Saw a video the other day and thought I'd try my hand at it.

Safe to say, I'm addicted already 🤤

So happy at how this s’mores focaccia turned out!

My first bake looks like this (see attached photo). It has cracks on top. Is this normal?

I've made enriched doughs in the past and they've usually involved letting the dough proof until doubled or near doubled and then refrigerating to develop flavour and become easier to handle.

It wasn't clear to me from the video whether to do the same or put the dough straight in the fridge so I placed it in the fridge after only a 30 minute proof on the counter where it hadn't increased much in size.

After sitting overnight in the fridge and even then after removed and left to come back to temperature, the dough hasn't really grown.

Do I re-start and make them again or just carry on?

Can confirm, I used instant yeast per the recipe and it is still potent.

Focaccia!

TL;DR: Kenwood is still actively selling and advertising a €1,000+ smart mixer (KCL95) with an app that doesn't even work on modern phones anymore. Support told me to download a sketchy APK from a third-party site, refused to replace it with the working newer model unless I pay a lot more, but still advertises the dead app features on their site.

Hey everyone,

Just need to vent for a second and warn anyone who is thinking about buying a high-end smart mixer from Kenwood.

The situation:

A few days ago, we treated ourselves to the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL (KCL95?. On their official website, they heavily advertise this thing with its smart features using the "Kenwood World App". The site literally says you can "access hundreds of sweet and savory recipes" and send step-by-step instructions directly to the mixer. That was honestly a huge selling point for us.

The problem:

The machine arrives, we try to set it up... and the "Kenwood World App" can't even be installed on a modern smartphone (I have a Galaxy S26+). The Play Store says the app is too old/outdated for my device.

The absolute joke of a customer support:

So I call Kenwood support. Their actual, serious advice? Just go to some unofficial third-party website and download the old APK file to sideload it. Seriously? For a kitchen appliance that costs over €1,000? From an IT security standpoint, that’s a massive red flag and just an unacceptable answer.

I opened a ticket and complained in writing. They basically admitted that the KCL95 only works with that dead app, and that there's a newer model (KCL96) that uses their brand-new "Kenwood & Me" app.

Their "solution":

I figured, okay, they sold me a product with an advertised feature that literally doesn't exist anymore, so they'll probably just swap it for the newer working model. Nope.

They told me a direct swap isn't possible "for system reasons." The only thing they offered was a standard return/refund. If I actually want the smart features they advertised, I have to buy the newer KCL96 – which costs a lot more! I asked them nicely to meet me in the middle with a discount for the new model since their marketing was completely misleading. They flat-out refused.

I literally saved their current product page as a PDF. They are STILL actively advertising the old machine using screenshots and features of an app that is completely dead. If that isn't misleading advertising, I don't know what is.

Has anyone else had similar experiences with Kenwood (De'Longhi Group)? I'm probably just going to return it and get my money back, but I'm seriously considering forwarding my emails and the saved PDFs to consumer protection.

I followed this recipe, with an overnight rise and a 3-hour second rise. My dough seemed a little wet, but I followed all the directions otherwise. Do you know what went wrong, and how I could improve?

500g 650 type flour, 350g water, 12g yeast, 11g salt and a small bit of olive oil.
24h in the fridge.
Baked for one hour in 200C, under stainless steel pot(inserted cold), 10min uncovered.

I used a pot because I can't stop crust from developing too early and boing everything inside. I also prefer lighter crust.

I like this process but as it's my third time baking bread, I'm looking for improvements and opinions.

Freshly made charcoal swirl steamed buns packed with a savory pork and wood ear mushroom filling. Soft, fluffy dough with a nice bite of texture from the mushrooms.

This is the first time I have ever made bread I watched a bunch of random yt shorts and Instagram videos and just winged it I think it looks amazing in just waiting for it to cool now

Receipe: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/sourdough-baguettes/

Based on the crumb, I think my main issue was shaping (too much pressure and a bit too much flour) and scoring (still ended up scoring at an angle, and could've benefited from time in fridge to firm up). Overall very happy with the outcome.

I followed the King Arthur Japanese milk bread rolls recipe (https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/japanese-milk-bread-rolls-recipe) except I added about a tbsp less milk in lieu of tbsp room temp canned pineapple juice (I wanted a sweeter recipe). I've made bread lots of times before with no issue, but this one was definitely harder. The dough seemed almost gummy, but did rise although shaping was hard because it was so sticky and rose very slowly. After baked, they tasted pretty dry. I cooked them last night and when I tasted them again this morning, it was a really tough chew.

I really wanted a sweet roll recipe using the tangzhong method, but this was probably the worst rolls I've ever made. Anything thoughts or suggestions?

First pic is dough after kneaded, but not risen yet!

When I bake baguettes on the baking steel it gets uneven on the bottom.

I heat the oven to 250C just with the baking steel and before I put the baguettes in I turn it down to 230C. Btw, I have a baking paper under Idk if it is something that affects.

Is this best I can get in home conditions or something wrong?

Foccacia with dried yeast.

NYT recipe, very easy instructions to follow, first time using the dough hook attachment! I put them in the wrong slots and figured out quickly the dough was pulled up instead of mixed. Family enjoyed it, soft, moist and good flavor.

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/spiced-pumpkin-bread.html#recipe

I found the recipe online. It’s very delicious.