c/baking-fails-and-wins

The time my aunt told me my pie crust was 'too rough' at Thanksgiving

She said it right at the table, in front of everyone. I'd spent 3 hours making that pie from scratch, used real butter and everything. The crust was flaky, but I guess she wanted it more tender. Still stings a little, but I've been experimenting with different fat ratios ever since. Anybody else have a family member who's brutally honest about your baking?

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pat_fisher24•2d ago

Butter brand face-off: Kerrygold vs. store brand in croissants was no contest

I figured hey, butter is butter, right? So I made two batches of croissants last weekend, one with the expensive Kerrygold and one with the generic store brand. The Kerrygold batch puffed up like a dream, super flaky layers. The store brand ones came out flat and greasy. I mean, I knew there was a difference but not THAT big. Now I'm wondering if I should just shell out for the good stuff every time or if there's a middle ground brand someone here swears by?

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the_richard•2d ago

Hot take: expensive silicone baking mats vs. cheap parchment paper

I dropped $25 on a pair of Silpat-style mats last year thinking they'd be the end of my baking struggles. First few batches of cookies came out perfect, no sticking, easy cleanup. But then I tried making meringues and the mats totally failed me, the cookies spread way too thin and stuck in spots. Meanwhile my $4 roll of parchment paper from Aldi has never let me down, even for sticky caramel or macarons. So which do you think is actually worth the money? Has anyone else had a bake fail because they trusted a mat over paper? I'm leaning back to parchment but maybe I just got the wrong brand.

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joel_martinez•2d ago

Spent 3 hours trying to get my sourdough to rise and it was my starter that was the problem

I finally figured out my starter needed to be fed twice a day instead of once, and now my loaves actually have air pockets. How often do you guys feed your starters in winter?

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theagibson•7d ago

My uncle's sourdough ratio changed my baking completely

My uncle who's been baking bread since the 80s told me last spring that I was using way too much starter in my sourdough. He said drop it from 100g to 50g for my standard loaf and give it a full 12 hours to rise instead of rushing it in 4. I thought he was nuts because my loaves were already coming out okay, not great but edible. Tried his way on a Sunday in April and the crumb was totally different, more open and the crust had that deep tang I could never get before. I have to admit he was right about slowing down and trusting the fermentation more than dumping in extra starter. Has anyone else gotten advice from a older relative that seemed backwards but turned out to work better?

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the_william•10d ago

Tried making croissants for the first time and my kitchen looked like a butter explosion

Honestly, I went to that new bakery in Austin last week and their croissants were so perfect I figured I'd try it at home. Ended up with butter all over the counters and a sad, flat little disc that barely counts as bread. Has anyone else had a baking fail that turned into a full kitchen cleanup mission?

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kim_johnson51•11d ago

I finally caught myself overmixing muffin batter for 15 years

Was making blueberry muffins last Sunday and noticed they came out tough again. My mom watched me and said "you're beating the hell out of that batter, stop." Turns out I was mixing until smooth when you're only supposed to mix until the flour just disappears. Has anyone else had a basic technique totally flip on them like that?

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ray_campbell46•11d ago

PSA: 3 hour cookie disaster taught me to read baking powder expiration dates

I spent last Saturday making triple batch of chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale in Austin. After 2 hours of mixing and chilling dough, they came out flat as pancakes. My husband pointed out the baking powder can I used expired in 2021. I never thought about checking freshness on something that just sits in the cabinet. Has anyone else had a whole batch ruined by old leavening agents?

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wendysanchez•13d ago

Got a perfect rise on my sourdough for the first time in 6 weeks

I've been trying to get my starter right since January and it finally doubled in size this Tuesday after I started feeding it twice a day. The loaf came out golden and crusty with a nice open crumb, not the brick I usually get. Has anyone else had their starter just suddenly decide to cooperate out of nowhere?

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jana_hart18•13d ago

My aunt swore her bread recipe needed exactly 1 hour of kneading

She told me the gluten won't develop unless you beat it into submission for a full 60 minutes. My arms were sore for two days after trying it, and the loaf came out dense as a brick. Turns out she learned it from some 1950s cookbook and never questioned it. How long do you actually knead dough, or am I just not built for this whole baking thing?

3 comments

young.kim•13d ago

Tried making sourdough with a starter I found in a thrift store jar. Guess what grew.

Picked up a mason jar at Goodwill in Eugene last Saturday, thought it'd be perfect for my starter. It turned into this weird orange slime after two days, so I guess that's a fail in the books. Anyone else ever have a thrift store jar sabotage their bake?

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craig.mila•15d ago

Switched from parchment paper to silicone mats for cookies and it was a total game changer

I used to always use parchment paper for my chocolate chip cookies and they would spread too thin and burn on the bottom. Then about 3 months ago I got a set of silicone baking mats from a discount store for $8 and tried them out. The cookies come out way more even and I don't have to keep buying new paper every time. Has anyone else noticed a big difference switching to mats for certain bakes?

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faith_king•15d ago

My neighbor told me my bread was "dense like a brick" and she was right about my kneading technique

She's a home baker for like 20 years and watched me struggling with a loaf at a block party. Said I was adding too much flour during kneading because the dough felt sticky. I was basically making dry cement every time. Switched to wet hands and a bench scraper method and my last 3 loaves actually had air pockets. Anyone else get humbled by a random neighbor with advice?

