c/baking-fails-and-wins

My $30 digital scale just saved a batch of macarons from total ruin

I was making French macarons for a friend's birthday and almost gave up after three failed batches. The recipe said '1 cup almond flour' but my scooping method was way off. I bought a basic digital kitchen scale for about thirty bucks and weighed everything exactly. The difference was crazy, the batter had the right texture for the first time. Now I tell everyone to skip the cups and just weigh their dry ingredients, it's that big of a deal. Has anyone else had a simple tool completely fix a recipe you struggled with?

My chocolate cake turned into a puddle at a birthday party

I was at my friend's house in Denver for her kid's party, and I brought a three layer cake I'd baked that morning. The kitchen was super hot, maybe 85 degrees, and the frosting just started melting off the sides like a slow motion disaster. I panicked and stuck the whole thing in the freezer for 20 minutes, which saved it from total collapse but made the texture a bit weird. Next time I'm bringing a cooler bag for transport if it's warm out. Has anyone else had a cake almost melt on them and what did you do?

Rant: My sourdough starter is a different beast now than it was in 2021

Honestly, back in 2021 during that big lockdown in Portland, my starter was so weak it made flat, dense bricks. Last week, after feeding it rye flour for a month, it finally gave me a perfect, airy crumb. Has anyone else's starter personality completely changed over the years?

Rant: My sourdough starter straight up died after a week of perfect rises

I had this starter going for like six months, named it Bob, the whole deal. Last week it was giving me the best oven spring I've ever seen, perfect loaves every time. Then I had to take my kids to visit family for four days. I fed Bob before I left, put him in the fridge, did everything right. Came back and he was a gray, watery puddle that smelled like nail polish remover. No amount of feeding brought it back. I'm so annoyed because I was finally getting consistent results and now I have to start from scratch with a new one. It's just flour and water, how did I mess that up? Has anyone else had a starter just give up on life after being reliable for so long?

Shoutout to my old stand mixer for proving me wrong about needing a fancy new one

Honestly, after borrowing my friend's $400 KitchenAid with all the attachments for a month, my $80 Hamilton Beach from 2015 still gives me better, more consistent cookie dough texture every single time.

My sister said my 'perfect' brownies were actually a fail

We were at a family thing last weekend and I brought my usual brownies, the ones I've been making for years. My sister, who never bakes, took a bite and just said 'these are way too cakey, a brownie should be fudgy, right?'. I was ready to argue but then I looked at the plate. Everyone had eaten the cookies instead. I've been using the same box mix for like 5 years and calling it a win. Now I'm questioning every bake I've ever done. Has anyone else had a family member point out a blind spot you didn't know you had?

My sourdough starter from 2020 finally gave up on me last Tuesday

Kept that thing alive through the whole pandemic. Fed it every single day. Even took it with me when I moved from Austin to Dallas. Last week, I went to bake my usual weekend loaf. The starter just sat there. Flat. No bubbles. Smelled weird, like old apples. Tried a few feeds to wake it up. Nothing. Felt like I lost a pet. Three years of daily care, gone in a day. Starting over feels wrong. Anyone else have a starter just quit after that long?

My chocolate chip cookies came out flat as pancakes last night

I was making a double batch for my neighbor's party and decided to soften the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, which I never do. They spread into one giant, thin sheet on the pan. I learned that melted butter makes cookies spread way too much (who knew, right?). Has anyone else had this happen and found a good way to fix it without starting over?

Serious question, has anyone else had to pick between a stand mixer and a food processor for a big batch of cookie dough?

I had to make 12 dozen cookies for my kid's school bake sale in Portland. I went with my KitchenAid mixer thinking it would be faster, but the dough got so warm it turned into a greasy mess. I should have used the food processor in short pulses to keep it cold. Anyone have a trick for this?

My chocolate cake in Phoenix last night turned into a volcano when I forgot the baking powder.

I had to serve it as a 'deconstructed lava cake' with extra ice cream, but has anyone else saved a dessert disaster by just renaming it?

Tried the 'freeze your cookie dough balls' trick for a year. Totally works.

