The only thing I'm slightly worried about is the recipe says to reserve 90g of the flour and to add up to the full amount when kneading but, as is often the case, a wetter dough is better. Well I only added 15g of that 90g of flour and am wondering whether that is too wet for the dough to hold its shape. Working very wet dough doesn't stress me out so I quite like to do it as it feels like a bit of an achievement but I'm thinking maybe I needed more flour. Never mind, we'll see.
What are your incremental baking improvements?
- Thread starter Emmie
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Hey! Do you use lay water when you boil
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Sorry, other half of the question. Boil pretzel? Where can I buy and which brand is suitablea
My incremental improvement (for 2022 at least) was to be less ham-handed !
In January on here I posted a photo of a cookie that appeared to have partially collapsed or failed to rise in the oven. In return I received two responses. I diligently applied the knowledge shared and it helped the next time I baked the recipe. But the third time I had a wonky cookie again.
Eventually I discovered the real problem. When rotating sheets during the bake, the thumb of my baking mitt was crushing the portion nearest to a corner of the sheet.
So now I actually THINK when rotating instead of just doing.
In January on here I posted a photo of a cookie that appeared to have partially collapsed or failed to rise in the oven. In return I received two responses. I diligently applied the knowledge shared and it helped the next time I baked the recipe. But the third time I had a wonky cookie again.
Eventually I discovered the real problem. When rotating sheets during the bake, the thumb of my baking mitt was crushing the portion nearest to a corner of the sheet.
So now I actually THINK when rotating instead of just doing.
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Around three years ago, I attempted to make pandan chiffon cake. Pandan has always been one of my favourite flavours during my childhood. Such as in the Malaysian dish, Nasi Lemak and pandan ice cream when it was too hot outside, making it the perfect weather for the cold, sweet treat. So, I had decided to try my luck when making pandan chiffon cake; a fluffy pandan cake in a chiffon baking tin. However, when I tried it the first time, I overmixed it, making it to be too dense as the batter rose and immediately fell. Complete different to the soft and fluffy cake that I wanted.
The second time I attempted it, I undermixed it as I feared that if I overmixed it, it would cause the same reaction. But when I undermixed it, it became too sticky. It felt difficult to cut into and eating it felt gross.
Overtime, I learnt the balance between the two. It took a bit of time and many mistakes later to get the perfect balance. I think it’s because I was either too eager or too tired when I was at either end of mixing. But now, I learnt the perfect amount of mixing in order to get the perfect fluffy and soft final product I wanted.
The second time I attempted it, I undermixed it as I feared that if I overmixed it, it would cause the same reaction. But when I undermixed it, it became too sticky. It felt difficult to cut into and eating it felt gross.
Overtime, I learnt the balance between the two. It took a bit of time and many mistakes later to get the perfect balance. I think it’s because I was either too eager or too tired when I was at either end of mixing. But now, I learnt the perfect amount of mixing in order to get the perfect fluffy and soft final product I wanted.
I've really surprised myself with the bread as it's never been my thing. But I like the fact that basic bread is very, very simple as a recipe and the improvement just comes with practice and experience. Plus, because our household gets through far more bread than it would cake, it means I can practise more regularly.
Absolutely, baking really is about those small but crucial adjustments! I've noticed a big difference by just tweaking the temperature of liquids for yeast activation, aiming for about 110-115°F, and switching to weighing ingredients for precision. Both changes helped make my breads fluffier and more consistent. Now, I'm onto perfecting pie crusts, aiming for that perfect flakiness. I'm curious about your exploration into different yeasts—I'm thinking of trying fresh yeast next!
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