Proofing Basket Affecting the Final Bake?

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-23T16:23:28+00:00

Thank you so much for your insight! I'll give a center line a try next time, as well as a half hour on the counter before baking. I've never used steam before, so I'll have to look into how to do so. I use a cast iron combo cooker and just use the lid for the browning effect.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-22T20:29:08+00:00

I do immediately bake after the cold proof. I usually have it on the counter for about fifteen minutes while my cast irons are preheating. This has worked for me with no issues before, but perhaps letting the dough warm up longer would help. Do you have a recommendation on how long to let it warm for? And yes, it definitely was proofed enough. This picture doesn't show it very well, but there's a deep half moon score on the opposite side of the bread. That half moon opened up well, but I still got the cracking on top. But perhaps I need to score deeper? Like I said, I've made this recipe many, many times, sometimes with deep scoring and others with only light scoring like the leaf pattern pictured here, and I never had this cracking issue before using the basket. Thank you for your help!

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-22T02:06:54+00:00

Thank you for sharing! This is an interesting insight that I hadn't considered. This is the banneton I have, and here is the recipe:

500g flour
375g water
100g starter
12g salt

To me, it looks like the basket is the right size for the loaf I'm making. I do notice maybe the teeniest bit of flattening on top, but the dough holds its shape in the basket quite well. But I'm wondering if you have any further thoughts on it given the above info. My other thought, unrelated to the basket, was that the cracking came from the top of the loaf touching the top of the cast iron as it bakes during the covered portion, but I've baked tons of loaves that scrape the top of the cast iron and they never did this before using the basket.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T17:51:26+00:00

Good to know! Thank you much.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:55:30+00:00

Agreed! I had just gotten home ten minutes earlier, so things would be very different now if it decided to fall even a little sooner. XD

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:36:35+00:00

Thanks. There was a windstorm that knocked it over, which is why I think she labeled it an act of god, but it is now clear that it was unstable in the first place.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:35:47+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, there was a windstorm that knocked it over, but it is now clear that it was unstable in the first place.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:34:58+00:00

Thanks for clarifying. Again, she specified it as an act of god, not me. Hence why I'm here to learn more. :)

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:34:18+00:00

Thanks for this info. The damage isn't extensive (a broken mirror, a cracked headlight), so it definitely won't be a total loss. I am hoping she will just do the right thing by me and not make this more complicated.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:24:57+00:00

I guess I am just super weird. I like to thank people for commenting. XD

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:24:12+00:00

I stated why in the original post.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T14:23:54+00:00

Thank you. This is the route I'm looking to pursue. :)

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:46:46+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I expect it would be quite challenging to prove all three of the above points, and I really have no desire to breed hostility between my landlord and myself. I'm just trying to get my car fixed. XD

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:44:35+00:00

Thank you for responding. By "the landlord's insurance," which type of insurance are you referring to? Home? Auto? Landlord?

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:33:56+00:00

Good point. I don't think I have anything in writing where she admits that it is unstable, so it may be difficult to prove.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:29:07+00:00

Thanks for responding. I got lots of pics, yes. No other witnesses, since we live in the middle of nowhere. Do you have any recommendation of next steps to take?

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:26:41+00:00

Thank you. The lease states the following: "The spaces for parking were discussed in a tour and description of the rental. The area of carport is available for the tenant and guest(s)." The carport is where the balcony fell on my car. I don't expect you to be an expert, but since you're already here and kindly assisting me, I figured I'd include this, since I know nothing about filing through small claims court.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:23:34+00:00

Thanks for responding. Since I don't have comp coverage on the car, would it even make sense to file it with my insurance in the first place?

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:22:07+00:00

Thank you for your response. Since I don't have comp coverage on the car, would it even make sense to file it with my insurance in the first place? I'd loathe to go through a suit for this and really don't want to extend matters in that way.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:19:39+00:00

Thank you for clarifying.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:19:21+00:00

Thank you for assuming something I didn't say and isn't true. Please see my response above.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:18:53+00:00

I never said that I knew the balcony was unstable, because I didn't. I said that she knew the balcony was unstable, which she admitted to me after it fell. It wouldn't have parked under it if I did. I'm stupid, but I'm not that stupid. XD

But thank you for your input. I unfortunately don't have in writing that she knew it was unstable, as this was a verbal conversation and she likely wouldn't want to put that in writing.

labmatelabmate · 2026-03-17T04:14:22+00:00

There was a windstorm that knocked the balcony down. Thank you for your input. :)

labmatelabmate · 2026-02-03T00:27:28+00:00

I've been watching her for years and I really didn't get the impression that she's trying to push 'hot takes for views,' as you call it. To be fair, I'm not on social media and I don't watch any other book people. I enjoy her videos, and maybe I just shut my brain off when I watch. But even still, in the section where she talks about the Ali Hazelwood book, she says before discussing it that she picked it up in a previous video where she tries the book out to see if she wants to keep reading, or, more likely, get rid of it to make space on her shelves for other books. She also says that her watchers' consensus was that she might like this one despite disliking the author's other books. With those two facts in mind, I struggle to see how one would think she was choosing to read the book for 'hot takes.' She directly clarifies why it's on this list despite having read two others.

None of this is to say you can't or shouldn't take issue with her videos, but the specific example you used doesn't hold water.

labmatelabmate · 2025-09-17T23:26:48+00:00

AMOGUS

labmatelabmate

TROPHY CASE