market in Nashville last fall, she had a little folding table with jars of her starter labeled "Bertha" and a sign saying it was fed every morning for 37 years. She let me dip my finger in and taste it, told me her grandmother brought the original batch over from Germany in a mason jar wrapped in a wool sock. Has anyone else run into a baker with a starter that old, and did they trust you enough to let you try it?
Had a guy come into the bakery last Tuesday insisting I make him a gluten-free cake that still had gluten in it because he didn't want to miss out on the texture. I just handed him a regular slice and told him it was magic and he walked away happy.
Last December I had a wedding cake order and a 200-person catering event due the same day. The walk-in cooler died at 6 AM and I lost 40 pounds of buttercream that took me two days to make. Has anyone else had a single day that made you question if this career is worth it?
Everyone says it's so simple but my first 4 batches molded over because I kept the lid too tight. Anybody else struggle way longer than the blogs suggest?
For years I would just toss my yeast in with the flour and hope for the best. Then about 6 months ago a baker in Omaha told me to bloom it in warm water with a pinch of sugar first for 5 minutes. Now I know my yeast is alive before I even start mixing. Has anyone else had a simple change like that fix their results?
I was at this small bakery called Tabor Bread in Portland a couple months ago and watched the owner make a batch of croissants. She wasn't using any measuring cups just a scale and a bowl. I asked her about it and she said volume measuring can be off by 20% depending on how you scoop flour. That stuck with me so I bought a $15 scale the next week. Now my bread comes out the same every time. Has anyone else found their measurements changed after switching to grams?
I was making a big batch of Swiss meringue buttercream for a wedding cake order and it just kept splitting. Turned out my kitchen was too cold, like 62 degrees, and the butter never got to room temp. Had to warm the bowl over a simmering pot and remix it like 4 times before it finally smoothed out. Has anyone else dealt with buttercream seizing up in a chilly kitchen?
I was at this small bakery in Chicago last month and the owner told me she lets her sourdough proof overnight in the fridge instead of on the counter. She said it builds way more tang and makes the crumb softer, so I tried it on my next batch and she was totally right. Has anyone else had luck with cold proofing or do you stick to room temp?
I was at a small bakery in Portland last week and the baker told me he never uses the no-knead method because you lose control over the gluten structure. But I've had great results with it at home for years, especially with my sourdough. Has anyone else found that no-knead bread lacks that chewy crumb you get from traditional kneading, or am I just doing it wrong?
I stopped into Beignet Bros Bakery in New Orleans last weekend for my usual Saturday croissant. But their sourdough loaf had this weird tangy taste that wasn't there a year ago. I asked the new baker and he said they switched from a 20 year old starter to a quicker one to speed up production. Has anyone else noticed bakeries cutting corners like this lately?
I tried using Crisco in my apple pies last week after reading it makes flakier crusts. Made three pies for a church bake sale in Portland and they all came out greasy with no flavor. My aunt Dottie tasted one and asked if I forgot the butter. Going back to butter for Thanksgiving even if the crust isn't as pretty. Anyone else have a shortening fail story?
I was in Philadelphia last weekend visiting family and stopped into this tiny bakery called Taffet's. The owner told me their sourdough starter was passed down from a bakery that opened in 1923. I tried a loaf of their country bread and the flavor was way deeper than anything I've made at home. Has anyone else gotten to taste bread from a really old starter like that?
Switched to that longer rest and now the crumb is way more open, but I'm still figuring out the timing with my work schedule-anyone found a happy medium that doesn't mess up your whole day?
I used to toss my discard every time. Felt like a waste but figured it wasn't worth the trouble. Then a lady at the farmer's market gave me a sample of her discard crackers. She wrote the recipe on a napkin right there. Now I make them every Sunday and they sell out at my stall.
I was at a bakery in Austin last summer and watched the owner dump flour straight into a bowl on a scale, no scooping. Now I do it for everything and my texture is way more consistent, has anyone else switched over?
I spent almost 3 hours trying to get my buttercream to stop being grainy. I whipped it, heated it, added more cream, nothing worked. Finally I realized my powdered sugar was old and had clumped up from humidity. I sifted it and the frosting came out perfect in like 10 minutes. Has anyone else had a simple ingredient issue turn into a huge time suck?
Turns out my starter was too cold after I left it near a drafty window overnight, and I didn't notice until after I baked 4 loaves that all turned out dense and gummy - has anyone else had a whole day ruined by one small temp mistake?
I spent 6 months feeding a starter named Gertrude and got decent loaves but nothing special. Give me a good poolish or even a simple yeasted dough with an 18 hour cold ferment - better flavor and way less hassle. Anyone else ditch their starter for something simpler?
I've been baking sourdough for about 8 months now, and I kept seeing people swear by cold proofing in the fridge overnight. So I tried it for a few weeks and got decent loaves. But last weekend I did a room temp rise for 6 hours instead (which felt risky, you know?) and the crust came out way crispier with bigger air pockets. Am I just lucky or is the cold ferment thing overhyped for home bakers like me?
I was at my buddy's place in Austin last weekend helping him bake an apple pie. He insisted on using butter straight from the fridge, cubed and tossed in the flour. I always let mine sit out for 15 minutes so it's slightly softened but still cold. His crust came out flaky on the edges but tough in the middle. Mine was tender all the way through but didn't puff up as much. Which way do you lean and why?