My mom told me to stop worrying about the recipe and learn to feel the dough instead

I was on the phone with her last weekend complaining about how my sourdough loaves keep coming out flat. She's been baking for 40 years and never uses a scale or timer. She just goes by how the dough feels. At first I thought she was just being old school and lucky. But then I watched her throw together a batch of dinner rolls without measuring anything and they came out perfect. It hit me that I've been treating baking like chemistry class when it's really more like muscle memory. That conversation made me realize I've been too scared to trust my hands. I spent last night making the same recipe over and over just to train myself what "windowpane" actually means. Has anyone else had that moment where a family member made you rethink how you approach baking?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahcampbell14h agoMost Upvoted

Nah, windowpane's different from just feeling it... you're overthinking again.

jesse8411h ago

Windowpane is just a way to check gluten development by feel though. That's literally feeling the dough with your hands. Your mom was right. I spent years following exact hydration percentages and time tables and my bread was always hit or miss. It wasn't until my grandmother showed me how to wet my hands and stretch the dough until I could feel it resisting that everything clicked. Now I just shoot for a rough hydration and adjust with more flour or water based on how sticky the dough actually is.