c/baking-fails-and-wins

My aunt swore by adding vinegar to pie crust dough and I thought she was crazy

So my aunt has been baking pies for like 40 years and she always pushes me to put a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in my pie crust. I finally tried it last weekend for a peach pie I was bringing to a family dinner. The dough came together way easier and didn't shrink as much in the oven. The crust came out super flaky and tender, not sour at all. I honestly thought she was messing with me but now I'm converted. Has anyone else heard of this trick or is it just a weird family thing from my aunt?

Question about why my bread keeps collapsing after I read a food science blog

I was reading this food science blog last night and found out that scoring bread isn't just for looks - it actually controls how the loaf expands in the oven by directing steam pressure. Turns out I've been skipping that step because I thought it was purely decorative, and now I'm wondering if that's why my loaves always come out flat on top. Has anyone else had a similar realization about a small detail that was actually a big deal in their baking?

My switch to a kitchen scale for bread baking

I used to measure all my flour by scooping it out of the bag with a measuring cup. For years my bread came out dense or dry and I never knew why. About 3 months ago my sister saw me baking and told me to weigh everything instead. She said a cup of flour can be anywhere from 120 to 150 grams depending on how you scoop. Now I use a cheap digital scale and my sandwich loaves turn out the same every time. Has anyone else had that moment where they realized their biggest fail was just bad measuring?

Vent: I spent 5 years creaming butter and sugar wrong

I always thought creaming meant just mixing them until combined... then I took a class at Sur La Table in Portland and the instructor pointed out my butter was too cold. She said it should be around 65 degrees and you need to go until it's pale and fluffy, like 3-4 minutes minimum. Has anyone else figured out a basic technique way later than they want to admit?

That week I ruined 3 batches of croissants in a row

Last Tuesday I decided to tackle laminated dough for the first time in like 5 years. I got the butter block perfect, did all the folds, but then I left it in the fridge too long and the butter shattered when I rolled it out. Batch two the same day I got impatient and let the dough get too warm, so the butter melted into a greasy mess. Third batch on Thursday I finally got the folds right but I overproofed them overnight and they all flattened into sad pancakes in the oven. I was so mad I almost threw my rolling pin through the window. What finally fixed it was watching a video from a bakery in France that showed exactly how firm the butter should feel. Has anyone else had a streak of fails like that where you just wanted to give up on pastry for good?

Why does nobody mention how long sourdough starter really takes

I started my first sourdough starter about 3 weeks ago in my tiny kitchen in Austin, and it took a full 14 days before it even doubled reliably. That first loaf came out like a hockey puck, dense and flat. Has anyone else had a starter that just refused to cooperate for way longer than the blogs say?

Baked my first sourdough boule that actually looked like bread, not a pancake

I drove down to that bakery in the industrial part of town, the one that smells like sourdough for blocks, and watched them score loaves for 20 minutes. Took that confidence home and finally got a decent ear on my own loaf after maybe 8 tries. Anyone else pick up tips just by watching someone else work?

That time my sourdough turned into a pancake

Back around 2018 I tried to bake a sourdough loaf at my sister's place in Portland and forgot the starter had been in the fridge for two weeks. It came out flat as a frisbee and barely rose an inch. Ended up slicing it thin, toasting it, and calling it crackers for the charcuterie board - nobody said a word. Has anyone else salvaged a total fail into something edible without telling anyone?

Took me FOUR HOURS to figure out why my bread wasn't rising

Turns out my yeast was dead from sitting in the pantry for like 8 months, lmao. I literally looked at the expiry date after staring at a flat lump of dough for an hour - has anyone else wasted a whole afternoon on something this dumb?

PSA: don't bake on a humid day like I did last summer in Atlanta

I tried making macarons during a 90% humidity afternoon and they came out sticky and flat - wasted $15 worth of almond flour and eggs. Has anyone else had a weather ruined batch ruin their whole day?

That cheap pizza steel I was skeptical about actually works great

I picked up a $30 plain steel plate off Amazon last month after my $200 baking stone cracked. First pizza came out crispier than anything I've ever made. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference in how fast their crust cooks?

