c/bakers

Went to a bakery in downtown Portland and watched them throw out a whole tray of croissants

I was visiting Portland last weekend and stopped by this French-style bakery. The baker pulled a full tray of croissants because the lamination had a tiny bubble in like 3 of them. They said they couldn't sell imperfect ones to customers. I get wanting quality but that felt like $50 worth of pastry straight to the trash. Anyone else ever see bakeries waste that much food over small stuff like that?

Tried using a proofing basket without rice flour and my dough stuck like glue

I've been making sourdough for about 8 months now and always used rice flour in my banneton. Last week I ran out and figured wheat flour would work just fine. Big mistake. That dough bonded to the basket like cement. Took me 20 minutes of scraping and cursing to get it out. The loaf came out flat and ugly. Lesson learned - rice flour is non-negotiable for me now. Has anyone else found a substitute that works as well?

Switched from metal to silicone baking mats for my macarons and they actually came out with perfect feet every time

I was dead set on using parchment for 5 years until a lady at a bakery in Austin told me the silicone gives more even heat distribution, and after burning 3 batches in a row I finally caved and tried it, has anyone else had better luck with one over the other?

Spent 6 hours trying to fix a sticky buttercream, turns out my kitchen was too cold

I was making a birthday cake for my sister and the buttercream kept getting lumpy and weird. I kept adding more milk, more sugar, nothing worked. After 5 tries I finally checked the temp in my kitchen and it was 58 degrees because I had the window open. Moved to the dining room where it was warmer and it came together in 10 minutes. Has anyone else had a simple problem like this eat up their whole day?

Had to pick between a stand mixer and a hand mixer for my small apartment

I moved into a place in Portland last month with barely any counter space. I went with a cheap hand mixer instead of my usual KitchenAid because I just couldn't fit it anywhere. Honestly, it's been fine for cookies and quick breads but I really miss being able to knead dough without my arm getting tired. Has anyone else had to downsize their gear and regret it or was it worth the trade off?

I finally figured out why my pie crust kept shrinking in the pan

For years I blamed my oven or the recipe whenever my pie crust pulled away from the edges. But last month I watched my neighbor roll out her dough and noticed she let it rest in the fridge for a full 45 minutes before baking. I always rushed that part thinking it didn't matter. So I tried her method with my last apple pie and the crust held its shape perfectly for the first time. The difference was the gluten relaxing enough so it didn't snap back while baking. Now I set a timer after I line the pan and it saves me from those ugly gaps. Has anyone else found that the resting time changes their results way more than the recipe says?

Hit 500 orders this week and honestly I'm shook

Ngl I started selling sourdough loaves from my kitchen about 18 months ago just to cover grocery bills. This week I officially processed my 500th order through my little Etsy shop. I had to double check the numbers because I never thought I'd get past maybe 100 sales total. The wild part is I'm still using the same starter I named "Bread Pitt" back in 2021. Has anyone else hit a random milestone that totally caught them off guard?

Changed my mind about pre-ferments after reading that one detail

I always thought pre-ferments like poolish were just extra work for no real gain, but I read on a baking science blog that they actually change the gluten structure at a chemical level in the first 8 hours. The stat that got me was that a 12-hour poolish can improve oven spring by up to 20% compared to a same-day dough. Has anyone else found a specific fact that made them try a technique they previously avoided?

Vent: My sourdough starter disaster last Tuesday

I usually agree with everyone that a stiff starter is the way to go for better control, but I gotta say, my experience last Tuesday totally changed my mind. I was in a rush before a big moving job and fed my usual 100% hydration starter with a 1:2:2 ratio. By lunchtime, it had absolutely exploded over the bowl, like a sticky mess everywhere. I tried to salvage it for a batch of country loaves, but the dough turned out gummy and flat, even after a 4 hour bulk rise. Meanwhile, my back-up liquid starter that I keep in the fridge actually gave me a perfect oven spring and open crumb with zero fuss. Has anyone else had a day where their starter just totally betrayed them for no clear reason?

Swapped my mixer's paddle attachment for a dough hook on cookie dough and got way less flour on the counter

I was tired of wiping flour off everything so I tried a dough hook instead of the paddle and it pulled the dough together in half the time without throwing powder everywhere has anyone else tried this swap?

I switched from bread flour to all-purpose last month and won't go back

Got talked into it by an old baker at a shop in Portland who said most home ovens can't get hot enough for bread flour to matter. Tested his advice on 4 loaves of sourdough and they came out just as good with a softer crumb. Anyone else find AP flour works fine for standard sourdough?

My aunt's butter ratio advice finally clicked after 6 failed pie crusts

My aunt Margaret from Portland always told me to use half butter and half shortening for pie crust, but I thought she was being old school and ignored it for like 2 years. Last month I finally tried her 50-50 method with a batch of 3 apple pies, and the difference was night and day - flaky layers that actually held together. Have any of you tried mixing fats in your pie dough, or is butter only the way to go?

