c/baking-fails-and-wins

My sourdough starter turned pink and fuzzy overnight

I left it on the counter in my Houston kitchen during a humid week and came back to something that looked like a science experiment, so I tossed the whole batch and started over with a new jar - has anyone else had a starter go bad in warm weather?

Vent: My mom told me my bread was too dense and I fought her on it for a year

She said I wasn't kneading enough. I thought she was crazy because I followed the recipe times exactly. After 8 months of crumbly loaves I finally tried kneading for 15 minutes instead of 10. The difference was night and day, lighter texture for sure. Now I use the windowpane test every time instead of just the timer. Anyone else have that one piece of advice they ignored forever?

Just realized the right fat makes or breaks shortbread cookies

I made two batches of shortbread last weekend for a bake sale here in Austin. One used butter and the other used shortening because I was out of butter for the second batch. The butter batch came out golden and flaky with that rich taste everyone loves. The shortening one was pale and crumbly but held its shape perfectly for stamped designs. Now I'm wondering if I should blend them half and half for Christmas cookies this year. Has anyone else tried mixing fats like that for holiday baking?

Tried freezing cookie dough scoops for later baking and it actually made them come out chewier

Had a batch of chocolate chip cookies turn into flat frisbees last Tuesday, so I froze the rest of the dough balls on a tray for 30 minutes before baking and they came out thick and perfect, has anyone else noticed frozen dough bakes way better?

Watched my sourdough go from a beautiful dome to a flat pancake in 45 minutes flat

Turns out forgetting to score the top before baking traps the steam inside and makes it collapse halfway through, has anyone else had this happen with a new recipe?

I finally chose butter over shortening for my pie crust

I had to make a choice for a big family Thanksgiving last month - use my grandma's shortening recipe or switch to all butter. I went with butter because I wanted that flaky texture everyone talks about. The crust came out golden and tasted GREAT but it was a PAIN to keep cold while rolling. Has anyone else had trouble with butter crusts falling apart on you?

My sourdough starter actually thrived with tap water instead of filtered

Everyone online says chlorine in tap water kills natural yeast, but my starter was sluggish for weeks with expensive bottled water. I tried straight tap water out of desperation last Tuesday and it finally doubled in size overnight. Has anyone else found their starter prefers regular city water over filtered?

Appreciation post: My neighbor's offhand comment about my burnt cookies actually taught me something

She said 'you're overmixing the dough, the gluten is making them tough' and after 8 attempts I finally tried her way and got soft cookies for the first time - has anyone else had a random stranger give you better advice than any recipe?

Wasted $60 on a fancy Bundt pan that ruined my lemon cake

I bought a non-stick Bundt pan with all these fancy ridges from a kitchen store downtown last month. Spent 2 hours on a lemon cake from scratch, greased it up perfectly, and still had half the cake stuck in those stupid ridges. Has anyone else had bad luck with those detailed pans versus a basic one?

Tried a new sourdough starter last Tuesday and it exploded on day 3

I came home to gooey dough all over my counter and somehow it even got on the ceiling. Has anyone else had a starter go that crazy that fast or did I do something weird?

I finally bought a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups

Spent $15 on a basic digital scale after ruining three batches of bread with packed flour. Now my cookies come out exactly the same every time. Anyone else find measuring cups just aren't consistent?

I finally picked salted butter over unsalted for my sugar cookies

Every recipe I ever read said unsalted is the way for baking, so I stuck with it for years. Last weekend I ran out and used salted by accident in a batch of cutout cookies. The edges got this tiny bit of extra crispness and the salt balanced the sweetness perfectly. Has anyone else made the switch or am I crazy for liking it better?

That fancy Italian flour cost me $45 for nothing

Bought a bag of Caputo '00' flour from a specialty shop online. Supposed to be the best for pizza dough. Tried three times and it just wouldn't hold together right in my home oven. Stick with all-purpose from the grocery store unless you've got a wood-fired setup. Anyone else fall for expensive ingredients that just didn't work?

Custard pie fail turned into a happy accident with coconut

I tried making a coconut custard pie last weekend and totally messed up the measurements, put in way too much coconut milk and not enough eggs. It came out of the oven all jiggly and I thought it was ruined, but after chilling overnight it set into this super creamy almost pudding-like texture. My husband actually said it was the best pie I've ever made, go figure. Has anyone else accidentally changed a recipe and ended up with something better?

