I baked a pie every day for a year • Hacker News Board

Re: I baked a pie every day for a year

#211

Post by malfist » Sat, Feb 28, 2026, 1:51 PM UTC

yumraj wrote: post #177

malfist wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sourdough is fantastic, I have two loaves finishing their overnight chill in my fridge right now, will bake them after dinner. I was baking sourdough since before the pandemic, and will continue baking in the future. It's a bit of work, but it's not too much work and the results are pretty damn fantastic. Focaccia though, if I baked that regularly I'd have to go back on a GLP-1. Focaccia taught me to read the seals o…

I love sourdough, have starters in the fridge but haven't baked in a while, should do it. Problem is, for some reason it never tastes sour enough, or like the commercial sourdough. I have done slow rise in the fridge over 24+ hours etc. Made sourdough starter from scratch several times, same result. Bread tastes good, just not sour, or rather sour enough to tell it's sourdough.

Starters are a mix of bacteria that produce either lactic acid or acetic acid. If yours is never turning out sour enough you might be: using too much commercial yeast, not using enough starter, or having a starter culture biased towards lactic acid.

The first two are easy to fix. The third one is saying you need to keep your starter culture a little bit cooler. I keep my downstairs where the starter is between 62-67 during the winter and its plenty sour. I think dryer starters might be less sour, but I'm not sure. I run mine 100% hydration.

I'm currently baking this recipe: 300g bread flour, 300g whole wheat flour, 227g starter (100%), 541g water, 18g salt, 1/8tsp of commercial yeast. All the usual baking steps, over night retard. Two loaves

Re: I baked a pie every day for a year

#212

Post by idontwantthis » Sat, Feb 28, 2026, 5:35 PM UTC

irishcoffee wrote: post #207

idontwantthis wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially true for friendship. If you want friends, all you have to do is be in the same place with the same people regularly.

I think I recognize your handle, and I’m not sure we agree on much, but because of your comment I’m seeing a friend I haven’t seen in a decade. I sincerely thank you for the nudge.

I'm glad I could help! Do you mean you recognize my handle from previous interactions on here or in another setting? I haven't used this one anywhere else.

Re: I baked a pie every day for a year

#213

Post by irishcoffee » Sun, Mar 01, 2026, 6:49 PM UTC

idontwantthis wrote: post #212

irishcoffee wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think I recognize your handle, and I’m not sure we agree on much, but because of your comment I’m seeing a friend I haven’t seen in a decade. I sincerely thank you for the nudge.

I'm glad I could help! Do you mean you recognize my handle from previous interactions on here or in another setting? I haven't used this one anywhere else.

Just here. I’m not a prolific World Wide Web traveler.

Re: I baked a pie every day for a year

#214

Post by ericyd » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 12:48 AM UTC

tgv wrote: post #209

ericyd wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It feels bizarre to claim that playing guitar for 30 minutes a day has no influence on your life. Surely it brings you joy or satisfaction or keeps your skills up if you're a professional. Why do you do it if there's no influence? Couldn't you use that time for something else?

For fun. But I don't see how it influences/changes my life.

You think having fun has no influence on your life? You think sitting bored in a chair would give you an equivalent life experience?

Re: I baked a pie every day for a year

#215

Post by jonah » Mon, Mar 09, 2026, 7:16 PM UTC

tgv wrote: post #187

jonah wrote: post #123

Pie - specifically pie crust - is my specialty. I'm in a constant quest for the best (and simplest) method. It's also a very tasty hobby.

I occasionally make a pie, and while I had problems getting the dough workable (too tough/crumbly, or too wet/sticky), the taste and texture so far turned out quite nice. It's just butter, castor sugar, flour, baking power and a bit of salt (and a bit of egg when the recipe demands it). However, I can't say I've got a good feeling for it. So what's your recommendation? Other ingredients? Special tricks? Do you keep l…

Just seeing your question - here are some notes:

The key is to have small (rice grain/pea size) chunks of butter evenly distributed through your dough without "working" it too much which generates gluten resulting in a "tough" crust.

My latest approach is this one: Evenly mix the salt and sugar with 2/3 of the flour and then quickly mix in the cold butter with a food processor* - just enough to distribute it through the dry ingredients. Then quickly mix in the remaining flour.

Dump that mixture into a bowl - it will crumbly and too dry for a crust. Now, carefully sprinkle cold vodka (to wet the flour without producing gluten) and cold water over the dough and FOLD it in with a spatula*. Envision the flaky layers you want in an ideal crust and understand that you are trying to mechanically create those layers with the spatula.

Then, form into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill for several hours. Then, you can take it out, dust the ball with flour and roll it into a pie pan-sized disc. Don't be afraid to use enough flour on the surface and dough ball to keep it from sticking.

https://www.seriouseats.com/cooks-illustrated-foolproof-pie-... https://www.seriouseats.com/myths-that-need-to-go-away

* Another approach, if you don't have a food processor is to freeze your butter and then grate it directly into the bowl of dry ingredients tossing the flour frequently to coat the individual bits of butter and preventing them from clumping together. Once all the butter is grated and mixed in, add the liquid and fold it in.

*If you are having issues with the dough being too dry or wet add the liquid a bit at a time while working it in and just stop when it gets to the right consistency.