c/bakers

Changed my mind about pre-ferments after a batch of bagels in my home kitchen

Three years ago, I was convinced a straight dough was fine for everything. Then I tried a poolish for some bagels last week, just a 16-hour ferment in the fridge. The crust was way better, chewier, and the flavor had this depth my old recipe never got. It only added one extra step but made a huge difference. Anyone have a favorite pre-ferment for enriched doughs like brioche?

My sourdough starter completely died after the power outage

It was my 3-year-old rye starter, and the fridge was off for almost 8 hours. Has anyone successfully revived one after that long?

Appreciation post: I found out a crazy fact about baker's yeast in a library book

I was reading an old baking book from the 70s at my local library, 'The Breads of France', and it said something that made me stop. It claimed that a single teaspoon of active dry yeast contains something like 200 billion individual yeast cells. I had to look it up to check, and yeah, it's basically true. I always just scooped it without thinking, you know? But that number is just wild to me. It made me realize how alive the stuff really is and how careful we should be with water temps. I used to just guess if it was warm enough, but now I actually use my thermometer to keep it around 105-110 degrees. Has anyone else had a small fact like that totally change how they handle an everyday ingredient?

A customer at my shop in Austin said 'real bakers don't use timers, they use their senses'. I've been thinking about that for months.

Just realized my sourdough starter works way better with a $5 digital scale than my old cup measures.

I compared volume and weight for feeding it for a month, and the scale gave me a bubbly, active starter every single time, so has anyone else found that one simple tool made a huge difference?

My sourdough starter was flat for a week until I tried a new feeding spot

I keep my kitchen pretty cool, around 65 degrees, and my starter just wouldn't get bubbly. I moved the jar on top of my fridge, near the back where the motor puts out a little warmth. After two days of feeding it there, it doubled in size for the first time. I guess that extra bit of heat was exactly what it needed. Has anyone else found a weird warm spot in their house that saved a starter?

Serious question, has anyone else noticed a big jump in sourdough starter requests?

Last week, three separate people at the Portland farmers market asked if I could share a piece of mine, which never used to happen. Is this just a local thing, or are people getting back into wild yeast again?

Warning about using warm water to speed up yeast

I was in a rush for a big order last Friday. My usual proofing spot was cold. So I tried putting the bowl of dough in a sink full of warm water, like bath temp. Figured it would cut the rise time in half. Big mistake. The outside of the dough ball got hot and cooked a little, made this weird skin. Inside was still raw and dense. The whole batch of focaccia was ruined, about $30 in ingredients gone. I learned yeast likes steady, gentle warmth, not a hot tub. Now I just turn my oven light on and put the bowl in there with the door cracked. It works every time. Has anyone else messed up their dough by trying to rush the rise too fast?

Just hit 1000 sourdough loaves on my current starter

I started it from scratch in my kitchen in March 2020 and it's still going strong. Anyone else have a starter that's hit a surprising age or output number?

My sourdough starter went completely flat on me last Tuesday, right before a big order.

I thought a kitchen scale was just extra stuff until my bread started coming out right every time

For a long time, I just used cups and spoons for everything. My sourdough was always a bit off, sometimes too wet or too dense. My friend, who runs a small bakery, finally convinced me to buy a $25 digital scale. I measured my flour and water by weight for the first time last week, and the dough felt perfect right away. The loaf came out with a much better crumb and crust. Has anyone else had a simple tool make that big of a difference?

I finally nailed my sourdough crust after switching my baking vessel

For the past year, I've been baking my loaves on a regular sheet pan with a pan of water below for steam. Last week, I borrowed my friend's cast iron Dutch oven from her garage sale and tried it. The crust came out way darker and crispier, with those big bubbles I always wanted. I think the heavy lid trapped the steam way better than my old setup. What's your go-to method for getting a good crust at home?

Question about a sourdough disaster last Tuesday

My starter, 'Bubbles', doubled overnight but my final loaf came out flat and gummy, even after a 14-hour cold proof. Has anyone else had a starter seem active but the bread just not work?