My sister's flat cake made me rethink everything about baking soda

I was at her place in Tacoma last weekend and she was showing me this chocolate cake that just didn't rise at all, it was like a sad brown pancake. She was so bummed. I mean, I always just threw baking soda in without a second thought, idk. But she pulled the box out of her cupboard and it was from like, two years ago. She said her friend, who bakes a lot, told her that old baking soda is basically just salty powder. I checked mine when I got home and sure enough, mine was from 2021. I guess I never really thought about it having an expiration date. Has anyone else had a fail turn into a win just from checking something that simple?

I was out of parchment paper for my sourdough and used cornmeal instead

I mean, I was about to just skip baking because the dough was sticking to my Dutch oven. Sprinkled a thick layer of cornmeal on the bottom as a last resort, and it actually gave the crust this amazing, gritty texture. Anyone else tried weird substitutes when you're out of the usual stuff?

Finally got my pie crust to stop shrinking after watching a dozen videos get it wrong

I kept seeing people roll the dough out once, then fold it into the pan. That always made mine pull back up the sides. Last weekend, I tried rolling it a bit bigger, letting it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge, then gently pressing it in without stretching. It worked perfectly for a blueberry pie. What's one small tip that fixed a big baking problem for you?

I had to pick between a stand mixer and a food processor for my sourdough bagels, and I chose wrong.

My sourdough starter was looking weak, so I had to choose between feeding it again or just starting a new batch from scratch.

I went with feeding it again, and after 12 hours it finally doubled in size, so has anyone else had a starter seem dead but come back with one more feed?

My buttercream turned into soup because I forgot the kitchen was hot

I was making a birthday cake for my friend and the frosting just would not set up, it kept sliding off the sides. I spent a solid hour trying to chill it, add more sugar, everything. Turns out my apartment was 85 degrees because the AC broke, and I never thought about that. Has anyone else had a baking disaster just because of the room temperature?

Shoutout to the person who told me to weigh my flour for cookies. I thought it was overkill until my last batch came out perfect.

My sourdough starter turned 100 days old yesterday and I almost cried

I started it during a rough patch in March, and honestly thought I'd kill it within a week like my last three attempts. Seeing that little jar hit triple digits felt like a quiet win, especially after all the flat, dense loaves I made along the way. Has anyone else had a baking project that just stuck around way longer than you expected?

Read a thing about how many people mess up their first loaf of sourdough

I was looking at a baking blog from a flour company, King Arthur I think. They did a survey and found over 60% of people who try sourdough from scratch have a total fail on their first try. That's a huge number. It made me feel better about my own brick-like first attempt last year. The blog said the most common issue is not getting the starter strong enough before you bake. Has anyone here actually nailed a sourdough loaf on the very first go?

Honestly, my sourdough starter was a brick for months until I read a tip about water temp.

I found a blog post from a baker in Seattle that said if your kitchen is below 70 degrees, you should use 90 degree water to feed it. Tried it last week and my starter doubled in 4 hours for the first time ever. Has anyone else had to tweak the water temp to get things going?

My buttercream was a grainy disaster for a solid month

I kept trying to make Swiss meringue buttercream and it kept turning into a gritty, separated mess. Every batch for four weekends straight was a total fail. The problem was my butter temperature, I was using it straight from the fridge. It took watching a video from a baker named Claire to figure out I needed it at a very specific 68 degrees. I finally got a smooth batch last Sunday after letting the butter sit out for two hours. Has anyone else had a buttercream issue that took forever to diagnose?

I always thought you had to use a stand mixer for macarons, but a baking blog proved me wrong

I was reading a blog called 'The Brave Baker' last month, and they had a whole post about making macarons by hand. I was sure it was a joke, because everyone says you need a stand mixer to get the meringue right. The post said you can use a regular whisk and a bowl, and it just takes about 15 minutes of arm work. I tried it out of pure curiosity, and my feet came out just as good as my usual KitchenAid batch. The key was using room temperature egg whites and a copper bowl, which the blog said helps stabilize the foam. It made me realize a lot of 'must have' gear is more about convenience than necessity. Has anyone else had a win with a method that goes against the usual baking advice?

Tried a new sourdough starter recipe from a book and it worked way better than my old one from a blog.

My neighbor's comment about my sourdough starter finally made me feel like I got it right