My kitchen timer disaster at a church bake sale taught me a hard lesson about proofing dough

I always let my bread rise by sight instead of time, but after I over-proofed three loaves of challah at St. Mary's fall sale last October, I finally see the value in setting a real timer. Has anyone else had a simple oversight wreck a whole batch at a public event?

2 comments

2 Comments

tylerw721mo ago

Have you tried jotting down the humidity and temp on a sticky note when you start mixing, so you can adjust next time? I had the exact same wakeup call at my church's pancake breakfast, but with cinnamon rolls. Now I use a cheap little kitchen timer that clips to my apron, and I set it for 75% of the expected time, then start checking with the poke test. That way I don't get caught off guard by a hot kitchen or dry air. Also, I write the start time right on the counter with a dry erase marker, right next to the bowl, so I can't forget. It's the only way I've kept my sanity at public events since.

olivere301mo ago

Man, I felt this one hard. Three years ago I showed up to our town's Fourth of July picnic with 18 dinner rolls that looked like deflated balloons. I had been so sure I could eyeball the proofing like I always do at home. Turns out the extra humidity from the tent and the crowd threw everything off. My grandma's recipe, the one she used for 50 years, and I ruined it because I was too stubborn to just check the clock. Now I set a timer on my phone for every single batch I take anywhere public. It's a small thing but it saved me from doing that again.