Had to pick between parchment paper or greasing the pan for my first babka

I went with parchment and the bottom came out perfect but the sides stuck so bad I had to chisel it out, has anyone tried a different method for those tall loaves?

Chose salted butter over unsalted for my chocolate chip cookies and wow what a difference

My sister always swore by unsalted so you could control the salt yourself. But I forgot to buy it before a bake sale last Saturday and used what I had - salted Kerrygold. Cookies came out way more flavorful, edges were crispier. Salted butter already has that bit of water cooked out too I think. Now I'm wondering if anyone else just skips the extra salt step entirely? Does the salt amount in salted butter change much between brands?

My neighbor's sourdough starter smelled like death for 3 days straight

I overheard this guy at the hardware store saying his starter finally worked after he stopped worrying about the smell. Mine has been bubbling like crazy but it literally smells like a wet dog and old socks. Anyone else push through a nasty smell phase or did I just mess something up from the start?

That one piece of feedback that fixed my pie crusts for good

Got told my pastry was tough by my aunt after Thanksgiving dinner three years ago. She said I was overworking the dough and the gluten was getting too activated. So I switched to cutting the butter into bigger chunks and only mixing until just combined. Now my crusts actually flake like they should. Anyone else get a random critique that turned out to be exactly right?

Used a glass bowl instead of metal for meringue and it actually worked

I always used a metal bowl before but kept getting flat peaks. Switched to glass last month and my egg whites doubled in volume with way less work. Has anyone else noticed a difference with bowl material?

Spent $35 on a fancy Danish dough whisk and broke it on the first batch of cinnamon rolls

I saw everyone raving about those weird wire dough whisks for bread and pastry. Figured it would be a game changer for my sticky doughs. First use, I'm mixing up a double batch of cinnamon rolls for a family brunch, dough is super cold and stiff, and I hear this loud SNAP. The handle just cracked in half. Dough whisk is now a dough poker. Now I'm back to using a wooden spoon like my grandma did. Anyone else have a baking tool that let you down immediately?

Thought I'd mastered sourdough then my starter died on day 87

Spent three months nursing that thing, fed it twice a day, then it went moldy overnight because I forgot to screw the lid on. Anyone else had a starter crash after that long?

Hit 50 sourdough starters before one finally worked

I tossed 49 starters in the trash over 8 weeks before one finally bubbled up right. That 50th batch taught me my tap water was killing the yeast. How many fails did you need before you got a win?

My neighbor told me I was overmixing my banana bread batter

She watched me beat it for two minutes and said I was activating too much gluten, so I switched to just folding it until combined and now my loaves actually stay fluffy instead of turning out like bricks, anyone else had a simple tip like that totally change their results?

Was dead set against silicon baking mats for years, finally caved last month

I always thought they were a gimmick compared to parchment paper, but after ruining my third batch of cookies on a dark pan I grabbed a set at Walmart for $12. They actually work perfectly and nothing sticks. Has anyone else held out on a baking tool only to be proven wrong?

Tried making sourdough starter 4 times in 2023 and gave up every time but a friend's tip about pineapple juice finally got it working last month

Overheard a neighbor say she never preheats her oven for cookies and it worked fine for her

Tbh I was at my local bakery supply shop in Portland last week and overheard this lady telling her friend she bakes cookies straight from the fridge on a cold oven tray and they come out perfect every time. I tried her method with a batch of chocolate chip cookies and ended up with flat greasy discs after 20 minutes at 350. Has anyone else fallen for the 'skip preheating' trick or is my oven just broken?

Spent $80 on fancy vanilla extract that turned out to be fake

Overheard my sister say her butter was too cold for cookies

She was complaining to our mom that her dough came out crumbly and dry because she used the butter straight from the fridge. I told her that's the number one mistake I see in every baking fail forum I'm on - you gotta let it sit out for 30 minutes minimum. Has anyone else had this fight with a family member who swears cold butter works fine?