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🍞🍕 Pizza night, plus pumpkin scones

Published about 18 hours ago • 3 min read

Pizza night, plus pumpkin scones

It’s book launch week around here, and tomorrow (Saturday) is the last day to get the bonus pack with The Perfect Pizza. More on that just below.

But launch week still needs breakfast, right? Have a lingering can of puree? (I’ve made these with pumpkin, sweet potato (!), and even butternut squash.)

Put it to good use this weekend in these whole-grain scones. They’re tall, flaky, rich, and just a little sweet. I think they might be my favorite scone.

In this week's newsletter:

  • Recipes: Pumpkin scones, cocoa galette crust
  • Baking Tip: What's the difference between a low-seed and high-seed starter or levain?
  • Links: Italian chestnut bread; Neapolitan pizza shaping technique

🍕 Perfect Pizza: bonus pack ends tomorrow!

The Perfect Pizza came out Tuesday. I've already heard from a few people who have made the same-day pizza in their home oven to great success!

If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, here’s a reason to do it before the weekend: the bonus pack goes away after tomorrow (Saturday). That’s the scaling spreadsheets for every dough in the book, four exclusive recipes, and the behind the scenes pizza video with me in my kitchen.

Also, and it's very important, the first week matters more than any other for a new book.

It’s what tells bookstores how many copies to keep on the shelf. So if the book is on your list (for you, or for the pizza maker in your life), this is the week it helps the most.

Every recipe is naturally leavened and built for whatever oven you have, from a home oven to outdoor gas to wood-fired.

Already have your copy? Thank you! A short review wherever you bought it really helps keep the momentum going for my book. I'd really appreciate it ❤️

🍞 Sourdough pumpkin scones

I finally cracked the code to getting tall, neat, and orderly scones here in my kitchen (even more challenging at my high altitude!). Be sure to check out the development notes for tips.

If you don't have raisins, feel free to swap them out for currants, dried cranberries, or other dried (and even candied!) fruit.

🍞 Cocoa Galette Crust

If you haven't tried this cocoa galette crust yet, now's the time to make two and freeze one for the holiday.

💬 Member Discussion of the Week

Your recipes generally call for building the levain with a 1:2:2 inoculation (sometimes, 1:1:1?), whereas Chad Robertson's basic recipe calls for one tablespoon of starter and 200 grams each of water and flour. (I think he also recommends 1:10:10.) So far as I can tell, the only difference between a low and a high inoculation (seed) is how long it takes for the levain to peak. Once the levain peaks, it doesn't matter how long it took to get there; the bread will turn out the same. But does it affect the process or the finished product?

The main difference in levain seeding is that it needs to be adjusted to the schedule. However, there are some implications for flavor. The longer something ferments, the more time bacteria have to ramp up, leading to greater bacterial activity and sourness. When I want something to be as flavorful as possible, I go for the longer-running levain. But these days, I most often like a 5-hour levain; it's very convenient.

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The Perfect Loaf 🍞

Maurizio Leo

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