Last Tuesday I tried to make crackers with my starter discard like everyone suggests. They came out like hockey pucks and I almost threw the whole jar away. Then I talked to this old baker at the farmers market who said discard works better if you let it ferment 12 hours first instead of using it right away. I tried that on Friday with some parmesan and rosemary and they actually turned out great. Has anyone else had bad luck with discard recipes and found a trick that saved them?
She told me she's kept it alive since 1972 just by feeding it every week, no fancy fridge or special flour. I've been overcomplicating my starter with hydration ratios and exact temps, but hers has been making perfect bread for 50 years with just water and all-purpose. Any other bakers here use a really simple method that works better than the complex stuff?
My grandma swore I didn't need to spend money on a fancy digital oven thermometer. She said just put a cheap metal one in there and adjust the dial until it reads 350. I tried that for a month and my sourdough loaves kept coming out with gummy centers and burnt crusts. Finally I bought a ThermoPro for like 15 bucks and found out my oven runs 40 degrees hotter than the dial says. Now I'm wondering if grandmothers just get used to eating mediocre bread or if there's some secret technique I'm missing. Anyone else have a family member give you baking advice that was totally wrong?
I always struggled with getting my bread dough to rise in the winter. My kitchen gets cold and it would take hours. Last week I tried putting a cup of hot water in the microwave and setting the dough bowl inside with the door closed. The dough doubled in size in about 45 minutes. Has anyone else found a trick that works better for cold weather proofing?
I always rushed it before but last week I left my butter block in the fridge for 12 hours before rolling and the layers came out so clean and even, has anyone else noticed a big difference with longer chill times?
I bake bread every Saturday for my neighbors. Last month I did a test. Made two batches of the same recipe. One sat in the fridge for 24 hours, the other went straight from mixing to the oven after a 2 hour rise. The cold ferment had way better crust and the crumb was more open. Same flour, same yeast, same technique. My neighbor actually asked if I changed my supplier. Anyone else find that waiting is the real secret?
Started doing it after a pie contest in 2019 where the winner's crust was just flakier than mine - tried grating frozen butter the next week and my crusts came out way better with less work. Anyone else made a similar switch or still think cold butter works fine?
Left my new banneton on the counter after shaping a loaf and came back to him wearing it on his head asking if it made him look like a French baker, has anyone else had their tools mistaken for something else?
I took a class last month at the local community college and the instructor insisted on sifting flour for every single recipe. Three years of baking at home without a sifter and my cakes turn out fine. Has anyone else stopped sifting and seen no difference in their results?
I had a shift last month that started with a mixer dying at 5 AM, right when I was about to start a triple batch of sourdough. Then the proofing box decided to act up and overproofed a whole tray of croissants by like 40 minutes. By noon I had to scrap about 50 bucks worth of dough that just wouldn't rise right. It was one of those days where you just want to throw your apron at the wall and walk out. Has anyone else had a day where the equipment just seemed to conspire against you?
Been baking sourdough for about 8 months now and kept getting crusts that were like biting into a shoe. Tried different flours, longer proofs, shorter bakes. Nothing worked. Then last week I swapped out my Dutch oven for a cast iron skillet with a steel mixing bowl on top and suddenly the crust turned out perfect. Guess the steam was escaping through my cheap Dutch oven lid. You guys ever have a simple equipment swap fix a problem you'd been fighting forever?
Left the dough to rest overnight in the fridge and the crust came out way crispier than my usual room temp method, has anyone else messed around with fermentation temps for better oven spring?
I found out from a random YouTube comment that most home ovens are off by at least 15 degrees, so I finally bought an oven thermometer for $8 and now I adjust all my temps down by 25, anyone else ever bake for years without checking their actual oven temp?
I always proofed my sourdough in the fridge for just a few hours thinking it didn't matter. But after reading about a 24 hour cold ferment from a bakery in Portland, I gave it a shot. The difference in flavor and crumb structure was like night and day. Has anyone else had that experience switching to a longer cold proof?
So I went to this tiny spot called Maison du Pain in Williamsburg on Saturday. The baker let me peek in the back and showed me how they laminate their dough. Turns out I've been using way too much butter in my layers and not letting the dough rest enough between folds. He said they use just enough butter to coat each layer thin, not glob it on like I do lol. He also said they rest the dough in the fridge for a full 45 minutes between each turn. I usually rush it in 20 minutes and wonder why my layers smear together. Has anyone else tried a longer rest time and seen better results?
I spent $12 on a set of silicone baking mats from a discount store last month and they warped in the oven at 375°F on my first try. Now I've got melted silicone residue stuck to my baking sheets and had to toss both the mats and the pans. Has anyone else had this happen with budget mats or did I just get a really bad batch?
Bought that wire-handled lame from a bakery supply shop in Portland. Looked slick. But the blade angle was totally off for my grip. Kept tearing my dough instead of clean cuts. Anyone else ditch a tool that was supposed to be "professional" and go back to a basic razor blade?
She grabbed a loaf of my jalapeno cheddar too and said it looked dry. I proof it at 80% hydration, not dry at all. How do you handle customers who don't get what rustic bread is supposed to be?
I swear the bags I buy now feel lighter and the dough behaves way different than when I started baking out of my grandma's kitchen in like 1998. Anyone else notice their loaves coming out softer or is it just my technique slipping?
I tracked every single one since January and hit exactly 100 last Sunday. Thought I'd be proud but honestly I'm just surprised at how many failed, like 12 total duds that went straight to the compost. Has anyone else kept count of their bake failures?
I was wondering why my sourdough kept coming out gummy even though I followed the recipe exactly. So last week I tested my probe thermometer against boiling water (212 degrees) and it read 172. That thing was off by 40 entire degrees. I bought it off Amazon for like 12 bucks two years ago and never once checked it. Has anyone else had a thermometer drift like that and ruin a bunch of bakes before you caught it?
I was at my kitchen counter in Portland last Thursday, setting a timer for 45 minutes while my loaf was baking, and got distracted by a phone call that ran long. When I pulled it out, the bottom was completely charred and the inside was still gummy - totally ruined $8 worth of flour and starter. Has anyone else had better luck using visual cues over timers for their sourdough?
I kept getting soggy bottoms on my apple pies no matter what. Turns out I was adding too much ice water, about 2 tablespoons too much each time. Anyone else deal with dough that just won't cooperate?
I was baking at home in Portland last week and kept getting dark bottoms on my croissants even though the tops looked fine. Turns out my oven runs hot by about 25 degrees, so I dropped the temp to 375 and put a sheet pan on the rack below. Now they come out golden all over. Anyone else have a hot oven issue like that?