Tried making bread without a recipe and ended up with a frisbee instead of a loaf

I threw out all the measuring cups and just went by feel like my grandma used to, but my kitchenaid spat out a hockey puck that took 45 minutes to saw through and I learned you really need to respect hydration ratios or you're just making doorstops... has anyone else ruined a batch by getting too cocky with the flour?

3 comments

3 Comments

gibson.avery23d ago

See, I actually have to push back a little here. I've been baking by feel for years and my bread turns out fine most of the time. My grandma never touched a measuring cup in her life and her loaves were legendary. The trick isn't about ratios so much as knowing what the dough is supposed to feel like at each stage. If yours came out like a hockey puck, my guess is you either didn't let it rise long enough or you killed the yeast with water that was too hot. The flour hydration matters but so does the temperature of your kitchen and how old your yeast is. I'd say give it another shot but pay attention to how the dough bounces back when you poke it instead of worrying so much about exact measurements.

marywilson23d ago

Nothing worse than a hockey puck loaf after all that effort, I feel your pain.

linda11423d ago

Oh man, this reminds me of my friend Jen. She spent like 3 hours making sourdough from scratch, followed every step, and when she pulled it out of the oven it was this dense, sad little brick. Turned out her kitchen was way too cold for the dough to rise properly, and she never thought to check. She tried again in her bathroom with the space heater on and it actually worked. The second loaf was pretty good, not gonna lie. So yeah, sometimes it's not even your fault, just your apartment fighting you.

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