c/baking-fails-and-wins

PSA: My sourdough starter was a brick for years because I was using tap water.

I finally got a water report from my city and the chlorine level is over 2 ppm. I switched to filtered water last week and it's like a different organism. Does anyone else have to deal with bad tap water for their starter?

My buttercream fight with a cake last weekend

Honestly, I thought making a smooth buttercream finish was just about spreading it on. Ngl, I spent a full two hours trying to get it right on a birthday cake last Saturday. It kept tearing the crumb coat and looking lumpy. I finally watched a video that said to chill the cake for 30 minutes after the crumb coat, and that fixed it in like 10 minutes. Anyone else have a simple step they missed for way too long?

Rant: My attempt at a 'simple' loaf of bread last Tuesday turned into a kitchen science experiment

I misread the recipe and used a full tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon, resulting in a brick that my dog wouldn't even sniff. Anyone have a foolproof recipe for a basic sandwich bread that's actually written for humans?

My sourdough starter went completely flat after a week in the fridge. It was my first time trying a cold ferment.

Serious question, has anyone else hit exactly 50 failed macarons before they finally worked?

I mean, I kept a tally on my kitchen whiteboard, and the 50th batch was the one that didn't crack or have hollow shells. The difference was letting the piped shells sit for a full 45 minutes before baking, not the 20 my recipe said. My kitchen in Phoenix is super dry, so I guess they needed that extra skin to form. Has anyone else found their magic number for a tricky bake?

My aunt told me to always use room temp butter for cookies, and she was totally right

For years I just grabbed butter straight from the fridge and my chocolate chip cookies always spread into flat, greasy puddles. My aunt Betty insisted I let it sit out for an hour first, so I finally tried it last weekend. The dough came together perfectly and they baked up thick and chewy, just like hers. Has anyone else had a simple tip completely fix a baking problem?

My grandma insisted I use room temp butter for her cookie recipe, and after a dozen flat batches, I finally listened.

I kept using cold butter straight from the fridge for speed, but switching to her method of leaving it out for an hour made the texture perfect, so what's one baking 'rule' you ignored that actually mattered?

My neighbor swore by adding a teaspoon of vinegar to my meringue

She said it would give it more structure, but my lemon meringue pie topping turned out weirdly grainy and weepy after 40 minutes in the oven. Has anyone else had a meringue fail with vinegar, or was it just my technique?

My grandma told me to never use cold butter for pie crust, and I should have listened

She said it has to be frozen and grated into the flour, but I thought using butter straight from the fridge would be fine. I made a blueberry pie last night and the crust was tough and chewy, not flaky at all. It took me over an hour to get it rolled out because the butter chunks were too big. I ended up with a soggy bottom and a top crust that cracked. Has anyone else had a pie disaster from not getting the butter cold enough?

Took me a year to figure out why my sourdough starter kept dying

I kept using tap water from my kitchen in Austin, not realizing the chlorine was killing it. Finally switched to filtered water after maybe a dozen failed attempts. Anyone else have a simple fix that took forever to find?

My brownies were a greasy mess until I watched a baker in Phoenix weigh her flour instead of scooping it.

I'd been using the same cup measure for years, packing it tight, and seeing her use a scale made me realize I was adding way too much, so do you think weighing ingredients is worth the extra step or is careful scooping good enough?

Overheard a baker at the farmer's market say her cookies spread because of the butter temperature

I was picking up some jam at the Saturday market and the baker next door was telling a customer why her chocolate chip cookies kept turning into flat pancakes. She said, 'If your butter is too warm, they'll just run right off the sheet.' I always just threw the sticks in the microwave for 30 seconds without thinking. Tried her tip of leaving them out for exactly an hour before baking, and my next batch held their shape perfectly. Has anyone else found a sweet spot for butter that isn't rock hard but also not greasy?

