Ever notice how beat up tools make you slow down and actually think about each hit?

The flour thing is real. I read somewhere that grain absorbs moisture differently depending on the harvest, so the same recipe in July versus January can give you total different dough. Mike basically told you what bakers in old school bakeries do, they adjust by touch because the flour never behaves the same way twice. That 20 minute rest is key too, because the flour needs time to actually soak up the water before you can judge it. I started doing a similar thing after watching a video where a guy kept a spray bottle next to his mixer and just added mist until the dough felt like a baby's ear. Sounded weird but it worked for my baguettes, they finally got that open crumb I was chasing.

Same thing happened to me with The Office. Felt dumb for years.