PSA: That 5am bread bake almost burned down my kitchen last Tuesday

I set my timer for 4:45am to get two sourdough loaves in before a 7am mulch delivery. Everything was fine until I stepped out to grab a hose and left the oven light on as a marker. Came back 10 minutes later to a smoke haze and a kitchen towel that had slipped onto the burner, and it was already singed black. The loaves were ruined, but worse, the smoke alarm went off and my neighbor called the fire department thinking it was a real fire. That $65 false dispatch fee stung way more than the lost flour. Anyone else had a close call with early morning bakes and a distracted minute? What's your rule for keeping the kitchen safe when you're running on no sleep?

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the_robin2mo ago

Man, I gotta say I used to think the whole "don't bake tired" thing was overblown. I'd set my coffee maker, load the oven, and figure a little sleep deprivation just meant I'd be extra careful. Then last month I did the same thing, left a potholder dangling near the element while I went to wake my kid up. Came back to that burnt plastic smell and my heart just dropped. Now my rule is dead simple, I don't touch the oven before I've had at least one full cup of coffee and I keep a metal bowl on the counter to toss any towel or mitt into before I walk away. That smoke alarm fee is a real kick in the wallet, but honestly it's the fear that sticks with you.

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