One of my biggest dough FAILS ever gave me the BEST crumb I’ve ever baked. I give up.

by JackSupern0va

27 Comments

  1. GrandMoffTyler

    Don’t give up! That’s a success in my book!

  2. MarDaNik

    Gosh, what’s going on there? Is it enriched? Very high hydration? Exceedingly well proofed yet somehow not badly overproofed?

  3. Katunopolis

    You don’t have to give up, you have to start understanding dough hydration and how it changes according to the flour you are using; try starting with a more conservative hydration and a high protein flour something around 14% protein with 70% hydration, it’s a journey.

  4. MadLucy

    Too much dough in that banneton and it stuck to the edges? Still delicious, I bet. That crumb is lovely.

  5. GlitteringRecord4383

    It’s what’s on the inside that counts 😉

  6. We’ve all been there. Happened to me a a couple of months ago. All I could do was laugh and laugh. Then stuffed my mouth with the results!

  7. SuperMonkeyCollider

    Not a failure! It was a happy little accident! Keep on failing into great bread.

    ![gif](giphy|bBPKIt6h9yCcw)

  8. manofmystry

    The crumb looks very moist and open. Nice. That looks like a crisp crust and readonable spring.

    What was the fail? Did the dough spread when you released it from the banneton? Did you have trouble building tension? How long was BF?

    What did you bake it in,? The bottom appears to have assumed the shape of the vessel.

    80% hydration – I float around 75-77% consistently. For me, that level balances texture with workability.

  9. Crack-FacedPeanut

    Well at least it tastes good. Obviously high hydration doughs love to stick, so I always use a healthy amount of flour when shaping. Shaping tightly helps, but it can be challenging at hydrations 80% and up. Rice flour in your proofing baskets will help with sticking much more than standard flour — it’s all I use nowadays.

    Is your fridge as cold as you think it is?

  10. Albatross1225

    I did this with chocolate chip cookies. I made them a few times with a recipe. Tried them one time but from memory instead. I knew I had gotten some of the ingredient measurements wrong from the recipe I used. they were the most perfect chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten. Never been able to fuck it up that good again.

  11. ChaoticToxin

    I think people sometimes try to over perfect things too much. To me that is bread, bread im going to eat and enjoy. Its not hard or raw so its going to be a joy to eat. Im also a carb monster so take that as you want lol

  12. CordeliaGrace

    Ok, I don’t fuck with bread like, on any level over “consumer”, so I’m not sure what is going on here…but I’d absolutely scarf this whole loaf. Probably wouldn’t even require butter.

    This is amazing and I’ll gladly take anything else you think is a failure.

  13. MyNebraskaKitchen

    Bread is persnickety. I’ve been baking bread for over 30 years and seldom does a week go by when I don’t learn something new or have something unexpected happen.

  14. Holiday_Yak_6333

    I spent a year trying to perfect sourdough. Gave it up.

  15. mopedarmy

    I had better luck with high hydration dough by scheduling my main rising for the evening. I then put it in the basket and put a shower cap over top, (I don’t know what you call them, my wife has a bunch of them for covering open dishes before putting them in the refrigerator). I let it proof all night.

    The next day the dough had enough structure that I was able to do all my decorating stuff and come out with a great crumb after baking.

  16. YourMidwestMama

    I would much rather have an ugly loaf that tastes amazing, but I understand your struggle. Would eat. 10/10

  17. Comfortable_Day8135

    Wow! I say they’re all good loaves just different

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