The Design Community Hub

c/baking-fails-and-wins

3

webb.xena•14d ago

The moment I figured out I was overmixing my muffin batter for 3 years

I kept making these rock hard muffins that tasted like they'd been sitting out for a week. My friend Sarah took one bite last Saturday and asked if I was making hockey pucks for a living. That's when I looked up the proper mixing technique and realized I was stirring until the batter was completely smooth instead of just until the flour disappears. Has anyone else had that "oh duh" moment with a basic baking rule?

4

grace926•14d ago

Did my sourdough improve or get worse after 2 weeks of neglect?

I baked a sourdough loaf last week after letting my starter sit in the fridge for 14 days without feeding. The crumb was more open than ever before, big irregular holes and a nice ear. But the flavor was noticeably more sour to the point where my roommate asked if it had gone bad. So here's the debate: does neglecting your starter actually improve the structure while wrecking the taste? Or did I just get lucky with my timing and technique? Has anyone else noticed a specific change in their bread after leaving the starter alone for over a week? I'd love to hear what you all think about purposefully aging your starter for better oven spring.

25

lucas159•14d ago

Skipped the sifting step on a triple chocolate cake and it came out perfect

I was making my grandma's recipe and ran out of patience. Didn't sift the cocoa powder or flour together, just whisked them dry in the bowl. Texture was exactly the same and nobody noticed, so now I'm wondering if sifting is actually just a waste of time or does it matter for more delicate bakes like angel food?

11

logansullivan•14d ago

My sister swore by cold butter for pie crust. I fought her for years until I tried it last weekend.

I always used room temperature butter in my pie crust because I thought it mixed in easier. My sister kept telling me I was wrong (she's a pastry chef, so I should have listened). Last Sunday I finally followed her advice and used butter straight from the fridge. The crust came out flaky and tender in a way I never got before with my old method. I actually timed it and my prep only took 3 extra minutes for the extra cutting. Has anyone else had a stubborn baking habit that they finally gave up on?

13

finley_walker57•15d ago

Pie crust finally clicked when I switched from butter to shortening

I spent 3 years making sad, crumbly pie crusts with cold butter. Tried shortening on a whim for a cherry pie last Saturday and it came out flaky and actually held together. Anybody else have a random swap that just worked?

9

noahw53•16d ago

Is it really a fail if the cake tastes great but looks terrible?

I see people on here trashing perfectly good cakes just because they sank in the middle or cracked on top. But my last chocolate cake looked like a crater and still got rave reviews at the party because the flavor was spot on. Does visual perfection actually matter more than taste in baking?

25

the_taylor•16d ago

PSA: My sourdough starter failed 3 times before I learned this one trick

Last month I tried to start a sourdough starter from scratch, and it went flat every single time. Three years ago I watched my grandma in Portland keep a bubbly one on her counter for decades, so I thought it'd be easy. But I kept getting this gross hooch layer on top after week one. I finally called her last week and she told me I was using tap water with too much chlorine. Switched to filtered water and fed it twice a day, and now it's alive and doubling in size within 4 hours. My neighbors think I'm crazy for checking on it every morning, but it's working. Has anyone else struggled with starter issues from something as simple as water quality?

20

noah_black•17d ago

My sourdough starter died after I left it in the fridge for 3 weeks on vacation

I went to visit my sister in Portland for 3 weeks and thought my starter would be fine just sitting in the fridge (big mistake, I know). Came back to a thick layer of weird gray liquid on top and a smell like old nail polish remover, so I had to toss the whole thing. Has anyone else killed a starter this way, or do you have a trick for keeping them alive when you're gone for a while?

19

avery366•18d ago

Tried buttercream with salted butter instead of unsalted for a birthday cake last week

I was out of unsalted butter and figured salt is salt, how bad could it be. The frosting came out greasy and separated, took three tries to get it back together with powdered sugar. Have any of you ever made that swap and actually had it work?

22

benw87•21d ago

My mother in law told me my pie crust was 'too tough' and I finally fixed it

She said it right at Thanksgiving dinner in front of everyone. Man that stung. I always just used my grandma's recipe which calls for ice cold water but I never actually measured it. Turned out I was adding way too much water. After she said that I started weighing my water on a kitchen scale and now my crust comes out flaky every single time. Has anyone else had a family member's blunt feedback actually improve their baking?

28

the_leo•21d ago

Pro tip: Dont trust store bought yeast without testing it first

Last weekend I tried making sourdough from scratch but my starter looked dead after 3 days. Turns out the yeast packet I bought at the grocery store was expired by 6 months. I wasted 4 hours of my Sunday for nothing. Has anyone else had bad luck with store yeast ruining a bake?

8

leebrown•21d ago

That bakery owner told me weighing ingredients is for amateurs

Heard a guy at a farmers market stall bragging he never measures anything and just goes by feel, but his cookies were flat as pancakes. I've been using a scale for 8 years and my batches come out perfect every time, anybody else think eyeballing is just lazy?

