c/baking-fails-and-wins

My neighbor's macaron advice changed how I think about baking completely

Last Tuesday I was complaining to my neighbor Carol about my third failed batch of macarons. She just laughed and said 'you're trying too hard to be perfect, just let the batter be itself.' For some reason that simple comment hit me different. She showed me her own lumpy but delicious macarons and I realized I had been obsessing over smooth tops instead of taste. Has anyone else had a moment where someone's casual comment made you relax about baking?

Question about pie crusts - cold butter vs frozen butter

Last weekend I tried frozen grated butter in a crust recipe and the layers came out great but the dough was a pain to work with. Cold cubed butter gave me easier handling but less flake. Which way do you all think is worth the extra effort?

Just hit my 500th loaf of sourdough and it finally clicked

Started during lockdown like everyone else and now I've baked 500 loaves in this same tiny apartment kitchen. Anyone else surprised by some random baking milestone they reached?

I finally picked parchment over silicone mats for cookies

I kept going back and forth between parchment paper and silicone baking mats for my chocolate chip cookies. After 4 batches last Sunday, I landed on parchment because the bottoms got way more golden and crispy. The silicone mats made the cookies spread too much and they came out pale on the bottom... not what I wanted. With parchment, I got that perfect chewy center with a little crunch on the edge. Has anyone else noticed a big difference between the two for something like shortbread or sugar cookies?

The week I ruined three loafs of sourdough in a row

Last Tuesday I came home from a 24 hour shift and decided baking would be relaxing. I forgot I scaled my starter down to 50 grams two days prior. First loaf came out flat as a pancake. Second one I overproofed by 4 hours because I fell asleep on the couch. Third one I baked at 500 instead of 475 and the bottom turned into charcoal. My wife asked if we should just buy bread for a while. Has anyone else had a week where the universe just said no to baking?

Just realized my $15 thrift store stand mixer was the best money I ever spent

That cheap mixer handled 6 batches of cookie dough last Christmas without a hiccup while my friend's $400 model overheated on the second batch has anyone else had a random bargain appliance outperform the expensive stuff?

Hot take: butter vs margarine for pie crusts is not even a contest

I spent last Sunday making 4 pies for a neighbor's BBQ and decided to test a theory. Used cold butter on two crusts and margarine on the other two. The butter crusts came out flaky and held together perfect. The margarine ones looked fine going in but turned into a greasy mess that stuck to the pan. Took me 3 hours to fix the damage and remake those two pies. Anybody else find margarine just isn't worth the hassle for pie dough?

My sourdough starter went from flat and lifeless to doubling in 4 hours after I switched to filtered tap water

I was using straight city water from the faucet for 2 months and getting barely any rise, then someone at the farmers market told me the chlorine kills the yeast, so I tried a $10 Brita pitcher and saw the difference the very next day... has anyone else had their starter totally change just from switching water sources?

Vent: That $60 bundt pan I bought had a nonstick coating that peeled after 2 uses

Baked a lemon pound cake last Saturday and when I flipped it out, half the cake came with black flakes stuck to it, has anyone else had their nonstick bundt pans fail this fast?

Okay, I was wrong about letting cookie dough rest overnight

I read a Serious Eats article that said resting dough for 24 hours doesn't actually make a huge difference for most drop cookies, which blew my mind (I've been doing it for ages). Anyone have a recipe where it actually made a night-and-day difference?

Warning: My new oven in Phoenix runs about 25 degrees hotter than it says, which I found out after three flat cakes last month.

Anyone else have a specific brand or model that does this, and how do you adjust your recipes?

Learned a trick from my neighbor about cookie dough chilling

I was complaining to my neighbor about how my cookies always spread too flat and she said I should chill the dough for at least 2 hours instead of 30 minutes. She told me it lets the butter solidify again so they dont turn into pancakes. Anyone else tried a longer chill time and noticed a big difference?

