"Raj V" wrote:

From the several bread books I've read, I don't get the sense making bread
is an exact science. "Hold out a cup of flour in case" . . . . "Add more
water if . . . " Measuring to a gram or single digit percentage point seems
superfluous with those instructions, so I agree any "law of baking" is
probably going too far, though some do try. My mom made bread all her life
and never measured anything or went by a recipe that I know of and the bread
was invariably wonderful, much better than anything bought in the store or
bakery. My credo is try my best, enjoy doing it, and learn from each
experience. If I throw in something like flax meal or steel cut oatmeal when
it isn't called for in the recipe, the results are at least interesting, and
usually edible. I am having fun.

Your mother may not have used a recipe, but she probably learned from
her mother how to do it. "Take a couple of the scoops of flour, this
much yeast, some salt." She was shown how much of each thing to use
and how the dough looked and felt at each stage.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)