So I added the whole packet of instant yeast when the recipe called for less than half and now they have this horrible yeasty almost bitter after taste :(
So I added the whole packet of instant yeast when the recipe called for less than half and now they have this horrible yeasty almost bitter after taste :(
Being as consistent as you can will only help, though. As the saying goes: cooking is art, baking is science.
I don’t disagree - however I don’t think that’s the best line to take when someone is trying something new.
In your home it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to control all the variables - temperature is fairly easy, but depending on where you live humidity can be surprisingly problematic - so at the start I think it’s better to just do it, see what happens, tweak some stuff, try it again, see what happens, and learn from that.
It’s not an attempt at being a hardass or purist or anything, it’s just simpler and easier to be accurate. If you’ve made a bunch of stuff, you know how things work and when/how you can “cheat”. If it’s your first time making something, it’s safer to assume everything in a recipe is that way for a reason, and in baking slight differences are more likely to throw off the whole thing.
I’m not saying you need to be obsessively precise, just don’t randomly change a bunch of stuff. The point is you can fudge a lot of things in cooking - if you skip some spices it’s unlikely to completely ruin the dish. Baking has to do with more finicky chemical reactions and so you’d at least know exactly what and how to tamper with, or you might end up with something completely different. (Of course, any recipes will vary in how forgiving they are)
As I said, I don’t disagree with the need for precision and repeatability - and respectfully, and without wanting to directly appeal to authority, I’ve been home baking for over 15 years and professionally for about half of that - but just repeating the same recipe every time is not going to teach you what the changes you make cause precisely because you will always be dealing with the inconsistencies which occurs within your kitchen.
My standard loaf recipe - because I live neat the coast at approx 55deg North - varies greatly across the year depending on time of year. In the summer everything is quicker - especially if sourdough or misc yeasts - even if all quantifies are literally identical. This is because of different temperatures during autolyse of, or quantities of lime/impurities, etc in, the water. This can lead to a good 5cm lower rise across hours in winter compared to summer.
My point is simply, these differences are not a problem or something to be worried about. They are a fact of life because, as you say, baking is a science.
Enjoy doing it, and most of all enjoy eating it. That is all that matters.
That’s my point. You’ve done this a lot, so you know what lines you can cross when. OP fucked up their first ever crumpets and should probably have paid attention to the recipe. Enjoying cooking and eating is easier when you’re not fucking it up, I can say from experience.
I would hardly call what Op made a fuck up.
OK, well, OP and I disagree. Have a nice day, goodbye.