Warning: Do not try to bake a cake in a glass bowl unless you are ready for a mess

Last Sunday I was making my mom's birthday cake, a big lemon chiffon. The recipe said to bake it in a tube pan, but I thought using my big glass mixing bowl would give it a cool dome shape. I was in my kitchen in Omaha, preheated the oven to 325 degrees. About 25 minutes in, I heard this loud pop from the oven. I opened the door and the whole glass bowl had just shattered. There was cake batter and glass shards everywhere inside the oven and on the floor. I had to turn everything off, let it cool, and spend over an hour carefully cleaning it all up with a shop vac. The worst part was I had to start the whole cake over from scratch with a proper pan. Has anyone else had a dish just explode like that? What kind of bakeware is actually safe for sudden temperature changes?

My aunt told me my sourdough starter looked 'sick' and to throw it out, right before it tripled in size.

I looked up how much sugar is in a classic pound cake and my jaw hit the floor

So I was trying to bake my first pound cake last weekend (you know, the kind my grandma used to make). I was following this old recipe card I found, and it called for 'a pound of sugar' along with the flour and butter. I figured that was just a saying, right? Like a rough amount. But nope, I got curious and actually weighed it out on my kitchen scale. It was a full 16 ounces of granulated sugar, which is about four cups! I found a fact sheet from a cooking school online that said the name 'pound cake' literally comes from using a pound of each main ingredient. I had no idea it was that literal (and that sweet). My cake turned out okay, but now I'm scared to eat more than a tiny slice. Has anyone else baked something classic and been shocked by what's actually in it?

Tried to make a simple lemon drizzle cake and the icing just refused to set

I followed the recipe exactly, but my drizzle icing was a total soup. I kept adding powdered sugar, a cup at a time, thinking it would thicken up. This went on for over an hour. I used nearly an entire 2-pound bag. Turns out I misread 'tablespoon' of lemon juice as 'teacup'. My kitchen counter looked like a sugary crime scene. Has anyone else ever had a simple ingredient measurement go this catastrophically wrong?

A bakery in Portland showed me why my sourdough was flat

I was at a place called Tabor Bread last month and watched them shape their loaves. They were way more gentle than I am, and they let the dough rest for a full 20 minutes after shaping before scoring. I tried it at home and my next loaf had a much better rise. Anyone have other tips for handling high hydration dough without deflating it?

I thought the 'room temp butter' rule for cookies was just a fussy detail, but my last batch proved me wrong.

Shoutout to my sister for insisting I weigh my flour for cookies

I always scooped and leveled, but after a batch of hockey pucks last week, I finally listened and used my scale. The difference in my chocolate chip cookies was absolutely INSANE. Anyone have a go-to recipe that really NEEDS that precision?

My cat tried to help me bake a cake and it went about as well as you'd think.

I was in my kitchen in Austin, trying to make a chocolate layer cake for a friend's birthday. I turned my back for two seconds to grab the vanilla, and my cat, Mochi, jumped onto the counter and put his whole paw right in the middle of the batter bowl. I yelled 'Mochi, no!' but it was too late. I had to scoop out the whole top layer of batter, which was about a cup's worth, and start that part over. Has anyone else had a pet 'help' in a way that ruined your baking plans?

Showerthought: My flat cookies turned into perfect puffs after I left the dough in the fridge overnight.

I baked one tray right away and the next morning the second batch came out thick and chewy, so I guess chilling really does stop them from spreading too much on the pan.

I thought a $60 digital scale was a waste of cash until my cookies stopped being puddles

My buttercream turned to soup in the middle of a birthday cake order

Was in my home kitchen in Denver, finishing a two-tier cake for a kid's party. The AC broke, room got to 85 degrees. My Swiss meringue buttercream just melted. Looked like yellow soup. Panicked for a solid ten minutes. Put the whole bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes, then re-whipped it. It came back together and I got the cake frosted. Has anyone else saved a frosting disaster when it got too hot?

My grandma watched me put a cup of salt in the cookies instead of sugar and just said 'well, someone's getting a surprise'

This happened at her house in Dayton last Christmas, and now I triple-check every bag before I pour anything into the mixer... has anyone else ever mixed up two white powders with disastrous results?

My stand mixer gave up halfway through a double batch of bagels

It was last Tuesday, right when the dough got really stiff. The motor just made a sad noise and stopped. Had to knead the rest by hand for 15 minutes, my arms were killing me. Anyone have a good heavy duty mixer they'd recommend?