The things we got wrong
This isn’t a page about what we do right. It’s a log of the mistakes we made—what we got wrong, why it mattered, and how we fixed it.
The only way to prove a site is serious is to show where it failed, and that it still stands after the failure.
A correction page is only useful if it’s real. If it’s just a list of things we *could* have done wrong, it’s empty. If it’s just a list of things we *didn’t* do wrong, it’s a brag.
Here, you’ll find the things we actually messed up, the ones that cost us time, trust, or both—and how we learned from them.
Three we had to fix
These are the three biggest mistakes we made early on—ones that could have ruined the site if we hadn’t caught them. They’re listed in order of how much damage they could have done, not how embarrassing they were.
Our first mistake: a recipe that didn’t work
- 1Published a sourdough starter guide with a fatal flaw
The first version of our ‘24-Hour Sourdough Starter’ guide told readers to discard half their starter every day. It worked in theory, but in practice, it killed too many feedings for beginners. We got complaints within a week—some people had thrown out perfectly good starter because they followed it exactly. Theo Ibarra caught it when a reader messaged to say their starter ‘died’ after three days. We pulled the guide, rewrote the feeding schedule, and added a troubleshooting section. The new version stayed up for over a year before we updated it again.
- 2A bread weight conversion that was off by 20%
Our ‘Perfect Sandwich Bread’ recipe listed gram measurements for US readers, but the conversion from pounds to grams was wrong. A reader baked it and sent us a photo of a loaf that was dense and heavy—turns out, they’d used nearly twice as much flour as intended. Theo spotted the error when comparing our numbers to a trusted source. We fixed it, but not before three other recipes using the same conversion got flagged. We added a cross-checking step to every recipe now.
- 3A proofing time that ignored humidity
Our ‘No-Knead Bread’ guide said ‘let it rise for 12 hours’ without mentioning that this only works in humid kitchens. A reader in Arizona baked it and got a flat, gummy loaf. Theo tested it himself in a dry climate and realized the dough needed an extra 4 hours. We updated the recipe with a humidity note and a backup method for dry conditions. The change was simple, but it saved dozens of frustrated bakers.
What those three changed
These mistakes taught us that even small errors can have big consequences. The fixes we made weren’t just corrections—they became the foundation for how we test and publish recipes now.
Rules that came from mistakes
- Every recipe must be baked by at least two people in different climates before publishing. *(From the proofing time mistake)*
- Conversions are double-checked against three independent sources. *(From the weight error)*
- Beginner-friendly recipes include a ‘what could go wrong’ section. *(From the starter guide failure)*
The people behind this
This is Theo Ibarra, the founder and editor of *Bread Recipes Dough*. You’ve just read about the three biggest mistakes we’ve made—and that’s how you’ll always meet the people here. No polished bios, no carefully curated stories. Just the work, the failures, and the lessons.
Keeping a log like this isn’t easy. It means admitting when you’re wrong in public, even when it’s uncomfortable. It means looking back at the things you’d rather forget. But it’s the only way to earn trust—because the next time we get something wrong, you’ll know we’ll own it.
One mistake that never made it here? The time Theo burned a batch of brioche because he forgot to proof the dough long enough. The kitchen smelled like smoke for an hour, and the loaf was a brick.
He still laughs about it now—though he won’t admit how many times he’s done it since.
If you find something we got wrong, don’t just tell us. Bake it yourself, see what happens, and then tell us. The contact page is where to send your corrections—and your recipes.
There will be a next one
This list isn’t finished. We’ll add to it whenever we find another mistake—big or small. If you spot something that doesn’t add up, let us know. The contact page is where to send your feedback, your questions, and your own corrections. We’ll listen.
The recipes are grouped by category: Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Main Courses and Reviews.