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๐ My Memorial Day baking plan!
Published 6 days agoย โขย 3 min read
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My Memorial Day baking plan
Hello Reader,
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This Memorial Day weekend usually marks that magical moment when we finally crawl out of hibernation and fire up the grill, and if you're anything like me, you're probably scrambling to get your garden situation sorted out too.
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My gardening revolves around not simply what I want to eat in the kitchen, but what will go well with all the bread I plan to bake this summer and early fall.
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I am a baker, after all ๐
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In this week's newsletter, I have a collection of my fav things to make for the holiday weekend outside. Plus, a few things I think will make anyone's weekend, whether you're grilling or not.
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Read on!
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In this week's newsletter:
Recipe: Milk bread buns, potato buns, hot dog buns, clafoutis, brownies.
Baking Tip: Why is my challah dough sticky?
๐ Fluffy milk bread hamburger buns
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I'm mixing up this dough tomorrow, and it's strange to look forward to a holiday weekend just for the buns, but these are that good and that's exactly how it is for me!
I sent these out in last week's newsletter, but they're definitely appropriate again this week, given the Memorial Day holiday (or if you're like me and crave burgers on the weekends anyway).
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Be sure to watch me make them in the video in the recipe post!
These are quite possibly the best hot dog buns you'll ever have. Yes, it's pretty hardcore to make your own hot dog buns, but you're reading this email, so I count you among the most hardcore of bakers ๐
With just a handful of ingredients, one bowl, and a baking dish, clafoutis is the lazy baker's dream - a rustic French dessert that's been around for over a century.
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Since the batter is mostly flour and liquid, it's perfect for using up your sourdough starter discard. You can toss in whatever seasonal fruit you've got and call it dessert or a fancy weekend breakfast.
Super-easy brownies should be a weekly staple, and I venture to say this recipe might join your cadre of go-to creations. I love making them for holiday gatherings because they're a little something on the side but with a big impact.
Learning to make pasta by hand on my 2024 Italy trip.
Only a few spots remain for my trip to Italy this September! Come along to make pasta, bread, mill flour, and sample some of the best food in northern Italy.
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I'm super excited about this trip because half of my family is from Bologna, and as kids, we'd go to the Bologna area to explore the city and the countryside up in the hills.
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We're going to have fun exploring:
Italian flour mills and chestnut foraging
Making tagliatelle, tortellini, and tortelloni by hand (at one of the best schools in Italy)
Tour ancient balsamic vinegar producers
Visit one of the best bakeries in Italy to have a baking workshop and taste fantastic bread
If 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.
I had trouble with your sourdough challah; it didn't rise much in the oven, and the dough was sticky. What gives?
Mixing is super important with this sourdough challah. You want to mix the dough until it passes the windowpane test, like I show in the video. If you under-mix the dough, it won't be as easy to handle, resulting in a sticky dough with less volume. I would also say to hold back a little of the liquid in the recipe (not the tangzhong, the main dough) if you find the dough just too sticky. It might be that your flour isn't quite able to take as much.
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But it's very important that the dough proofs fully. You want to feel dough that's incredibly light and airy when you poke it; it should not feel dense at all. Give it a few pokes around the challah, and if it's tight, give it another 30 minutes to proof and check again.
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Maurizio Leo
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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