Pro tip from a customer at my old bakery in Tucson

A regular told me 'let your buttercream sit for 30 minutes after mixing, it spreads like a dream.' I tried it, and she was completely right. Anyone have a similar little trick that made a big difference?

A customer in my shop last Tuesday told me my sourdough was 'too perfect' and it made me think.

She said, 'I can tell you used a scale for everything, but I miss the little bubbles and cracks my grandma's loaf always had,' which got me wondering if chasing technical perfection is making my bread lose some soul, so what's your take on balancing consistency with that homemade feel?

My sourdough starter got way too active after a trip to the coast

I took my starter with me to a cabin in Astoria last month, and the sea air seemed to supercharge it. Back home, I used it for my usual overnight loaf and it overproofed in just four hours, turning into a flat, sticky mess. I learned that a big change in environment can really throw off your timing, even with a routine you know well. Has anyone else had a starter act totally different after a move or a trip?

A $30 digital scale changed how I bake bread

I used to guess my flour amounts with cups and had a lot of bad loaves. I bought a simple digital scale for about thirty bucks and started weighing everything in grams. My sourdough stopped being a rock and got a real open crumb. Does anyone have a good weight for whole wheat flour in a basic sandwich loaf recipe?

A customer in Portland told me my sourdough was too perfect

I was at the farmer's market last Saturday, and a regular said my loaves looked like they came from a machine. She asked if I ever just let the dough do its own thing without trying to control it so much. I realized I'd been so focused on scoring patterns and oven spring that I forgot the wild, fun part of sourdough. Now I'm trying to bake one batch a week where I just shape it free-form and see what happens. Has anyone else had a customer push them to be less precise?

Just realized I've been measuring flour wrong for my entire 5 year baking career. A friend's scale showed me the truth.

I was measuring flour wrong for years until a friend in Denver pointed it out

I always just scooped my flour straight from the bag with the measuring cup, packing it down a bit. My friend watched me do it while we were baking together and said, 'You know that's adding like an extra ounce per cup, right?' I started spooning and leveling instead, and my cookie recipes finally stopped coming out dry. Has anyone else had a basic technique they were messing up for way too long?

Can we talk about that crazy humid week in July that ruined my sourdough starter

The humidity in Atlanta last July was so high my starter went from bubbly to a flat, acidic mess in just two days, and I had to explain to six regulars why their weekly loaves were canceled.

My sourdough crust went from pale to perfect in two weeks

Changed my baking schedule. Was doing a 12 hour cold proof. Switched to 14 hours. The extra time let the dough develop more flavor and a darker crust. Got a real crackle sound when it cooled. Anyone else find a sweet spot with proofing times?

A customer said my sourdough crust was too hard to chew

A regular at the market told me point blank, 'Mia, this crust is like trying to eat a roof shingle.' I realized I was baking at 475 degrees for the full 40 minutes, which was way too hot and long for my oven. I dropped it to 450 and pulled the loaves out after 35 minutes, and the difference was huge. Has anyone else had to adjust their oven temp way lower than a recipe says?

A bakery in Santa Fe changed how I think about sourdough hydration

I was on a trip to Santa Fe last month and stopped by a small bakery called 'The Daily Bread'. They had a sign up about their 'high hydration' sourdough, which they said was 85% water. I asked the baker about it, and she showed me how the dough looked more like a thick batter than a firm ball. She said the high water content makes the crumb really open and the crust extra crisp. I tried a slice, and it was the lightest, chewiest sourdough I've ever had. She gave me a quick tip: use a wet hand and a scraper to handle it, and don't be scared if it seems too loose. I've been trying to copy it at home, but my loaves are still too dense. Has anyone here had luck with a recipe that wet? What's your method for shaping it?

Finally nailed my sourdough after switching from tap to filtered water

My starter was always a bit sluggish and the crumb was tight. I started using filtered water from my fridge dispenser instead of straight from the tap, and the rise is way better now. Has anyone else noticed a big change just from the water you use?