That week I made 7 loaves of bread and every single one failed in a different way

Last November I had this week where I decided I was going to master sourdough once and for all. Day one the loaf came out flat as a pancake because I forgot to score it. Day two I used a wet towel to cover the dough and it stuck so bad I had to scrape half the dough off. Day three I tried a new recipe and burned the bottom black. Day four my starter was sluggish so I waited too long and the dough overproofed into a sticky mess. Day five my husband opened the oven door to check on something else and my loaf collapsed. Day six I finally got a decent rise but it was so gummy inside I couldn't eat it. Day seven I gave up and made cinnamon rolls from a can. Has anyone else had a week where everything just went wrong in the kitchen?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_coleman101mo ago

Used to think baking was just follow the recipe and you're golden, but your week totally proved me wrong. There are so many little things that can go sideways it's almost like a science experiment every time. After reading this I definitely have more respect for people who crank out perfect loaves day after day.

the_richard1mo ago

My wife once tried baking bread at 7,000 feet in Colorado and the whole loaf came out like a hard hockey puck.

seanjackson1mo ago

Read somewhere that a lot of the old school bakers actually weigh their flour and water instead of using cups, and I swear that changed everything for me after my own disaster week like yours. Once I started doing that, the sticky dough and the gummy inside problems mostly went away, lol. Still had plenty of other stuff go wrong though, like forgetting the salt one time and ending up with bread that tasted like cardboard. Sounds like you were dealing with the universe just messing with you for laughs, man. Hope your cinnamon rolls were at least decent because you definitely earned them.