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π My best sourdough, commercial yeast, and butter!
My Best Sourdough, Yeast, and Butter |
For those celebrating, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! This week, a look at commercial yeast (What!? Stick with me on this one), butter, and how I make my highly hydrated open-crumb sourdough bread. What a spread. In this week's newsletter:
π Hybrid Doughs: Commercial yeast and SourdoughOne piece of feedback I received last year, when I sent out the yearly TPL survey, was for more information on sourdough used with commercial yeast. Well, here it is. In this thoughtful piece, Andrew Janjigian (welcome!) explains how a smidgen of yeast can bring volume and consistency to your bread. I'll be the first to admit I've never actually baked with commercial yeast. Not because I think it's wrong; it's just not in my baking practice. Like I always say, there are many ways to make great bread! [What you'll learn: How and why to use commercial yeast in baking.]
π‘ What Does Butter Do to Bread Dough?Ever wonder exactly what happens to dough when you add butter? Why does it make the result so tender, soft, and delicious? Rebecca Firkser explains all. In this guide, you'll learn:
[What you'll learn: The effect of fat on dough and how to use it.]
π₯ Watch Me Make 'My Best Sourdough Bread'Many years and 1,800 comments later, I've finally published my step-by-step video walkthrough of one of the most popular recipes at TPL. I won't sugarcoat it; this is a challenging recipe. But in the video, I show you exactly how to overcome many common pitfalls and ensure success. (Click here to see the full recipe writeup, too). [What you'll learn: how to mix and handle high-hydration sourdough bread.]
π¬ Member Discussion of the WeekAre doughs with inclusions typically having less rise, or was the hydration and difference strengthening method the cause of the flatter, denser bake? The bread is still delicious but chewier than I like. Yes, generally (and assuming all else equal), expect doughs with lots of inclusions to rise less. I see these "mix-ins" as stressful for dough and, subsequently, hamper its rise in some way. It's a compromise! ππΌ Join A Fantastic Group of BakersIf you enjoyed this week's newsletter, you'll love our community of sourdough bakers. The annual membership gets you access to our private chat and forum, recipe archives, recorded and live sessions, and all my baking spreadsheets & tools.
π 2 Ways I Can Help You This Week
I have a few exciting articles and recipes (including one with freshly milled flour) coming soon. Stay tuned until next week! Maurizio Leo P.S. Have you seen my Bread Baker's Handbook? Over 100 pages with info on every step of the process, plus a slew of exclusive recipes. |
The Perfect Loaf π
Want to make bakery-quality sourdough bread from home? Subscribe for the best sourdough guides and recipes to take your bread from ordinary to incredible.
A dough temperature wake-up call Was it seriously 90F in my kitchen the other day? Yes, yes, it was. And I really hope it was an outlier of a day. But that first truly warm day of Spring is always a wake-up call for me to stop warming the mixing water and start cooling it instead. In fact, I divided my latest batch of bread dough a little earlier (2hr 50m), and it had a much better structure, making for easy-peasy dividing and shaping. (If you're curious, this is my Rusticoβpg 195βfrom my...
Soft Rolls, Pizza, & More Thanks, everyone, for your enthusiasm and support for my announcement last week! Now you know why I've been working so hard on pizza the past couple of years π If you're into sourdough pizza (which you definitely should be), you'll love my new book coming out later this year. BUT, let's talk about rolls, a hearty bread, banana bread, baguettes, and a few other things. Read on for some weekend baking inspo! In this week's newsletter: Recipes: Soft rolls, buckwheat...
I wrote a pizza book I've been working on something for a long time, and I'm ready to share it with you. My second book, The Perfect Pizza: The Craft and Science of Homemade Pizza, Focaccia, Flatbreads, and More, is available for pre-order. This book picks up where The Perfect Loaf left off. Every recipe is naturally leavened with a sourdough starter, no commercial yeast. I wrote it for home ovens first (though I cover other setups too), with recipes that range from a go-to weeknight pizza...