c/baking-fails-and-wins

Had to choose between butter and shortening for my pie crust yesterday

Picked butter for the flavor but my crust came out a little flat, anyone else find that shortening gives a better flake even if it tastes less rich?

2 comments

torres.sage•3h ago

That $150 kitchen scale I bought for precision baking actually threw off my cookies because it was too sensitive to small movements

I spent $150 on a high-end digital scale thinking it would fix all my measurement problems, but now I'm debating whether cheap scales with less precision are actually better for home bakers since mine picks up every little tremor from the counter and drives me nuts - has anyone else found that more expensive gear can sometimes make baking harder instead of easier?

1 comments

jamie_smith•8h ago

Read a post about someone's sourdough starter dying after 8 years and it made me rethink my whole approach to backup plans

I always thought my starter was invincible since I fed it every day for 3 years straight, but that story about losing it to a fridge malfunction got me to finally dry some flakes and stash them in my freezer, has anyone else done the backup starter thing or am I just being paranoid?

1 comments

kai914•13h ago

That Costco sheet cake changed my mind about box mixes

I was at my niece's birthday party in Buffalo last weekend and her mom brought out this Costco sheet cake. I've always been a from-scratch snob, but that thing was legit perfect - moist, not too sweet, and the frosting was actually smooth. So I tried their white cake mix at home yesterday and added an extra egg and used butter instead of oil like someone online said. Honestly came out better than my last scratch attempt. Has anyone else had one recipe trick that totally flipped your opinion on something?

2 comments

verar21•1d ago

Bought a $60 silicone bread sling off Etsy and ruined my loaf anyway

I got this fancy silicone sling to stop my sourdough from sticking to the Dutch oven. Cost me $60 and a week of waiting for shipping. First use I forgot to flour it like an idiot, and the dough glued itself to the sling. It ripped when I tried to pull it out, and my loaf landed on the oven floor like a sad pancake. Has anyone had luck with those things or should I just stick to parchment paper forever?

2 comments

benc53•4d ago

Overheard a pastry chef say she never tempers eggs for custards

She just slowly streams hot liquid into the eggs while whisking constant and it comes out perfect every time. I tried it on a lemon tart filling last night and it saved me 15 minutes of fussing with a thermometer - has anyone else given up on tempering?

2 comments

reesemiller•7d ago

Am I the only one who thinks sourdough starter discard recipes are OVERRATED?

Last week I tried making those famous discard crackers from a popular blog, and they came out like salty cardboard. Everyone on here RAVES about using every bit of discard, but honestly I think it's just food waste with extra steps. My grandma NEVER used discard, she just tossed it and her bread was PERFECT every time. Has anyone else had bad luck with those trendy discard recipes or is it just me?

2 comments

piper_reed•8d ago

Debate: my aunt swore you have to chill cookie dough for 2 hours minimum, but I tested it against a batch baked right away

The chilled ones spread less and had a chewier texture, but the room temp ones were softer and easier to scoop. Which camp are you in on this one, has anyone else run a side-by-side test?

2 comments

the_jason•8d ago

Tried a meringue in 90% humidity last weekend

Honestly thought I could just wing it with a French meringue during a thunderstorm and it turned into a sticky puddle immediately. Anyone else learned the hard way that weather ruins whipped egg whites?

3 comments

wadecooper•9d ago

Thought sourdough starter discard was just internet hype until my neighbor in Portland showed me her pancake recipe

I never bothered saving my discard for 6 months, always tossed it out. My neighbor Lisa, who bakes like 40 loaves a week, insisted I try her discard pancakes with a splash of vanilla. One Saturday morning I finally tried it and those pancakes were fluffier than anything from a box mix from the store. Has anyone else found a use for starter discard that actually surprised them?

3 comments

hayden466•10d ago

Wasted $40 on a 'professional' piping set that was just overpriced plastic.

Bought a fancy 12-tip piping set from a boutique baking shop in Portland last Saturday, used it once, and two of the tips bent out of shape trying to pipe stiff buttercream - anyone else get burned by overhyped tools?

3 comments

rileyellis•11d ago

Had a week where every single loaf of sourdough I baked came out flat as a pancake, turned out my starter was too cold.

I keep my starter in the garage during winter and after three failed loaves I finally thought to check the temperature, it was barely 60 degrees in there, has anyone else had a sudden baking slump that was just one stupid variable?

2 comments

michaelchen•11d ago

Sifting flour vs. whisking it - does it actually matter for cake texture?

I stopped sifting flour for cupcakes last month and just whisked it hard with the dry ingredients instead, and honestly I couldn't tell a difference in the crumb. Has anyone done a side-by-side test or am I just getting lucky with my results?

