My grandma always said to use ice cold vodka instead of water for flaky pie crust. I thought she was just being dramatic, but I tried it last weekend on a apple pie for a church bake sale. The crust came out so light and flaky, three people asked me what my secret was. Has anyone else tried this, or am I just behind on the trend?
I switched to 1:10 for a week and got the most active, bubbly starter ever. It felt counterintuitive to use less starter, but it worked. What ratio do you guys swear by for a strong starter?
I was making a big batch of croissants last weekend and they came out flat and dense. Really frustrating after all that folding and chilling. I figured it was probably my technique so I went online and found a baking science blog that talked about how home scales drift over time. I dug up my old calibration manual from the scale's brand and sure enough the internal sensor can lose accuracy after 5 years. I tested mine with a known weight and it was reading 115 grams for what should have been 100 grams. That explains why my dough hydration has been all wrong lately. Has anyone else checked their scale recently or am I the only one who let it go this long?
She said starters are just a flex for 80% of people who'd get better results with commercial yeast, but my neighbor swears by his 10-year-old starter for flavor. Which side do you fall on for everyday baking?
I stopped into that famous spot on Rue Saint Paul last month and their croissant tasted like it came off a Sysco truck, but everyone online swears its the best in the city - has anyone else actually noticed the difference or am I just being too picky?
I used to proof my sourdough in a regular glass bowl for like 2 years. Then last month I grabbed a 9 inch round banneton from a local baking supply shop. The difference in the final loaf was NIGHT and day - the crust got way more even and the shape held up so much better during baking. After 3 tries with the banneton, my scoring actually stayed open instead of closing up. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in quality from just switching proofing baskets?
Last month I tried it with a 75% hydration dough and got the same oven spring plus a softer crumb, so now I’m wondering if anyone else has had better luck with a specific brand of AP flour for sourdough?
I dusted it with half rice flour and half regular flour last night and the loaf slid out like a dream, has anyone else tried that mix?
I've been baking for about two years and always proofed my sourdough on the counter. A guy at a local bakery told me his bread got way better flavor from a 12-hour cold proof. I tried it last week with my usual recipe and the crust was definitely crispier, but the crumb felt denser. What's your take on cold vs room temp proofing for a standard loaf?
I was pushing through a big batch of sourdough for a local cafe when smoke started pouring out of the motor housing on my 10-year-old KitchenAid. Has anyone else had a mixer just give up mid-knead like that, or was I just running it too hard?
Bought a used Hobart clone off Craigslist last month. Paid $200 cash. Thought I was saving money. The thing seized up on my third batch of cookie dough. Motor burned out. Smelled like electric fire. Took it to a repair shop and they said the gears were stripped. Parts alone would be $400. Should have just saved up for a real one. Has anyone else tried to go cheap on a mixer and regretted it?
I was just wiping down my counter after pulling a batch out of the oven and it hit me that I've baked exactly 500 loaves since I started keeping track back in 2021. That first loaf looked like a deflated frisbee, I swear the crust was tougher than a boot heel. Now I can tell just by the feel of the dough if it needs another hour of proofing. Has anyone else kept a tally of their bakes and been surprised by the number?
I stopped by a bakery in Portland last month called Little T, and the owner showed me how they do all their sandwich loaves in preheated cast iron. She said it gives a crust you just can't get from a standard loaf pan no matter how hot you run the oven. I tried it myself at 475 degrees for 25 minutes and the bottom crust came out way crispier than anything I've gotten from my usual setup. Has anyone else switched away from traditional bread pans for certain recipes?
I was reading this old baking forum last night and one guy said he only feeds his starter once a week and keeps it in the fridge. I've been doing twice a day at room temp like every recipe says, but his loaf photos looked amazing. Is there really a right way or is it more about what works for your kitchen?
I went to a bakery in Portland called Butterlove last week and saw they had a whole display case of cake pops made from leftover scraps. I used to just toss my trimmed edges or give them to my chickens, but now I'm thinking I should start saving them up. Do any of you repurpose your scraps into something you actually sell?
Finally tried it on a batch of brioche rolls last month after a baker at the local farmers market swore by it, and those rolls stayed soft for 4 days on my counter. Has anyone else caved on a technique they thought was overhyped?
I had this lady come into my shop last month wanting me to dump a cup of her homemade sourdough starter into a boxed cake mix. She said it makes it fluffier. Has anyone else heard of this trick or am I just old fashioned about using straight baking soda?
I was at a friend's place last week helping her bake cookies, and she scooped her flour straight from the bag with the measuring cup. The dough came out way too dry, and she blamed the recipe. I brought my kitchen scale over the next day, weighed out 120 grams per cup like I always do, and the cookies turned out perfect. Has anyone else had a baking fail that was just about how you measured the flour?
I moved from Chicago to Denver 3 months ago and thought my bread recipe would work fine. First batch here was flat and dense, didn't rise at all. Turns out higher altitude changes fermentation speed a lot. I ended up cutting my proofing time by about 45 minutes and adding extra water to the dough. The next loaf came out better, but still not perfect. Anyone else have to adjust their hydration levels after moving to a higher elevation?
I was always fighting with my scale giving me wonky readings when I'd add flour a little at a time. Tried this thing where you just use water weight to calculate your dough hydration like 65% of the flour weight in grams of water. It's way faster and I don't have to keep zeroing the scale 10 times. Anyone else switch to just measuring by feel and using the water ratio as a starting point?
I tried for 3 weeks in my tiny apartment in Austin and got nothing but hooch and sad bubbles. Turned out my tap water had too much chlorine killing the yeast. Switched to bottled water last Wednesday and by Saturday morning the thing doubled in size. Anyone else deal with water quality killing their starter?
I'd been trying to get a good sourdough starter going for about 3 months with no luck. Last month in my tiny kitchen in Austin, I fed it at the same time every day and actually paid attention to the temp. Then one morning it had this big bubbly dome on top and doubled in 4 hours. I guess I was just starving it before with too much water or not enough warmth. Anyone else have that weird breakthrough moment with their starter after thinking it was dead?
I used to rush through my sourdough, shaping and baking within 4 hours. Last week I tried an overnight cold proof in the fridge for 12 hours instead. The crust came out way crispier and the crumb had those big holes I see in bakery loaves. Has anyone else found that extra rest time makes or breaks their results?
I was visiting my cousin in Denver last month and he dragged me to this tiny bakery called Rise & Shine. They had this old beat-up fridge running at like 85 degrees with trays of dough inside. The baker told me they hacked the thermostat with a simple temperature controller from Amazon for 30 bucks. Never thought about using an old appliance for proofing instead of buying a fancy cabinet. Has anyone else tried rigging up something like that at home?