My neighbor's comment about my sourdough starter made my whole week

I was walking my dog past her porch yesterday morning (you know, with my jar of starter in my other hand like a weirdo) and she just smiled and said, 'That's the happiest little yeast I've ever seen.' I'd been stressing for a month that it wasn't bubbly enough, but her saying that made me realize it was actually doing great. It was just a small thing, but it totally flipped my view on my own baking progress. Has a simple comment from someone ever made you feel way better about a project you were doubting?

I saw a bakery in Seattle that puts a small bowl of water in the oven while baking bread.

Question about measuring flour for bread... my old way vs. the new way

For years I just scooped flour right out of the bag with my measuring cup... my bread was always dense and heavy. About six months ago, I started spooning the flour into the cup and leveling it off. The difference is crazy... my loaves are lighter and rise way better now. I think I was packing in almost an extra ounce of flour per cup before. Did anyone else have a total game changer with something this simple... or am I just late to the party?

My chocolate cake completely collapsed after I opened the oven door to check it. Happened last night. Do you think it's better to just trust the timer and never peek?

My sister said my pie crust was 'sad' at a family dinner in Akron.

I was proud of my apple pie, but she poked the crust and said it felt like cardboard. She told me to use vodka instead of water next time for a flaky crust. I tried her tip the next day and it was a total game changer. Has anyone else had a baking tip from a family member that actually worked?

TIL my sourdough starter is 100 days old today

I started it back in March and almost gave up after the first two weeks because it was so slow. I kept feeding it anyway, and now it doubles in size like clockwork every 6 hours. The bread I made this morning had the best oven spring I've ever gotten. It's wild to think a jar of flour and water on my counter hit this little milestone. Has anyone else's starter gotten way better after pushing past that initial rough patch?

Showerthought: My cake pan hack actually saved a birthday party

Honestly, I was making a three layer chocolate cake for my nephew's party in Tacoma and realized I only had two 9-inch pans. Ngl, I was panicking. I greased a large stainless steel mixing bowl and poured the third layer's batter into it, baking it right alongside the regular pans. Tbh, it came out perfectly domed and actually looked cool stacked. Has anyone else had to improvise with bakeware in a pinch? What did you use?

Serious question, I used to think cake flour was just a scam for fancy bakers.

I tried making my grandma's angel food cake with regular flour three times and it was always dense and gummy. After a total fail last Tuesday, I finally bought a box of Swans Down and the difference was like night and day. Has anyone else had a specific recipe that just wouldn't work until you used the 'right' ingredient?

Just tried to make a 'quick' sourdough starter from a TikTok hack

I saw a video saying you could get a starter going in 3 days by using pineapple juice instead of water. I mixed my flour with the juice and left it in my kitchen in Phoenix. By day two it smelled so bad, like rotten fruit, and never bubbled up at all. I learned that shortcuts with wild yeast usually just make a stinky mess. Has anyone actually had a fast starter work, or is it always a week-long wait?

My attempt at a 'naked' cake for my sister's birthday turned into a complete frosting avalanche.

Appreciation post: I finally figured out my sourdough starter after a year of flat loaves

For a whole year, I was feeding my starter with tap water straight from the cold faucet. My breads were always dense and barely rose, and I almost gave up. Then, about three months ago, I read a comment here saying to use filtered water at room temp. I switched to using a Brita filter and letting the water sit out for an hour, and my starter doubled in size overnight. My first loaf after that change was the best I've ever made, with a proper open crumb. Has anyone else had a simple switch make that big of a difference?

My cousin's wife in Denver called my sourdough 'sad' after one bite.

She said it tasted like I'd baked it with tap water, which honestly stung because I'd been working on that starter for 6 months. Anyone else had a 'helpful' comment that just wrecked your baking confidence?

My neighbor said my bread looked like a brick

She told me straight up, 'Betty, that loaf could stop a door.' I was using a recipe from a 1980s church cookbook that called for way too much flour. I cut the flour by a quarter cup and started weighing my ingredients instead of using cups. The next batch was soft and actually rose. Anyone else have a recipe that needed a serious fix?