2 comments

zarab24•12d ago

The day I figured out my dough was always too sticky because of water temp

I've been baking bread for like two years and always had this problem where my dough was just a sticky mess. Last Tuesday I was at my friend Sarah's house and she mentioned she uses cold water from the fridge instead of tap water. I went home and tried it with a batch of sourdough using 350 grams of flour and it was like a whole different world. Has anyone else had this happen or am I the last person to learn this?

2 comments

phoenix29•13d ago

My mom told me my crumb topping was too 'soggy' and it changed everything about how I make coffee cake

She said it plain as day after I spent 3 hours on a streusel topped blueberry coffee cake. I used to mix melted butter with flour and sugar until it clumped, but she said it came out greasy and flat. So I tried cold cubed butter cut into the dry mix with a pastry blender, and the topping stayed crunchy even the next day. On the flip side, this method takes way longer and my hands ache from the cold butter. Which do you prefer for streusel - the easy melted butter route or the fussy cold butter method? Has anyone found a shortcut that actually works?

3 comments

phoenix29•15d ago

Just realized I've been overmixing my banana bread for years

I watched a video from a bakery in Portland last week where they folded the batter only until the flour disappeared, and I thought they were crazy (I always beat mine till smooth). Tried it with my usual recipe and the loaf came out so much fluffier, not dense like a brick. Has anyone else had a baking habit that took a stranger pointing it out to break?

2 comments

reesemiller•15d ago

That $150 stand mixer attachment I bought is gathering dust in my cabinet

I got talked into buying a pasta maker attachment for my KitchenAid back in March. Cost me $150 and I figured I'd use it all the time since I love fresh pasta. Well, I used it exactly twice. The first batch came out okay but the cleanup took forever with all those little nooks and crannies. Second time I tried it, the dough got stuck and I spent 20 minutes picking it out. Now it just sits there reminding me of $150 I could have spent on good flour and eggs instead. Has anyone else had luck with those attachments or is it just not worth the hassle?

2 comments

zarab24•16d ago

Am I the only one who thinks people overreact to collapsed cakes?

My chocolate cake sank in the middle last Thursday and I just filled the hole with frosting and called it a day. Everyone at dinner said it was the best cake they'd had in months. Has anyone else just rolled with a fail instead of trashing the whole thing?

2 comments

the_logan•19d ago

Hit 100 successful sourdough loaves yesterday and it felt weirdly emotional

I've been tracking my bakes since March 2023 and loaf number 100 came out of the oven looking like a magazine cover. That first loaf was a flat, burnt brick that my dog wouldn't even sniff. Has anyone else hit a random milestone like this and felt way more proud than they expected?

2 comments

gray6•19d ago

My neighbor's sourdough starter comment finally clicked

My neighbor Doris mentioned she lets her starter sit an extra hour before feeding it, and I kinda dismissed it at first. But after three flat loaves last month I tried it and my bread finally got that open crumb I was chasing. Has anyone else had a simple tweak like that totally change their results?

2 comments

rowan2•21d ago

Read that instant yeast expires way faster than I thought...

I was looking at a bag of yeast I've had since last spring and checked the date... it's 9 months past expiration. I used it in my last bread batch and the loaves came out flat and dense. How long do you all keep your yeast before tossing it?

3 comments

loganthompson•21d ago

Best baking week followed by worst baking weekend ever...

Last Monday I nailed three perfect loaves of sourdough for the first time ever after 8 months of trying. Then Saturday I tried to bake cookies and forgot the baking soda, they came out like flat greasy discs. Has anyone else had a streak of wins crash into one huge fail like that?

3 comments

kevin_dixon•21d ago

Tried to make a sourdough starter from scratch 3 times this month, all three turned into weird smelling slime that I had to dump down the garbage disposal.

I followed the King Arthur guide to the letter and kept it in a warm spot but after day 5 it just got this gray liquid on top and smelled like gym socks mixed with old cheese, what am I doing wrong with this thing?

3 comments

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margaret_jackson73•22d ago

My mom told me my pie crust looked like a geology project

She said it was 'tectonically active' and then showed me how to stop overworking the dough... has anyone else gotten feedback from a relative that actually made you a better baker?

3 comments

cameron538•22d ago

Used to cream butter and sugar by hand with a wooden spoon for years

I swore it gave me more control over the texture, but after ruining 3 batches of cookies in one afternoon because my arm gave out, I finally bought a $30 hand mixer. It blends in about 90 seconds instead of 10 minutes of sweating. Has anyone else had a stubborn old habit that just wasn't worth the elbow grease?

2 comments