c/baking-fails-and-wins

My sourdough starter went from flat to fantastic in just four days

I've been keeping a starter for years, but this one batch I began last Tuesday was a real dud. For the first three days, it just sat there, barely bubbling, smelling a bit off. I was ready to toss it. Then, I remembered a tip from a baker in Portland about water temperature. I switched from using cold tap water to water that was just warm to the touch, about 85 degrees. The change was immediate. By the next morning, it had doubled in size and had that perfect, sweet, yeasty smell. I baked a loaf yesterday, and the crumb was the most open and airy I've ever gotten. Has anyone else found that one small change, like water temp, completely saved a project?

My sourdough starter took a full three weeks to get bubbly because my kitchen was too cold.

I kept it in the oven with just the light on, and that finally did the trick, so has anyone else had to baby their starter through a cold snap?

My birthday cake for my niece turned into a leaning tower disaster

I was making a three layer chocolate cake for her party in my kitchen last Saturday. The middle layer slid right off because I didn't let the buttercream set enough. I had to quickly shove dowels from a craft store into it to hold it up, and just piled on more frosting to hide the mess. Has anyone else had a layer cake almost collapse and what did you do to save it?

Update: I thought those 'no knead' bread recipes were total BS

For years I avoided them, figured you had to work the dough to get a good crumb. Then my mixer broke right before a family dinner and I was desperate. Tried that basic 3-ingredient recipe from that famous blog, left it overnight like it said. Woke up to this bubbly, alive-looking dough that baked into the best loaf I've ever made. The crust was insane, and the inside had those big holes I could never get before. It completely flipped my thinking on what's needed for good bread. Now I'm a convert, but I'm curious, has anyone else had a total 180 on a baking method they swore was wrong?

My sister told me to put my pie crust in the freezer for a full hour before baking.

I always just chilled it for maybe twenty minutes in the fridge. Last Thanksgiving, I listened to her and froze the dough for exactly sixty minutes before rolling it out. The crust for my apple pie came out perfectly flaky and didn't shrink at all in the dish. Has anyone else found that a longer chill time makes that big of a difference?

Had to pick between a stand mixer or a hand mixer for my first sourdough attempt. Went with the hand mixer because it was cheaper. Dough was a sticky mess for 45 minutes.

Question about a baking disaster at my cousin's wedding in Akron

I watched a $400 cake collapse because the baker didn't let the bottom tier cool fully before stacking, so now I always chill my layers for a full 2 hours, has anyone else had a tiered cake fail?

Tried making a mirror glaze cake for a party, total disaster

Wasted $35 on fancy chocolate and gelatin sheets for it to look like a melted crayon puddle. My kitchen looks like a crime scene. Anyone have a foolproof shiny frosting that doesn't require a chemistry degree?

Question about my sourdough crust going from tough to perfect

My starter is about 4 months old now. First loaves had a crust like shoe leather, honestly. Started using a Dutch oven and spraying water inside before baking. Crust went from rock hard to crisp and crackly in maybe 6 weeks. Debate is, was it the tool or the technique that fixed it? Some friends say the pot is the only way. Others say it's all in the steam timing. What's your biggest crust fix?

Shoutout to my neighbor for the butter trick that saved my cookies

After my chocolate chip cookies came out flat three times in a row last week, she told me to freeze the butter for 15 minutes before creaming it, and the next batch was perfect.

Just wasted $40 on a 'premium' cake flour that totally ruined my sponge

Honestly, I saw this fancy imported cake flour at the store for like $40 a bag. The packaging said it would give a super light crumb, so I figured I'd try it for my birthday cake. Ngl, it was a total fail. The batter looked weird right away, and the cake came out dense and gummy, almost like rubber. I followed the recipe exactly, so it had to be the flour. I tried it twice just to be sure, and both times were bad. Now I'm stuck with this expensive bag I can't use. Has anyone else had a bad experience with a specific flour brand? What's your go-to for a good sponge?

Had to pick between a stand mixer and my old hand mixer for a huge batch of holiday cookies. Went with the hand mixer and my arm is still sore.

My chocolate chip cookies were always cakey until I switched from melted butter to cold, cubed butter

I read a tip in a King Arthur Flour blog post about how cold butter creates steam pockets for a chewier texture, and after trying it, my cookies finally have that perfect crispy edge and soft center. Anyone have a different trick for fixing cakey cookies?

My sister-in-law told me my pie crust was 'tough as leather' at Thanksgiving dinner.

She said I was overworking the dough and not keeping the butter cold enough, so I started using ice water and handling it less. The difference in my last two pies was like night and day, they were actually flaky. Has anyone else had a simple tip completely fix a baking problem for them?

I always thought the 'room temp butter' rule for cookies was just baking snobbery, but my flat hockey pucks last week proved me wrong lol

My chocolate chip cookies went from flat puddles to perfect puffs after I started chilling the dough for a full day.

My cousin said her best bakes come from her worst fails

We were talking about my rock-hard sourdough from last month, and she told me 'Every brick loaf teaches you something the perfect one can't.' That stuck with me because I realized I learn more from my flat cakes than my fluffy ones. Anyone else have a fail that actually taught you a solid lesson?

TIL my chocolate chip cookies were flat because I measured flour wrong.

My friend in Denver watched me scoop flour straight from the bag with my measuring cup. She said, 'You're packing it in, that's way too much.' I've been doing that for two years, no wonder they spread into pancakes. How do you guys measure flour for cookies?

My sourdough starter took 14 days to bubble after I forgot it needed rye flour from the start.

Has anyone else had a starter that just refused to get going until you switched flours?

Tried chilling my cookie dough for 1 hour vs overnight and the difference was insane

My neighbor's cat tried to help me bake a lemon drizzle cake.

I turned my back for 30 seconds in my kitchen, and the cat jumped on the counter and sat directly in the bowl of batter. Has anyone else had a pet completely sabotage a bake?

Pro tip: I wasted $40 on a 'no fail' cake decorating kit that was anything but

Bought one of those kits with all the fancy tips and a promise of pro results. The plastic was cheap and the coupler broke on my second batch of frosting, ruining a whole cake I'd spent 3 hours on. The instructions were useless, just pictures with no real steps. Ended up having to run to the store and buy a single good tip for $8 to finish the job. Has anyone found a decent starter set that won't fall apart?

My sourdough starter went totally flat after I moved it to a new spot

I kept it on my kitchen counter for weeks, but I moved it to a cooler cabinet last Friday and by Sunday it was just a sad, gray puddle. I tried feeding it twice with warm water, but it's not bubbling at all. Has anyone brought a starter back from something like this?

My sourdough starter hit 100 days old and I still don't get the hype

Everyone in my local baking group in Tacoma talks about their starter like it's a pet, but mine just sits in the fridge. I feed it maybe once a week, and it still makes great bread. All that daily care seems like extra work for no real gain. Has anyone else found a simple routine works just fine?

My $35 kitchen scale was a total game changer until I forgot to switch it from ounces to grams

I was so proud of my perfect macarons, all thanks to finally weighing ingredients instead of using cups. Then last weekend I made a batch of shortbread and wondered why the dough looked like wet sand. Turns out I'd measured 200 grams of flour as 200 ounces. Has anyone else bricked a recipe with a simple unit mistake?