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The bakes

What actually came out of the oven.

Every post is a pair: the recipe that promised something, and the loaf that showed up. Sorted newest first.

From the community

Posted by bakers, newest first

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The crumb finally opened up — the loaf that came out
Success

The crumb finally opened up

Third go at this one. The first two came out dense enough to prop a door open. This time I left it on the counter a good two hours longer than the re…

Maren O. ·
Pale, soft, and gone by lunch — the loaf that came out
Learning Experience

Pale, soft, and gone by lunch

The photo on the recipe had a glossy dark top. Mine came out pale and soft, which I think means my oven runs cool. Nobody at this table cared. Postin…

Nora B. ·
Rosemary flatbread, dimpled hard — the loaf that came out
Success

Rosemary flatbread, dimpled hard

Pressed the dimples in much deeper than felt sensible, which is apparently the trick, and finished it with far more flaky salt than the recipe wanted…

Ruben A. ·
Tall dome, holes all the way across — the loaf that came out
Success

Tall dome, holes all the way across

Shaped it a lot tighter this time and put it in the fridge overnight. It came out taller than anything I have made, and the first slice showed holes…

Dev P. ·
Tight crumb, and I am fine with it — the loaf that came out
Learning Experience

Tight crumb, and I am fine with it

Ran out of time and baked it early, so the crumb came out close and tight rather than open. It toasts beautifully and holds butter without falling ap…

Ingrid H. ·
Scored properly for once — the loaf that came out
Success

Scored properly for once

I have been sawing at these with a bread knife and wondering why they never open. Swapped to a blade held at an angle and it split exactly where I pu…

Sadie M. ·
Spread out flatter than planned — the loaf that came out
Learning Experience

Spread out flatter than planned

Wetter dough than I usually handle and it spread out on the board instead of holding its height. Golden all over and it tasted right, but next time i…

Priya N. ·
These are sample posts: real bake photographs, with stand-in baker names and notes, to show how the feed reads.

Real bakes

Photographed at home, no styling and no filter

A round sourdough loaf cut in half, held open to show a wide, airy crumb full of large holes
Story coming

Cut open, big holes

A round loaf cut in half: wide, airy crumb full of large uneven holes right through the middle.

Real bake · story coming
A scored, deeply browned sourdough boule resting in parchment paper by a window
Story coming

Boule out of the pot

Scored and deeply browned, resting in its parchment by the window.

Real bake · story coming
A pale golden loaf on parchment with one thick slice cut from it
Story coming

First slice

A pale golden loaf on parchment with one thick slice cut away, soft crust.

Real bake · story coming
A floured, blistered round loaf cooling on a wooden board
Story coming

Floured and blistered

Floured top, blistered crust, cooling on the wooden board.

Real bake · story coming
A dark-crusted loaf cut across the middle showing a tight, close crumb
Story coming

Dark crust, tighter crumb

Cut across the middle: a closer, tighter crumb than the open one.

Real bake · story coming
A golden domed loaf on parchment with one thick slice cut away, the slice showing a holey open crumb, a bread knife and a bowl of oranges behind it
Story coming

High dome, open crumb

A tall domed loaf with the first thick slice cut away, holes all the way across.

Real bake · story coming
A shaped round of raw white dough resting on a floured wooden peel in sunlight, with a metal bench scraper beside it
Story coming

Before the oven

A shaped round of dough resting on a floured peel in the sun, bench scraper alongside.

Real bake · story coming
A low, wide golden-brown oval loaf sitting on parchment on a round wooden board on a kitchen counter
Story coming

Low golden oval

A low, wide oval loaf, golden all over, cooling on parchment on the round board.

Real bake · story coming
These are real bakes, not stock photos.

How to share a bake

A good Recipe vs Reality post takes about two minutes to write and saves somebody else an afternoon.

1

The recipe side

Name or link the recipe you followed, and note anything you changed. Substitutions and "I ran out of bread flour" count.

2

The reality side

One photo of the outside, one of the crumb if you cut it. Natural light, no filter. A flat loaf photographs fine.

3

Tag it honestly

Success or Learning Experience. Then say what you'd do differently, even if the answer is "no idea, help."

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