c/bakers

Can we talk about how many people are still using active dry yeast without proofing it first

I've seen three separate bakers in my local guild this month skip the warm water and sugar step, which guarantees a weak rise and wasted flour because the yeast never fully activates.

I used to think sourdough starters were just a fussy trend until my buddy in Asheville gave me a jar of his 8-year-old one last fall.

Honestly, the flavor and rise it gives my basic country loaf is so much better than my old packet yeast method, and now I'm curious if anyone has tips for keeping it strong during a dry winter.

My sourdough starter completely died on me last Tuesday

I left it on the counter while I went to visit my sister for the weekend, and our heat kicked on way higher than normal. Came back to a gray, watery mess that smelled like old paint. I tried feeding it twice a day for three days straight, but it never bubbled again. Anyone have a good method for reviving a starter that's been cooked, or is it time to just ask my buddy in Portland for a new scrap of his?

I just realized I've been overworking my pie dough for years

For the longest time, I'd mix my butter and flour by hand until it looked like fine sand, which took maybe 5 minutes of rubbing. Then I watched a baker from a shop in Chicago do a demo where she left visible pea-sized chunks of butter. I tried it last month, and the flakiness in my crust is insane now. It feels wrong to stop mixing when it still looks shaggy, but the steam from those butter bits makes all the difference. Anyone else have to fight the urge to keep working their dough?

I was reading a 1950s cookbook and found out they used to proof yeast in sugar water for a full hour

Found it in my grandma's old 'Better Homes and Gardens' binder, which is wild because my active dry yeast is ready in like 10 minutes now. Anyone else have old baking methods that seem totally foreign now?

My sourdough starter went totally inactive after I moved it to a new spot in the kitchen

I keep my starter, Fred, on top of the fridge, but I moved him to a cooler cabinet last Tuesday. By Friday, he wasn't bubbling at all and smelled like old glue. I had to do two feedings with warm water and put him back on the fridge to wake him up. Has anyone else had a starter just quit from a simple temperature change?

Just saw something weird at the flour mill tour in Red Wing

They had a huge open bin of bread flour near the exit, and I watched a kid stick his whole hand in it before his mom pulled him away. The staff didn't replace the flour or even mark the bin as contaminated. Has anyone else run into this kind of thing at a supplier, and how do you check your bulk ingredients are clean?

Serious question, my sourdough starter went completely flat and smelled like nail polish after I left it for a week.

I had to toss it and begin a new one from scratch with a bit of rye flour, which has me wondering if anyone has a better method for taking a break from feeding.

I stopped using a rolling pin for my pie crusts about a year ago.

I started pressing the dough into the pan by hand after a class in Seattle, and my crusts are flakier and never tough now. Anyone have a different method they swear by?

A customer said my sourdough was 'too sour' and it made me rethink my starter

They specifically told me the flavor was overwhelming and sharp, not tangy. I started feeding my starter twice a day instead of once, and the bread is way more balanced now. Has anyone else adjusted feeding schedules to mellow out the sourness?

I used to proof my sourdough in a warm spot for 4 hours, now I do a cold ferment in the fridge for 18. The crumb is way better.

Appreciation post: My sourdough starter died in a Chicago heatwave

It was last July, over 100 degrees in my apartment kitchen. I came back from a weekend trip and found my starter, 'Bubbles', completely flat and smelling like nail polish. I'd had it for five years. Panic set in. I tried feeding it with cool water and a bit of rye flour, but nothing. So I took a tiny scrap from the edge, maybe a teaspoon, and mixed it with 50 grams of water and 50 grams of flour in a new jar. Put it in the coolest corner I had. Two days later, I saw a single bubble. Kept at it with small feeds every 12 hours. A week later, it was back to doubling. Taught me to always keep a dried backup. Anyone else bring a starter back from the brink?

I started weighing my water for bread dough and it fixed my consistency issues

My sourdough loaves kept coming out different every time, even with the same flour. The problem was I measured water by volume in a cup. Last month I switched to weighing it in grams on my kitchen scale. Now I use 750 grams of water for 1 kilogram of flour every single time. The dough feels exactly the same now, no more guessing. My bread has been way more even for the past four weeks. Anyone else measure their liquids by weight, or do you stick with cups?

