c/bakers

Had to choose between butter and shortening for pie crusts

I spent years using shortening because my grandmother swore by it. Crisco every time, she said. But last Thanksgiving I finally did a side by side test with all butter crusts. Made four pies total, two of each kind. The shortening ones came out flaky but kind of bland. The butter ones had way more flavor and browned better in the oven. They were a little harder to roll out though, kept cracking on me. My family noticed the difference right away and said the butter ones tasted like real bakery pie. Now I only use butter and just deal with the fussy dough. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it?

Proofing my dough in the fridge for 24 hours was the game changer I needed

I used to rush my sourdough through a 4 hour counter proof and always got flat, dense loaves that looked sad. Switched to a cold overnight proof in my garage fridge here in Phoenix back in July and the oven spring was insane, like double the height overnight. Has anyone else seen a huge shift in crumb structure just from changing the proofing time and temperature?

Spent $45 on a cheap digital scale and it messed up my whole week

I bought this no-name scale off Amazon to save money and it was off by like 20 grams on flour every time. Had to toss three batches of cookie dough before I figured out what was wrong. Anyone else get burned by bad equipment before?

Had a baking day so bad I almost threw my mixer out the window

I was making a triple batch of sourdough for a farmers market on Saturday and my starter decided to go flat after being perfectly active for months. The dough turned into a sticky mess that wouldn't hold shape no matter how much flour I added. Has anyone else had their starter betray them right before a big order?

Had a customer tell me my sourdough was too sour, now I'm questioning everything

This lady at the farmer's market in Eugene last weekend bought a loaf, came back 10 minutes later and said it tasted like 'fermented gym socks'. I've been using the same starter for 2 years. Shortened my bulk ferment by 3 hours and cut the hydration down a bit. Made a test loaf this morning and now it tastes like plain bread. How do you balance that tang without losing all flavor?

Hated the idea of a banneton for sourdough, now I get it

I been making sourdough for about 2 years now and always thought bannetons were just fancy expensive baskets that did nothing lol. Used a regular mixing bowl lined with a floured towel every time. Then last month I got a 12 dollar banneton from a local baking supply shop just to try it out. First loaf came out with way better shape and that spiral pattern looked amazing. I still have to flour it heavy or the dough sticks, but the rise is way more even. Anyone else hold out on using one for too long?

I finally stopped using cold butter for croissants after a bakery tour in Portland

Tried to rush a sourdough bulk ferment and ended up with a brick

I was in my kitchen in Denver last Saturday, thinking I could cut the bulk ferment short by 2 hours because I had plans. Ended up with a dense, flat loaf that barely rose - my roommate asked if I was making a doorstop instead of bread. Anyone else learn the hard way that you can't rush yeast?

Had a stand mixer's motor burn out at 2 AM last Saturday

Was about to start a double batch of brioche when the KitchenAid started smoking and seized up. Ended up finishing the dough by hand for 45 minutes until my arms gave out. Anyone else keep a backup hand method for when the machines fail?

That bakery on Elm Street fired me 3 years ago and now I run my own shop with their old recipes

Walked in to buy a croissant last week and saw the owner struggling with a batch of my old dough, has anyone else gotten satisfaction from outgrowing a place that kicked you out?

Talked to a retired baker at the farmers market who said brioche dough tells you everything after the first mix

He meant you can overwork it before proofing even starts and I ruined three batches of cinnamon rolls last week until I backed off the mixer speed, has anyone else figured out a gentler way to incorporate butter?

Pro tip: stop washing your mixing bowls with soap between every batch of cookies

I watched a new baker at our community kitchen scrub her bowl spotless between each batch of dough last Saturday - took her 20 extra minutes for no reason. A quick wipe with a dry towel between batches of similar flavors keeps the gluten development consistent and saves your hands from cracking. Anyone else notice how over-cleaning actually messes with your dough's texture?

Got told my sourdough starter smelled like a gym sock at a bakery in Portland

I brought my starter to a little shop on SE Hawthorne called Tabor Bread last weekend. The baker there took one whiff and said it smelled like a locker room. I've been feeding it every day for 8 months with no mold or anything, so what gives. Has anyone else had a baker trash talk their starter like that?

