15
I was dead set against using a scale for baking bread, now I feel like an idiot
For like two years I was measuring everything by volume like my grandma taught me, thought scales were just for fancy people lol. Then I tried a recipe that gave weights and my first loaf came out perfect while my usual ones were hit or miss. That was back in March and now I weigh everything down to the salt. Anyone else hold out on using a scale for way too long?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
danielb4322d ago
The salt thing is real, I used to just guess and my bread was either bland or way too salty. Weighing it out at 2% of the flour weight changed everything, now it's consistent every time. Also switched to weighing my water instead of using a measuring cup, way less mess. Your scale will pay for itself in wasted flour alone after a few months.
4
olivia_bailey22d ago
How long did it take you to get the 2% thing down? I tried it once and my bread came out edible but not great, so I'm wondering if I miscalculated something or just need to adjust the water ratio. Also do you find that different types of salt need different amounts or do you stick with the same weight regardless? I've been using kosher salt and it seems fluffier than table salt, so I'm not sure if that matters. I'd rather not mess up another batch just to test it.
8
bennett.patricia22d ago
Actually, one thing I gotta gently push back on with the 2% thing. It's not always 2% of total flour weight if you're using a preferment or adding stuff like seeds or dried fruit that also bring their own salt. I made that mistake last month when I tried a recipe with a poolish and threw in some olives, ended up with bread that was almost inedible because the olives had enough salt to push it way over. For a straight dough with just flour, water, yeast, it's dead on though. But if you're adding salty ingredients, you gotta cut the salt in the dough to maybe 1.5% or even less depending on what you're mixing in. What kind of batch did you try it on that didn't work out?
1