The things we got wrong
This page is a log of the mistakes we made—what we got wrong before we knew it. It is the only place on this site where we do not pretend to be right.
Most sites hide their failures. We publish ours because the reader deserves to know: if you’re following a recipe or trusting a method here, you should be able to judge whether it’s worth your time. That starts with knowing when it wasn’t.
Three we had to fix
We keep this list because the first three mistakes were big enough to matter. They changed how we work, and they should change how you trust us.
The mistakes we fixed
- 1The sourdough starter that didn’t rise
The first recipe we published for a 24-hour sourdough starter claimed it would double in 12 hours. It did not. The method worked for us in a warm kitchen, but readers in cooler climates sent photos of flat, sad discs. We took it down after three weeks—longer than any other page—and replaced it with a corrected version. Arturo Rasmussen found it.
- 2The Dutch oven temperature that burned bread
Our guide to baking artisan bread in a Dutch oven said to preheat it at 500°F (260°C). That temperature scorched the bottoms of loaves before they had a chance to rise. We only caught it when a reader emailed screenshots of their charred crust. We rewrote the method with a lower, staggered heat and added a warning. Arturo Rasmussen fixed it.
- 3The mislabeled gluten-free flour blend
A reader pointed out that our ‘all-purpose gluten-free flour’ was actually a 1:1 sub for wheat flour, not a true baking blend. The recipe failed in recipes requiring structure, like pie crusts. We pulled the page, tested three commercial blends, and rewrote the guide with clear usage notes. Arturo Rasmussen verified the corrections.
What those three changed
These mistakes forced us to slow down. We now test every method twice—once in our kitchen, once in a reader’s—and we keep a ‘do not publish’ list for anything unproven. The log itself became a rule: if we can’t admit a failure, we shouldn’t have made it public.
Rules that came from mistakes
- Never publish a method that hasn’t been tested in at least two different environments (from the sourdough starter failure).
- Always include a temperature range with a warning for potential pitfalls (from the Dutch oven burn).
- Label ingredients and blends precisely—no assumptions about what a reader already knows (from the gluten-free flour mix-up).
The people behind this
Arturo Rasmussen is the founder and editor of *Bread Recipes Crust*. They’re the one who signs every correction here—not because they’re the only person who makes mistakes, but because they’re the one who notices them first.
This is the part of the job that doesn’t get talked about: the quiet panic when a reader’s photo proves you were wrong, and the relief when fixing it makes the site better.
Keeping this log is uncomfortable. It means admitting that even the things we’re proud of could be wrong, and that the only way to stay trustworthy is to keep track of when we’re not. The best part? It forces us to listen harder to readers—and the worst part?
It means we’ll never stop finding new things to correct.
There’s a small mistake Arturo still thinks about: the time they swore a loaf of bread was done when it wasn’t. The crust was golden, the knock sounded hollow, and the internal temperature read 190°F (88°C). They pulled it out, sliced it, and the center was still doughy.
No one saw it but them—and that’s the point. The kitchen is where you learn to trust your own failures before anyone else does.
If you find something we got wrong, the contact page is where to tell us. No shame, no lecture—just a chance to make it right.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. We’ll add to it whenever we find something that should have been caught earlier. If you spot a mistake—whether it’s a typo, a failed method, or a recipe that doesn’t work as written—tell us. The contact page is the place to do it.
We’d rather fix it here than pretend it never happened.
The recipes are grouped by category: Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Main Courses and Salads.