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π My July 4th baking list is here
Published 3 months agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
My July 4th baking list is here
Kids' fireworks: check. Plans to watch as many World Cup games as possible: check. Baking agenda: check.
For me the holiday comes down to two bakes. A focaccia, dimpled and swimming in good olive oil (see below), and a fruit galette for the group, whatever stone fruit looks best at the market (my peaches not quite ready yet!). Both are the kind of thing I can start today, finish tomorrow, and then set down and forget about while the oven does the work.
Which is kind of the whole point. Prep it ahead, and the 4th itself is just fireworks, a comfy chair, and however many soccer games I can get away with before someone notices I've stopped baking and cooking.
Read on for some holiday weekend inspiration!
In this week's newsletter:
Recipes: Focaccia, strawberry shortcake, hot dog buns, cherry clafoutis, stonefruit galette, pizza al taglio, bagels
Guide: How to bake in the summer
Baking Tip: My starter seems... dead?
Links: Baguettes are dead in France. (And what I think about it)
π A Simple Focaccia
β
A favorite of mine year-round, and it's the perfect format for a gathering this holiday weekend. Top it with whatever you have on hand: herbs, crushed tomatoes, caramelized onions, even cheese.
Pretty much the perfect outlet for those ripe strawberries hiding in your garden (or, do as I've done, and buy them by the crate to make this on repeat).
This is decidedly different than the focaccia recipe above: thinner, crispier, airier. Really great way to serve pizza at a gathering, because there's no pizza-launch stressβyou just bake the sheet pan in the oven.
I've been battling this here over the past few weeks as temperatures climb: an overripe starter, loose dough, and a lackluster rise in the oven. Learn how to dial in all the steps to make sure you keep that fermentation in check.
Join for my best baking tools and spreadsheets, a huge recipe archive (with modifiable recipes), real-time chat with me & other bakers in the community, and all ads removed from the website.
Do you have any suggestions for my starter? It was going great, but recently, I've been unable to get it to double or perform any other function. I ratio it out in a new container, and nothing happens. Iβm so confused. It goes above the fridge at a temperature of 75-80Β°F.
Try feeding it with a little whole-grain rye flour for a few days. Those temps are good and promote vigorous fermentation. It might also just be the flour you're using; sometimes, when you get a new batch, it won't rise as highβand that's okay. I don't usually judge strength/readiness by rise height!
βThe baguette faces an uncertain future. How France is rethinking its iconic loaves (CNN). Very related to my newsletter last week outlining my trip to France, it's interesting to see the 'decline' of baguettes in France. I found there were two types of bags there, and the baguette ordinaire (your everyday bread) is expected to run under a euro, with any baker pushing past that likely treated like they're personally insulting the community. That's where it gets ugly: if you can't raise the price, the only levers left are flour and processβIMO, neither you want to compromise on. But what can they do? Unfortunately, a race to the bottom. On the other hand, the baguette de tradition allows them to break the price barrier and keep the process honestβI also found these had a darker crust, more my style. So my feeling is, maybe the cheap bag is dying, but the good one is probably doing just fine.
Until next week, happy holiday and happy baking!
Maurizio Leo
P.S. Looks like Amazon already has my sourdough pizza book on sale! (And you get the sale price, whatever it ends up being, even if you preorder it.)
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.
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