my aunt's bread critique ruined me but saved my bakes
My aunt visited last month and told me my sourdough was 'dense and gummy' in front of my whole family. I was so mad at first, but she said I was cutting it too soon and should wait 3 hours after cooling. I started setting a timer and the crumb is actually way lighter now. She also said my crust was pale because my oven runs 25 degrees low, and I got a cheap oven thermometer for $8. Now I bake 400 instead of 375 and everything comes out golden. Anyone else get roasted by a relative and secretly thank them later?
My grandma did the same thing to me at thanksgiving, told me my pie crust was tough as shoe leather right at the table. Turns out I was overworking the dough and she showed me the right way to handle it. Now people actually ask me to bring dessert and I owe it all to getting embarrassed in front of 15 relatives.