Vent: My sourdough starter went from hero to zero overnight

It was bubbling great for a week, then completely died after I fed it some organic rye flour from a new bag. Took me three days of panic and a backup from the fridge to get it active again. Anyone else have a starter totally reject a specific flour?

Shoutout to the time I tried to make a giant cookie cake

I mean, I saw a picture online and thought, how hard could it be? I used my normal chocolate chip recipe but tripled it and baked it in a 14 inch pizza pan. It came out looking like a giant, crispy brown frisbee after 40 minutes. I learned that cookie dough spreads way more when it's that thick in the middle. Has anyone else tried this and gotten it to stay soft and chewy?

Changed my mind about those expensive pre-made sourdough starters

Bought one for $25 online, but my own flour and water mix from scratch worked way better after just five days. Anyone else find the fancy starters are a total scam?

I finally tried a sourdough starter after years of using instant yeast

For the longest time I thought keeping a starter alive was way too much work. I mean, feeding it every day? No thanks. My buddy Mike in Boise kept telling me to just try it, that the flavor was totally different. So last month I finally took some of his discard and started my own. The first few loaves were dense, but after about two weeks of practice, I got a crumb I was really happy with. The taste is just so much deeper and a little tangy, which is great for toast. It's honestly less hassle than I thought, I just keep it in the fridge and feed it once a week. Has anyone else made the switch and found a good schedule for a fridge starter?

I finally tried the 'freeze your butter and grate it' trick for pie crust

My sister, who runs a small bakery in Spokane, told me to do this for flakier crusts. I was skeptical, but my last batch of apple pies turned out way better. Anyone have other simple tweaks that actually work?

Had a total disaster with a 20lb bag of flour at the county fair last weekend, now I triple check every bag I buy.

Question about getting a clean cut on sourdough. My bread knife was tearing the crumb no matter how gentle I was.

A simple trick for better pie crusts I learned from a baker in Portland

I kept seeing people add ice water to their pie dough all at once, which makes it tough. A baker I worked with in Portland showed me to sprinkle it in slowly, just a tablespoon at a time, while mixing. You stop as soon as the dough just comes together, which for me is usually after about 5 tablespoons. This keeps the fat cold and the crust flaky. Does anyone have a different method for getting that perfect texture?

My whole batch of sourdough went flat because I forgot about the weather

I was in my kitchen in Portland, trying to get a head start on some loaves for a friend's party. I had fed my starter, mixed the dough, and left it for its first proof like I always do. But I completely forgot that we were having a sudden heat wave, and my kitchen was about 85 degrees. I came back after 3 hours and the dough was a sticky, sad puddle that had already peaked and collapsed. I almost threw it out, but I decided to try saving it by folding in a little more flour and doing a cold proof in the fridge overnight. It was a gamble, but the next morning it had some structure back. The bake was okay, but the crumb was way tighter than I wanted. Has anyone else had a batch go wrong because of a quick temperature change, and what did you do?

Appreciation post: My sourdough starter finally feels like a friend, not a chore

For months, I fed my starter every single day, even when it felt like a fussy pet. About three weeks ago, I switched to keeping it in the fridge and only feeding it once a week. The change happened after a trip to Seattle where I had to leave it. Now, it's more active than ever when I pull it out to bake. I get a better rise and a more complex flavor with way less daily work. Has anyone else found their starter does better with less frequent, cold storage feedings?

I finally gave up on my old stand mixer after 8 years

I was stuck between getting it fixed for about $150 or just buying a new one, and I went with the repair. It came back working, but the motor sounds rough on the second speed now. Anyone have a good mechanic in Phoenix they trust?

The bakery down the street keeps selling under-proofed sourdough.

The crumb is dense and gummy every single time, which tells me they're rushing the bulk ferment to meet demand. Has anyone else had to explain to a customer why proper proofing matters more than a fast turnaround?