Just realized that customer complaint about my crust changed everything

A lady at a farmers market told me my sourdough crust was "too tough to chew" and I was PISSED at first. But I went home and tried dropping my bake temp by 25 degrees and leaving the lid on 10 minutes longer. Now I get repeat buyers every single week. Has anyone else had a criticism that actually made your bread better?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewmartin8d ago

My buddy Dave runs a BBQ food truck and a customer told him his brisket bark was "like eating gravel." He was furious for like two days. Then he tried wrapping in butcher paper 45 minutes earlier and spritzing with apple juice every half hour instead of just once. Now people camp out before he opens. It made me think about how we all get defensive at first but sometimes that one rude person is actually handing you the answer.

miles_garcia8d ago

That's a solid point @matthewmartin, sometimes the harsh feedback stings but it's really a gift in disguise.

tylerpark9d ago

The same thing happened to me with my ciabatta but it was the opposite complaint. Some guy at a popup said my crust was too pale and soft, said he wanted it "shattery." I was annoyed but I started blasting steam for the first 15 minutes instead of 20 and bumped the temp up 30 degrees for the last part of the bake. Now my crust has that thin, crispy shell that cracks when you squeeze it. It's wild how one picky stranger can unlock a better formula.