24

ivancoleman•25d ago

Tried a 48-hour sourdough starter this week - what a disaster

I decided to make a starter from scratch using just flour and water like all the blogs say. After 3 days it smelled like old gym socks and got this weird orange liquid on top. Turns out I was feeding it wrong and the temp in my kitchen was about 10 degrees too cold. Has anyone else had a starter go funky like this before you got it right?

9

felix478•25d ago

Burned 4 batches of cookies before my neighbor told me my oven runs hot

I kept following the recipe exactly but everything came out dark on the bottom. My neighbor came over last Tuesday and pointed out my oven runs 50 degrees hotter than the dial says. Has anyone else had a hidden problem like that ruin their baking for a while?

22

robinmason•26d ago

Burned 3 batches of croissants before I figured out the problem

I heard a baker on a podcast say the rack position matters more than the temp for even baking. Moved my tray to the middle of the oven instead of the top and the bottoms stopped burning while the tops stayed pale. Has anyone else fixed a recurring issue just by moving the rack?

11

jade618•26d ago

Blew a batch of croissants last week because I forgot to check the butter temp

I used cold butter straight from the fridge in my dough, ended up with these sad flat lumps that tasted fine but looked terrible. Then I tried letting the butter sit out for like 15 minutes before rolling, and the layers actually poofed up nice. Anyone else have a specific ingredient temp rule that made or broke their bake?

16

mitchell.shane•28d ago

Baking powder vs baking soda mistake cost me a birthday cake

I ruined my daughter's 8th birthday cake last month because I mixed up baking powder and baking soda. The recipe called for 2 teaspoons of baking powder, but I used baking soda instead since they look almost identical in those little containers. The cake rose way too fast, then sank in the middle and tasted like a salt lick. Nobody could eat it, and I had to run to the store at 8pm to grab a new cake. After that failure, I did some reading and learned baking soda needs an acid to react, while baking powder has its own acid built in. Now I keep them in completely different labeled containers on opposite sides of the pantry. Has anyone else made this mistake or found a good way to tell them apart at a glance?

8

janahenderson•29d ago

My aunt insisted I needed to sift flour even for cookies and it actually made a difference

I always skipped sifting cause it seemed like an extra step for no reason. But my aunt who's been baking since the 70s watched me make chocolate chip cookies last weekend and made me sift the flour. The cookies came out way lighter and fluffier, not dense like I usually get. Has anyone else noticed a big change from sifting or is it just me?

20

thomas_johnson35•29d ago

My sourdough starter took a weird turn after week 3

I've been keeping this starter alive for 45 days now, fed it every morning without fail. Around day 20 it got this strong acetone smell that filled up my whole kitchen near Chicago. Turns out I was starving it by not feeding it twice a day once it got active. Has anyone else dealt with that funky smell phase?

9

noraj79•1mo ago

Hit batch 50 on my sourdough starter and it finally clicked

Been keeping this starter alive for 18 months now. Took 50 loaves before I got a crumb that actually looked like the pictures online. Not a single one before that had the right spring. What was your breakthrough loaf number?

7

anthony165•1mo ago

Warning: that fancy sourdough starter kit I bought was a total ripoff

Dropped $60 on a deluxe starter kit from an online bakery and all it came with was a tiny jar, some weak flour, and instructions i found for free on YouTube. Anyone else get burned by those overpriced starter bundles?

11

jake_mason30•1mo ago

Warning: The ice water trick for pie crust actually works but timing is everything

I kept getting dense, tough pie crusts for like a year. Tried different flours, different fats, nothing fixed it. Then my neighbor who used to bake at a diner in Pittsburgh told me to stop using cold water from the tap. She said to throw a few ice cubes in a cup of water and wait until it gets actually freezing cold. I thought it was dumb but tried it last weekend for a chicken pot pie. The dough came together way easier without getting warm and sticky. I barely had to work it to get it smooth compared to before. Crust came out flaky for the first time in forever. Has anyone else noticed a big difference with water temp like this?

13

grace926•1mo ago

Question about my flat chocolate chip cookies from last Sunday

I followed the recipe exactly but they spread into thin puddles on the sheet. Did I maybe use butter that was too soft?

3

abby_miller•1mo ago

My sourdough starter went from flat to fantastic in just two days

I've had this starter for about a year, and it was always kinda weak (barely doubled in size). Two days ago, I switched from tap water to filtered water and moved it to the top of my fridge where it's a bit warmer. Now it's tripling in size and has way more bubbles. Has anyone else fixed a lazy starter by changing something simple like that?

12

the_piper•1mo ago

My sourdough starter tried to take over the kitchen

I've been keeping a starter alive for about two months now, feeding it every day like a pet. Last Thursday, I forgot to switch it to a bigger jar before bed. Woke up to a bubbly, sticky mess all over my counter because it had literally pushed the lid off overnight. It looked like a science experiment gone wrong. I managed to save most of it, but cleaning up the dried-on goo took a solid 20 minutes. Anyone have a good trick for knowing when your starter is about to make a break for it?