Had an old baker tell me my sourdough was 'too precious' and it stung at first

I used to baby my dough like it was a newborn. Gentle folding, perfect proofing times, all that. Then this guy in his 70s who's been baking since the 60s watched me one morning and just said 'you're overthinking it. Punch it down sometimes. Let it get ugly.' I tried it on my next batch. Less careful stretching, more aggressive shaping, even threw one loaf on a slightly cooler stone by accident. And honestly the crumb had more character and the crust came out better. I still catch myself hovering over dough but I try to remember his point about not being so precious with it. Has anyone else gotten feedback that made you totally switch up your technique?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopherwilson23d ago

That old baker ever explain why he thinks being too careful backfires? Was it a texture thing or something else?

the_stella23d agoProlific Poster

You're really digging into this little baker thing, huh? Honestly, I'm not sure it's that deep. Maybe he just had a bad batch one day and decided to make a whole philosophy out of it. I've met plenty of older folks who turn one small mistake into a life lesson that doesn't really apply to everyone. At the end of the day, it's just bread. You get it a little wrong, you try again, and nobody's crying over a tough loaf.