Watched a baker in Portland dock a loaf for being 5 degrees under, switched to checking temp instead of tapping the bottom
I was at a bakery crawl in Portland 3 months ago and saw this old guy pull a loaf, stick a thermometer in it, and put it back for 4 more minutes. Bought a $12 instant read that week and my crumb has been way more consistent since, anyone else ditch the tapping thing for temp checks?
Wait, five degrees off and he could actually taste the difference? I always figured that was just bakers being picky about their craft. That makes me wonder how many loaves I've pulled too early over the years without ever knowing it.