c/bakers

Creaming butter and sugar took me 15 minutes extra every batch for 6 months

I was making a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale and noticed my dough looked grainy instead of smooth. Turns out my butter was too cold even after sitting out for an hour, so the sugar never properly dissolved. I spent 6 months wondering why my cookies were flat before I finally tested the butter temp with a thermometer and saw it was 58 degrees. How do you guys check if your butter is actually at room temp without overthinking it?

1 comments

abbyg60•11d ago

TIL I was overmixing my scone dough for 6 months

I spent a good 4 hours watching YouTube tutorials to figure out why my scones came out like hockey pucks, and it turned out I was mixing for way too long, like 2 minutes instead of just 20 seconds, anyone else struggle with overworking dough?

2 comments

reeseperez•12d ago

The great butter debate: cold vs room temp in laminated doughs

I used to always use cold butter straight from the fridge for my croissants and danishes, like I was taught 5 years ago in a class. But about 3 months ago I switched to letting it sit out for maybe 10-15 minutes before incorporating it into the dough. The difference in how evenly it layers and how much less it tears during folding is pretty wild. For the bakers here who make laminated stuff regularly, do you stick with firm cold butter or let it soften a touch before starting?

2 comments

harper693•12d ago

Forced myself to try cold fermentation on my pizza dough

I kept getting dough that was flat and didn't have that bakery chew. After reading a blog post from a pizzeria in Portland, I stuck my dough in the fridge for 48 hours instead of letting it rise on the counter. The bubbles were way bigger and the crust came out with actual structure. Has anyone else had better luck stretching cold dough compared to room temp stuff?

2 comments

richard_anderson•12d ago

That bakery in Asheville finally showed me why my baguettes were flat

I stopped into a little French place called Bouchon on a road trip last spring and watched their baker work for 20 minutes. Turns out I was slashing my dough way too shallow, only about an eighth of an inch deep, when they go a full half inch on theirs. Has anyone else had a random shop visit totally change their technique like that?

2 comments

williamm82•14d ago

Hit 500 loaves sold from my home kitchen last weekend

I've been baking sourdough out of my apartment for about 14 months now and I just crossed 500 loaves sold to neighbors and friends. Never thought a hobby would turn into actual numbers like that, but word of mouth really took off after I started giving samples at the farmers market. Has anyone else hit a random milestone that made you stop and realize this is more than just a hobby lol?

2 comments

theac63•14d ago

Switched from hand kneading to a stand mixer after 8 years of baking

I used to knead all my bread dough by hand for years, thinking it gave me better control. Last month I finally borrowed my neighbor's KitchenAid and tried it for a batch of sourdough, and honestly the texture came out way more consistent. Anyone else have a tool they avoided for ages but now swear by?

c/bakers

Creaming butter and sugar took me 15 minutes extra every batch for 6 months

TIL I was overmixing my scone dough for 6 months

The great butter debate: cold vs room temp in laminated doughs

Forced myself to try cold fermentation on my pizza dough

That bakery in Asheville finally showed me why my baguettes were flat

Hit 500 loaves sold from my home kitchen last weekend

Switched from hand kneading to a stand mixer after 8 years of baking

Swapped my butter for shortening in pie crusts and it was a game changer

Tried butter from a local creamery and my croissants came out greasy

Heard a lady at the bake shop say sourdough is 'too trendy' now

Rant: My stand mixer died in the middle of a 50-loaf order

Switched from store-bought yeast to a sourdough starter 4 months ago and my bread texture is completely different now

Hit 5000 loaves last Tuesday and it hit me different

Used to rush my bulk fermentation until I ruined 3 doughs in a row

Walked away from my mixer for 2 minutes and came back to a butter mess.

My new convection oven blew a fuse on batch 3 of cookies

My chat with a pastry chef at the farmers market changed how I look at butter temperature

Had to pick between butter and shortening for my pie crust...

Why does nobody talk about how salt amounts vary between flour brands?

I always sifted flour until my neighbor showed me a faster way

PSA: My sourdough starter took 4 weeks to become active, not the 7 days everyone says

Knew my stand mixer was dying, took 4 hours to diagnose the real issue

That week my sourdough starter went totally wild and overflowed 3 times

Old timer at the farmer's market told me to let my sourdough starter go hungry sometimes

Forgot to chill my pie dough before baking and it was a total mess