Forgot to subtract my pan weight on a batch of bread and it turned out better

I was at a friend’s kitchen in Portland last weekend making sourdough, and I totally blanked on zeroing out the scale with the mixing bowl on it. Ended up adding about 200 extra grams of flour without realizing it until the dough was already proofing. Figured it would be a disaster, a dense brick or something... but the loaves came out super fluffy with a nice open crumb. Now I’m wondering if my old digital scale is just off or if I’ve been under-flouring my bread this whole time. Has anyone else accidentally messed up a measurement and ended up with a better result?

Blew forty bucks on a silicone baking mat set from a kitchen store and they warped in the oven on the very first batch of cookies.

The edges curled up and ruined the shape of my sugar cookies, has anyone found a brand that actually stays flat after a few uses?

Making croissants for the first time and ended up with butter puddles on the floor of my kitchen in Portland last winter

That lady at the farmers market told me my bread looked like a sad potato

I was selling my first batch of sourdough in Austin and she said that right to my face but then she bought two loaves and came back the next week for more, has anyone else gotten a weird compliment like that?

Swapped butter for shortening in my pie crust and finally got flaky layers

I was trying to make a double crust apple pie for Thanksgiving and kept getting tough, dense dough. Read online that butter has too much water for flaky pastry, so I tried a 50/50 mix with Crisco from the Piggly Wiggly in town. The crust came out super tender and actually held together when I cut it, but it didn't taste as rich as all butter. Has anyone else gone half and half on fats for pie dough?

Vent: My stand mixer caught fire mid-batch of chocolate chip cookies

Last Sunday I was making a double batch of cookies for a bake sale at my kid's school. About halfway through creaming the butter and sugar, I smelled something weird, like burning plastic. Then I saw smoke coming out of the back of my KitchenAid. I yanked the plug out of the wall and the whole mixer just stopped, with a little flame flickering near the motor. The butter sugar mix was a gross gray color from burnt grease. I had to toss the whole bowl and start over, but luckily the mixer didn't fully catch fire. My husband says it's because I run it too long on high speed for stiff cookie dough. Has anyone else dealt with a mixer overheating or catching fire like this?

Just figured out I've been overcrowding my cookie sheets this whole time

I always wondered why my chocolate chip cookies came out more like one giant blob than individual cookies. Watched a baking show last Tuesday and saw they only put like 6 on a sheet, I was cramming 12 on there every time. Anybody else have a basic thing they missed for years?

My mixer died mid-batch at 2 AM last Sunday

I was halfway through a triple batch of chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale when my KitchenAid started smoking and just stopped. Turns out the motor burnt out because I was running it too long on high speed. Any tips on fixing these things yourself or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new one?

Overheard my neighbor say she never preheats her oven and her cakes turn out fine

I was out back last weekend and heard my neighbor Linda telling her friend she just puts her cake batter straight into a cold oven and sets the timer. She said it saves electricity and she's never had a problem. I've always been strict about preheating for 15 minutes at least, so this threw me off. Has anyone else tried skipping the preheat step or is this just asking for a flat cake that sinks in the middle?

I used to think room temp butter was overrated. Then I ruined 3 batches of cookies.

For years I'd just microwave my butter until it was soft, thinking close enough was fine. Last month I tried making chocolate chip cookies with butter that sat out for exactly 2 hours. The difference was CRAZY - they spread evenly and had that chewy texture instead of turning into flat greasy pucks. I've been baking for 5 years and never realized how much that 30 seconds in the microwave messes up the emulsion. Now I plan ahead and pull butter out before I even start preheating. Has anyone else noticed a big change just from that one tweak?

Hot take: I thought the 'freeze your cookie dough' trick was pointless

I saw a video saying to scoop and freeze cookie dough balls for 24 hours before baking. I tried it last month with my usual chocolate chip recipe, thinking it was just extra work. The cookies came out way thicker and chewier than my usual flat ones. It really does make a difference in how they spread. Has anyone else tried this and found a specific time that works best, or is overnight enough?