Old timer at the Columbus bakery showed me how to fix a split batch

Back in 2016 I was working at a small shop in Columbus and had a batch of sourdough that just wouldnt come together. This guy Frank, must have been 70, walked by and said "your starter is too cold, warm it up slow like a baby." He had me put the bowl on a warm oven top for 10 minutes and the dough came right back to life. Has anyone else learned a trick from a veteran baker that you still use today?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.jesse7d ago

You ever had someone just know exactly what's wrong by looking? My buddy Mike runs a little pizza spot and he had this old Italian guy named Gino come in to help him open. One time Mike's dough was all tough and sticky, not coming together right. Gino walked over, dipped his finger in the water jug on the counter, tasted it, and said "too much chlorine, let it sit open for an hour." Sure enough the water was from a new filter that was messing it up. Mike still lets his water sit out overnight before he mixes anything.

elizabethf857d ago

Love stories like that! Real experience beats fancy tools every time.