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My wife's grandma from Sicily said she never uses a scale for bread.
We were making focaccia at her place in Palermo, and she just kept saying 'you feel it'. I always thought my 75% hydration was gospel, but watching her hands work changed that. How do you learn to trust touch over grams?
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rosed322mo ago
My buddy learned from his Italian neighbor who never measured flour. She'd just say the dough talks back when it's ready. He got so frustrated until one day his hands just knew the right stickiness. Now he bakes the best ciabatta on our street without a single tool. It's all about letting go of the numbers and paying attention to what's in your hands.
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sanchez.lucas2mo ago
Man, my bread would just whisper "help me" if I tried that... I need those grams like a security blanket.
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Honestly I was the same way with my sourdough starter, always weighing to the gram. Then I spent a weekend with a baker who just went by look and feel, and my bread got way better. You just have to bake enough to build that memory in your hands.
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