That week in July when everything I baked came out perfect, then the next week was a total disaster

Last July I had this magic week where three things actually worked. First I made a lemon pound cake that didn't sink in the middle, then chocolate chip cookies that were chewy not hard, and even a sourdough loaf with a decent ear on it. I thought I finally figured out my oven's hot spots. Then the next week I tried to repeat the sourdough and it came out like a brick. Changed nothing. Same flour, same starter, same timing. Has anyone else had a streak like that where you think you've got it locked down and then it all falls apart for no reason?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia3981mo ago

Three things in one week and now you're calling it a streak? I had five perfect bakes in a row last March, tart shells that didn't shrink and a brioche that actually rose right, and I still knew it was a fluke. My theory is you got lucky with your starter's activity level and your oven's cycling that day, not some hidden mastery. Two weeks later I tried the same brioche recipe and it came out like a dense hockey puck, and you know what I did? I realized my kitchen temp had dropped five degrees and I didn't adjust. That's the real lesson here, that baking is less about "figuring it out" and more about constant little tweaks based on whatever your flour or humidity or yeast decides to do that day.

gavinwells1mo ago

Baking a decent sourdough ear once doesn't mean you unlocked some secret code, it just means the stars aligned for a day. Humidity swings by like 10% in July and your flour absorbs water differently every single time. People get way too dramatic about this whole "mystery of baking" thing when it's really just weather and dumb luck.

dianahayes1mo ago

Did you ever try baking with a different brand of flour by accident and suddenly everything worked out? I grabbed the wrong bag once when I was half asleep and my sourdough turned out like something from a magazine cover. Couldn't repeat it if I tried.