Everyone told me to rest my dough longer but I fought it for 6 months

My sister finally watched me bake and said 'your bread is dense because you're rushing the bulk fermentation by a good 2 hours.' I pushed back hard at first, but I tried her way and stretched the rise from 4 to 6 hours... totally different crumb texture now. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on a bad habit like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elliot1mo ago

Told my mom the same thing for years until she timed my process one day and proved I was cutting corners by like 45 minutes. Nothing like family to humble your baking ego.

beth8781mo ago

Timing is everything with bulk fermentation and it's wild how just a couple hours changes everything. I always tell people to go by feel and look instead of the clock, but it took my own brother timing me to finally get it through my head. Once you lock in that longer rise, there's no going back to those dense, tight crumbs.