I made croissants side by side using Plugra and then store brand. The European butter gave me a much cleaner lamination and better rise, about 30 percent taller after baking. Has anyone else noticed this big of a difference or was it just my technique?
I left my brioche on the counter for an extra 45 minutes last Saturday while I was wrestling with a sticky vinyl plank in the next room, and the whole thing turned into a sticky puddle that collapsed when I tried to shape it. Has anyone else had a batch go totally flat from a room temp spike?
I always thought measuring cups were fine until I worked a shift with this guy named Dave at a bakery in Portland last summer. He watched me scoop flour and said, 'You're packing in an extra 40 grams easy, that's why your crumb is dense.' I didn't believe him so he made two loaves side by side later that week, one by volume and one by weight. The weight one came out perfect with an open crumb and the other was a brick. Now I don't even own measuring cups for baking anymore. Anyone else had a mentor call them out on something small that made a huge difference?
I bought this online starter kit from some boutique bakery last month. It came with a glass jar, a weird cloth cover, and some instructions that made no sense. The 'heirloom' starter they sent was dead on arrival and didn't bubble at all after 3 days of feeding. I could've just mixed flour and water for free like everyone says. Anyone else fall for these overpriced starter kits or know a better way to get a reliable one?
A lady straight up said my croissants left oil on her napkin, so I switched from cheap margarine to actual European butter blocks. Anyone else get humbled by feedback like that and change their recipe?
Bought a 20-quart Hobart last year thinking I'd finally level up my cookies. Thing takes up half my counter, I can't do a single batch without scraping the sides constantly, and it's way too heavy to move. Been using a thrift store hand mixer for the last month and getting better results. Anybody else regret going industrial when a home model would've been fine?
I used to think you had to let sourdough rise at room temp no matter what. Then last month I had seven straight days where my loaves came out flat and gummy. I was about to toss my starter in the trash. A baker at the farmers market in Eugene told me to try sticking the dough in the fridge for 18 hours instead of 2 on the counter. First try came out with the best oven spring I've ever gotten. Now I keep my dough in the fridge for most of the bulk ferment and only let it warm up for shaping. Has anyone else found that cold retarding fixes more problems than it causes?
Talked to my friend's grandma at a family dinner last Sunday. She said cold butter is fine but you gotta grate it first, not cube it. She showed me her pie crust and it was flaky like nothing I've ever made. Tried it on a apple pie Tuesday night and it came out way better than my usual method. Anyone else have a trick that an older baker showed them that changed how you do something basic?
Was making two loaves for a neighbor's party. Dough hook just stopped spinning halfway through kneading. Smelled something hot. Pulled the mixer apart and found the plastic gear was stripped clean. Had to finish kneading by hand for 20 minutes. Arms are still sore. Anyone know if the metal gear upgrade is worth it on the older models?
Last month I had a Saturday from hell. I was in the middle of a three tier wedding cake for a bride in Portland, whipping up a big batch of buttercream. My old Hobart started making this grinding noise I'd never heard before. I figured it was just the machine acting up from overuse, so I kept going. Then smoke started pouring out of the motor casing. I yanked the plug and saved the mixer, but the batch was ruined and I had to start over at 9 PM. The cake got done at 4 AM and I was about dead on my feet. Has anyone else had a piece of gear nearly give out right before a big order?
After 3 years of perfecting my starter, I spent last Saturday hand-kneading a loaf just to prove her wrong, and honestly the texture was no different so has anyone else ditched the fancy traditions for a machine?
I was in my tiny kitchen in Portland last Saturday and my third attempt at sourdough came out with a crust so hard I could've used it as a doorstop. The inside was gummy and dense, not the airy crumb I was hoping for. Turns out I was skipping the autolyse step and my starter wasn't active enough after only 5 days of feeding. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you've been rushing the process?
I used to always cream my butter straight from the fridge, just letting it soften on the counter for maybe 30 minutes. Last month I started microwaving it in 10 second bursts until it was just barely warm to the touch, around 68-70 degrees. The dough came together way faster and my cookies spread exactly how I wanted instead of turning into little pucks. I've done 4 batches since then and the texture is way more consistent. Has anyone else tried playing with butter temp beyond the usual 'room temperature' advice?
After 4 tries with all-purpose, I swapped in bread flour for a lattice top pie last Tuesday and the lattice held its shape way better with zero tearing. Has anyone else tried this swap or is it a bad idea for the bottom crust?
I was visiting my sister last weekend and we walked past this tiny spot called Old Town Bread. Decided to grab a loaf and ended up chatting with the baker for like 20 minutes. Turns out they still use a sourdough starter that a German immigrant brought over in the 1950s. The owner said it's been fed daily for 70+ years and gives their bread this crazy tang you just can't fake. I tried their classic boule and I swear the crumb was like nothing I've made at home. Has anyone ever worked with a starter that old? I'm curious if it really makes a difference or if it's mostly hype.
She said it tasted good but felt like a brick, and after reading up on it I realized my starter was too weak for that high hydration, has anyone else had to adjust their water ratio based on feedback?
Was making a double batch of sugar cookies for a church bake sale when my KitchenAid started making this grinding noise and then just stopped. The motor was smoking a little. I had all the butter and sugar already creamed so I couldn't just quit. Ended up mixing in the rest by hand with a wooden spoon. Took forever but the cookies turned out okay. Anyone else had a mixer die on them at the worst possible time and have to improvise?
My buddy Steve, who bakes sourdough out of his garage in Denver, told me to stick to 72% hydration for high-altitude baking, but I pushed it to 80% and ended up with a sticky mess that collapsed into a flat pancake after 3 hours of proofing, has anyone else ignored a pro's advice and regretted it?
I was reading King Arthur Flour's blog Tuesday and they said 50% of home bakers toss their starter discard instead of using it. That's half of us just throwing away perfectly good flour and water. Has anyone else found a go-to use for the discard that actually works?
I always used all-purpose flour because that's what my grandma used. Last week I tried bread flour with a higher protein content and the crust came out crispy on the outside and chewy inside. Has anyone else noticed a big difference swapping flours for their pizza?
Spent 6 months wrestling with hot banneton flips and burned my fingers twice before I finally caved on the sling, and now Iām kicking myself for not getting one sooner - has anyone else tried a linen vs silicone version?
I always thought more water in bread dough meant a better crumb, like those fancy artisan bakers online. Then I tried a 85% hydration recipe last Tuesday and ended up with a sticky mess that refused to shape and baked into a flat pancake. Has anyone else found that sticking to 70% or lower gives way more consistent results?
I was visiting my grandma last Sunday and she told me she's been using the same starter since 1972, never once put it in the fridge. I always refrigerate mine between bakes but she just leaves it on the counter and feeds it every day like clockwork. It made me wonder if I'm overcomplicating things with all my temperature control and feeding schedules. Has anyone else tried leaving their starter out at room temp for years on end?
I bought a 50-pound bag of flour from a discount store for $12 and it had a weird smell I didn't notice until I baked. Gave my sourdough a musty taste and I wasted 4 batches before I figured it out. Has anyone else gotten burned by bargain flour like this?
I always used cold butter for my pie dough because everyone says it's the only way to get flaky layers. But last weekend I was out of butter and only had vegetable shortening in the cupboard. Decided to try it anyway for a batch of 4 apple pies for a church bake sale at First Methodist. The crust came out tender and held together way better than my usual ones, plus no water spots from melting butter. Has anyone else had better luck with shortening for certain pies?