Just realized most people are overmixing their muffin batter

I was at a bake sale last Saturday and tried 4 different blueberry muffins from different people. Every single one was tough and had those tunnels inside. My wife bakes muffins every Sunday and hers are always light and fluffy. She told me she just stirs until the flour disappears and stops. I tried her way after years of the standard mix for 2 minutes method and the difference is night and day. Anyone else notice this at community bake sales or am I being picky?

Just had my best loaf come out of the oven at 5am

I have been baking sourdough for about 8 months now and honestly I have had a lot of duds. Gummy middles, flat tops, you name it. But last week I drove all the way to a little mill in Vermont called Elmore Mountain Bread to buy some of their stone ground flour on a whim. I used their whole wheat blend and dropped my hydration down to 72 percent after a baker there told me the local flour absorbs less water. Let me tell you the crumb was open and airy with a dark crunchy crust that actually sang when it cooled. I could not believe my ears. I even got a nice ear on the scoring which has been my white whale. Has anyone else driven way out of their way for a specific flour and had it totally change their results?

I think my sourdough got worse after 6 months of better starter care

Everyone kept telling me to feed my starter twice a day and keep it in a warm spot. I did that for 6 months straight starting last fall. My loaves actually got flatter and more dense. I switched back to once a day feeding with colder water and my rise came back within 2 weeks. Has anyone else found that ignoring the common advice worked better for their specific kitchen conditions?

Had to pick between a wooden spoon and a Danish dough whisk for my morning sourdough routine

I've been baking bread for about 12 years now and I always used a good old wooden spoon to mix my starter and dough. But last spring I kept seeing people rave about Danish dough whisks online so I grabbed one for $15 at a kitchen supply shop near me in Philly. First time I used it I felt like a traitor because the spoon was my grandma's but man that whisk just cuts through sticky dough way cleaner. The spoon leaves clumps every time and I end up using my hands anyway to finish mixing. Now I keep the whisk on the hook and the spoon in the drawer for decoration mostly. Has anyone else made the switch and felt weird about it or am I just sentimental over a piece of wood?

Overheard a pro at the bakery supply store say something about dough hydration that got me thinking

I was at a shop in Portland last weekend picking up some new bench scrapers and heard this older baker tell a newbie that "80% hydration isn't a rule, it's a suggestion." He went on to say he's been doing 65% for his sourdough for 15 years and gets better oven spring. Made me wonder if I've been over-hydrating my dough for no reason. Has anyone else tried dropping their hydration way down and seen better results?

Finally switched to a scale for measuring flour and I can't believe I waited so long

I used to scoop my flour with a measuring cup for years. My cookies and breads always came out okay but never great. Then my sister brought her kitchen scale over last month and showed me how consistent the dough felt. First batch of banana bread I made with it came out perfect and now I can't go back. Anyone else have that moment where you realized weighing was way better?

That guy at the bakery expo told me to use bread flour for pie crusts...

I tried it for a cherry pie last week and the crust came out tough as leather. Regular all-purpose flour gives me that flaky texture every time, I should have stuck with what I know. Anyone else get led astray by some supposed "pro tip" at a pastry event?

My sourdough starter went bad after that baking class at Johnson's Kitchen

Everyone at the class said to feed it every 12 hours without fail. I did that for two weeks and it just got this weird gray layer. Switched to once a day feeding and it bounced back in 3 days. Anyone else find that less feeding works better for their starter?

Burned my hand on a bakery rack at the county fair last weekend

I was pulling out a tray of cinnamon rolls and the rack tipped forward because I didn't lock the wheels. Has anyone else had close calls with those mobile racks and found a good way to keep them stable?

My stand mixer died mid-batch at 3 AM and I had to finish by hand

I was making a double batch of brioche for a farmer's market booth last Saturday and my 20-year-old KitchenAid started smoking and locked up solid at 2:45 in the morning. Had about 8 pounds of dough that was halfway through kneading. I didn't have a backup mixer so I dumped it onto the counter and spent 45 minutes hand-kneading that sticky mess on my granite surface. It actually turned out okay but my arms were shot for the rest of the day. Here's the debate: should I sink money into fixing an old machine or just bite the bullet on a new commercial-grade one? Has anyone else pushed through a broken mixer situation and regretted it later?

That $20 dough scraper from a restaurant supply store changed my whole workflow

I used to fight with sticky dough using a cheap plastic one from the grocery store until I grabbed a metal bench scraper from a supply shop near Birmingham. That thing cuts through a wet brioche dough like butter and I can clean my work station in half the time. Anyone else stuck with plastic tools too long before upgrading?

Had a revelation about cold butter in pie dough

For years I was terrified of overworking my pie dough so I barely mixed it and ended up with floury pockets. Then last month a lady at the county fair in Eugene told me to grate frozen butter on a box grater and toss it with the flour before adding water. Tried it on a whim for Thanksgiving and my crust actually came out flaky and tender for the first time. Has anyone else switched to grating butter instead of cutting it in?

Spent 4 hours trying to fix a kitchen scale that just needed a new battery