Best baking week I've had in a while - nailed 3 loaves of sourdough in a row

Last Tuesday was the first day in like 6 months where everything I baked actually turned out right. I made a sourdough loaf that got the perfect ear and crumb, then whipped up some cinnamon rolls that weren't dry for once. The secret was finally getting my kitchen temperature stable at 75F and using a cheap digital scale I found on sale for $12. I think what really helped was letting the dough rest longer between folds, like 45 minutes instead of 30. Has anyone else had a week where all your bakes just clicked? What changed for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

erickelly1d ago

Oh man that reminds me of the time I had a whole month where my pizza dough just kept coming out perfect and I thought I finally cracked the code. Turns out it was just because the weather stayed super consistent in that 72-75 range and my kitchen stopped acting like a wind tunnel. I tried to recreate it in winter and everything went flat again, it was like starting from scratch. That temperature thing is no joke though, once you get it dialed in it makes such a difference for fermentation timing.

charles_baker281d ago

Whoa wait, @erickelly you had a whole month of perfect dough and didn't bottle whatever microclimate you had in that kitchen? That's like catching lightning in a jar and letting it go.

brooke_jones1d ago

Nah but real talk, maybe the microclimate wasn't the only variable. What if the humidity in your kitchen actually changed too? Everyone talks about temperature but humidity messes with dough way more than people admit. Low humidity sucks the water right out of the mix, high humidity makes it sticky and slow to rise. That perfect month probably had ideal humidity on top of the temp. I'm saying because I've had air conditioning units dry out my kitchen so bad my dough cracked on the surface. Nobody checks their hygrometer.