Cold yeast
Almost every element of good bread happens long before it goes into the oven.
Too often, we spend our time and effort on the exciting last step. And too often, we forget to spend our time and attention on the preparation that’s a lot less urgent or glamorous, but far more important.
Poor preparation is a lousy excuse for a last-minute selfish frenzy. That frenzy distracts us from doing it right the next time.
If you want to understand where mastery and success come from, take a look at the inputs and the journey, not simply the outputs.