Hit 1,000 sourdough loaves baked yesterday and nobody warns you about the elbow pain

I keep a running tally in a notebook (nerdy, I know) and passed 1,000 loaves yesterday. My right elbow has been aching for months and I figured out it's from all that folding and shaping, not just the kneading. Has anyone else dealt with this repetitive strain stuff after a certain milestone?

Is a cold ferment really worth the wait? I saw both sides at the Portland bake swap

I was at the Portland bake swap last Saturday and noticed two guys arguing about cold fermentation for sourdough. One swore by a 48 hour cold retard for better flavor, while the other said it made his loaves flat and dense. I tried a 24 hour cold ferment myself and got mixed results - better crust but weaker oven spring. For those of you who have experimented, do you think the flavor payoff makes up for the risk of losing volume, especially in a humid climate?

Was on a roll Tuesday then my starter went flat and it cost me 30 loaves

I had the best baking week in years at the shop, sold out of everything by noon three days in a row, then my sourdough starter completely died on me Tuesday morning and I had to toss 30 proofed loaves. Has anyone else had a starter just give up out of nowhere like that?

My crust collapsed after I opened the oven to peek

Was baking a sourdough boule yesterday afternoon and cracked the door 2 minutes early to check the color. The whole thing fell flat as a pancake and now I'm out 12 hours of proofing time. Anyone else still falling for the peek trap after years of baking?

Watched a pastry chef at my local shop in Portland whip up a buttercream in 3 minutes flat

I always spent 20 minutes creaming butter slowly but she said 'room temp butter doesn't need that much fuss' so I tried her method and my cakes came out way fluffier. Has anyone else found a shortcut that actually works better than the old way?

I finally tried cold fermenting my pizza dough against the overnight rise

Switched to cold ferment after 5 years of overnight rises at room temp and the crust came out way crispier with better bubbles in just 48 hours so which method actually gives you a better bake for Neapolitan style dough?

PSA: My sourdough starter died after I left it in the fridge for 3 weeks

I had a good starter going for about 6 months, fed it every week, made great loaves. Then I got busy with a work trip and left it in the fridge for 3 weeks without feeding it. When I pulled it out, it had a pinkish liquid on top and smelled like nail polish remover. I tried to revive it with two feedings, but it never came back. Has anyone else lost a starter that way, or is there a trick to saving one after a long neglect?

Update: switched from buttercream to cream cheese frosting and won't go back

I used to swear by American buttercream for everything. Then last Saturday I made a batch of red velvet cupcakes for a church bake sale in Akron. The buttercream kept splitting on me in the humidity, and I ended up tossing two whole batches. That was $12 worth of butter and sugar down the drain. On a whim I tried a cream cheese frosting recipe from a blog my sister recommended. It came together in like 5 minutes and stayed smooth even in the muggy air. Has anyone else had better luck with cream cheese over buttercream during summer baking?

Rolled out pie dough on a glass cutting board and it turned into a sticky disaster

I was at my sister's house last Sunday making a double crust apple pie. She has this fancy glass cutting board that I thought would work fine. After about 3 minutes of rolling, the dough just fused to the surface like glue. I had to scrape it off with a bench scraper in chunks and start over from scratch. Next time I'm bringing my own wooden board from home no matter what. Has anyone else had a smooth surface ruin their dough like that?

Sourdough starter skepticism finally broke after 3 failed batches.

I spent 2 years thinking commercial yeast was superior and that sourdough hype was just food blogger nonsense. Then my neighbor brought over a loaf from her 8-year-old starter and I couldn't argue with the crust and flavor. Has anyone else been converted to something they swore they'd never try?

Had to pick between King Arthur and store brand flour for my sourdough starter last month

I went with the cheap stuff because money was tight and my starter went totally flat after 3 days, has anyone else seen a big difference switching brands for starters?

Nostalgia for the old way of folding fruit into batter

I keep seeing people on here dump frozen berries straight into their muffin batter without tossing them in flour first and then wondering why everything turns purple and sinks to the bottom, am I the only one who remembers when that was basic baker knowledge from like 10 years ago?