A baker's tip about salt ratios nearly cost me a cake order

A guy at the mill told me to toss in salt by feel instead of weighing it, said professional bakers do it that way. I tried it on a triple chocolate layer cake for a Saturday pickup, and the result was way too salty, almost inedible. He meant well, but eyeballing salt is not a thing for me after that, one wrong twist of the wrist and you ruin a $45 batch. I went back to the scale and now I weigh everything down to the gram, even water. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a supplier or vendor that messed up their bake?

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mason.brian24d ago

So you nailed the exact problem with that "salt by feel" advice, it sounds like the mill guy has been doing this so long he forgot what it's like for the rest of us. What I want to know is, did he actually show you how to do it, or just say "trust your hands" and walk off? Because there's a huge difference between someone who can pinch the right amount after years of burning batches and someone who just tells you to wing it. I had a vendor once tell me to "adjust hydration by eye" and that turned my sourdough into a pancake, so I feel your pain on trusting the scale over the vibe. Do you think he's ever messed up a big order himself doing that, or is he just lucky?

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