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lee_reed•18d ago

I finally saw what happens to a sourdough starter after 14 days of neglect

I left my starter in the back of the fridge for two weeks while I was on vacation. When I got back, it had this dark gray liquid on top and smelled like nail polish remover, not the usual tangy yeast smell. Some folks online say you can just stir it back in and feed it, others swear the whole thing is dead and you gotta start over from scratch. What's your take, has anyone actually revived a starter that looked that rough?

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joel_martinez•18d ago

Pro tip: That fancy $45 loaf pan was not worth the money

I bought a ceramic loaf pan from a boutique kitchen store thinking it would give me perfect bread every time. After three ruined loaves that stuck so bad I had to chisel them out, I went back to my old $12 metal pan. Has anyone else found that specialty pans are just not worth the hype?

3 comments

burns.jenny•23d ago

My stand mixer threw a whisk at me during a birthday cake attempt

I was making a double batch of buttercream for my daughter's 16th birthday cake last Saturday. The mixer was on medium speed and suddenly the whisk attachment flew right off and hit the kitchen wall, leaving a big buttercream splatter. Turned out I hadn't pushed it up into the lock properly before starting. Has anyone else had a mixer part go flying like that?

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noahmartin•23d ago

The 5-year change in my sourdough starter that took me by surprise

I started my sourdough starter back in 2019 during the lockdown. Back then it took a full 12 hours to double and had this really sharp vinegary smell. Last week I fed it the same way and it doubled in 4 hours with a much sweeter, creamier aroma. I guess the yeast colony just matured over time. Has anyone else noticed their starter changing like this after a few years?

3 comments

grant.felix•25d ago

The tart crust feedback that stung but helped

My aunt tried my lemon tart and said the crust was like a cracker. Not in a good way. She told me I was overworking the dough, making it tough. I started mixing until it just comes together, no more. Now I chill it for 30 minutes before rolling. Has anyone else gotten harsh family feedback that actually fixed a recipe?

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faith_king•26d ago

My neighbor laughed at my bread until she tried it warm from the oven

So last Sunday I was pulling a loaf of sourdough out of the oven and my neighbor Linda was hanging over the fence watching me. She made this face like I was doing something wrong and said "That looks too flat, I bet it's dense inside." I just shrugged and cut her a thick slice while it was still steaming. She took one bite and her eyes went wide and she asked for another piece with butter. Then she admitted her store bought bread was never this good and asked me to show her how I do the starter. Now she texts me every day about her bubbling jar and I kinda love that she was wrong about my bread.

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miles_roberts•28d ago

I finally broke down and bought a $30 Danish dough whisk

Always thought they were a gimmick until I tried to mix a stiff sourdough batch with a regular spoon last Sunday. That thing sliced through the dough like butter and saved my wrists. Anyone else have a tool they resisted forever?

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fiona985•29d ago

Hit 100 loaves of bread baked from scratch this morning

I got into bread baking about 18 months ago after my neighbor gave me a jar of her sourdough starter. I never kept count at first, just baked whenever the mood hit. But last week I started adding up my bakes in my recipe notebook and realized I was at 96 loaves. So today I baked number 100 and it actually felt like a big deal. It was a simple white sandwich loaf, nothing fancy, but it came out perfect with that golden brown crust and soft crumb. I think the milestone meant more because I remember my first few loaves were flat and dense, like doorstops really. Now I can shape dough without even thinking about it. Has anyone else here tracked how many times you've made something and been surprised by the number?

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the_christopher•1mo ago

My mom said one thing about my failed sourdough that totally shifted how I bake

I was complaining to my mom last weekend about how my third attempt at sourdough came out like a hockey puck. She just shrugged and said, 'Maybe stop trying to control everything and let the dough tell you what it needs.' At first I thought that was nonsense, but then I realized I had been obsessing over exact timings and ignoring how the dough actually felt. That conversation hit different because she's been baking for 40 years and never uses a recipe, just goes by feel and smell. So my next batch I ditched the timer and paid attention to the dough instead, and it actually rose double in size. Has anyone else had a family member drop a simple piece of advice that changed your whole approach?

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leo_fisher•1mo ago

Burnt a tray of macarons so bad the smoke alarm went off

Was trying a new recipe for matcha macarons and got distracted answering a text from my brother. Left them in at 300F for like 8 extra minutes and they came out dark brown and rock hard. Had to open all the windows in my apartment for an hour to get the smoke smell out. Anyone else ruin a batch by getting distracted mid bake?

3 comments

jennifer_jenkins•1mo ago

My aunt swore by room temperature eggs, so I used cold ones anyway

She told me last Thanksgiving that cold eggs ruin the structure of a butter cake, but I figured it was an old wives tale so I grabbed them straight from the fridge. The cake came out dense and flat, and now I'm stuck with a whole pan of doorstop slices. Anybody else learn a rule the hard way after ignoring advice from a family member?

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the_richard•1mo ago

Vent: Had to pick between fancy stand mixer and my grandma's old hand mixer for a birthday cake

I spent 20 minutes staring at both last Sunday before finally rolling with the hand mixer because the stand mixer has this weird attachment that never fits right. Ended up with lumps in the batter and the cake came out lopsided, guess nostalgia ain't always the way to go. Anyone else got a family tool they keep using even though it messes things up?

3 comments