🍞 Soft sandwich bread, focaccia, and how to top your dough!


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πŸ‘‹πŸΌ Summer?

Okay. I know, technically, summer is still here for a bit longer, but I'm already looking forward to Fall.

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Though, if you're lucky enough to still have those big, juicy tomatoes in the garden (or at the market), grab a few and buckle up. I will present you with the perfect bread for making end-of-summer BLTs.

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Don't like bacon, lettuce, or tomatoes? No worries, this bread serves any sandwich concoctions you might want to makeβ€”and when I bake an excellent loaf, I use it everywhere: Sandwiches, of course, but also to accompany a salad, to make tartines, as a vehicle for egg salad, and finally, if by some chance it starts to go stale... Croutons.

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As my summer fervor dies down, I'm looking forward to the cool temps of Fall (which I think is the best season here in Albuquerque). For me, it'll mean more time indoors baking, and I have some great recipes coming soon to share with you all.

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On to one of my favorite loaves of all time...

🍞 Pain de Mie

This may be the perfect bread for school lunchesβ€”and I've been making two loaves weekly for the past month.

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What makes this bread so perfect is its texture: Slices are soft, yes, yet they're sturdy. A jack-of-all-trades loaf'll take you from PB&J to French toast. And thick slices of this Pain de Mie toast fantastically for that outlandish heirloom tomato BLT, too.

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🍞 Focaccia Pugliese

I typically make this showstopper focaccia with canned tomatoes, but this is an amazing dough to top with fresh tomatoes still rolling off the garden vine. The potatoes added to the dough make for a fluffy and soft focaccia that'll haunt you for weeks after making it.

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Choose your biggest, super-juiciest tomatoes and peel them (optional), then crush them with your hands and mix them with olive oil and dried oregano.

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Or, skip the tomatoes altogether and top the dough with rosemary, olive oil, and some coarse sea salt!

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πŸ’‘ How To Top Bread Dough

Even though it's still warm here, summer is beginning to show signs of releasing its grip. As the cooler weather approaches, I feel compelled to top my bread dough:

  • seeds
  • nuts
  • cereals
  • coarse wheat bran

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In this guide, I go over my favorite toppings, from pumpkin seeds to flax to oats, and also show you exactly how to get them to stick to the doughβ€”and stay put.

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(Be sure to watch the video at the end.)


πŸ’¬ Member Discussion of the Week

Q: "...the one thing that still seems to be an issue is my dough seems to ferment very quickly even when I try to slow down the process. The gases produce quickly and I find I am reducing the proofing time down to 4 or 6 hours because the dough just wants to give up. So it's bulk fermented 4.5 hours and proofed in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours, then lamed and baked. The lame blade always seems to drag and snag my dough. My refrigerator is not very cold which may be part of the problem."

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A: If you want to slow your dough down, try reducing the amount of levain/starter you add to the dough. For instance, even dropping it down 2% to total flour (so, say, 18% instead of 20%), you'll find it'll slow the entire fermentation timeline down considerably. This should help!

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πŸ“™ What I'm Reading and Watching

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Until next week, happy baking.

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Maurizio Leo

​TPL Members manage your account here.

Thank you for subscribing 🩢. Sent from Maurizio at The Perfect Loaf, 8100 Wyoming Blvd NE Ste M4, #343, Albuquerque, NM 87113.
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