A Sourdough Baker's Valentine's There's something to be said for giving someone a gift that didn't exist until you made it, and even better when it began with just flour, water, and a jar of bubbling starter on your counter. Whether it's for someone you love or just for yourself (both equally valid), a handmade bread, a twisted knot, a tender roll, or a chewy cookie carries a weight that store-bought never will. It's unhurried. It's deliberate. And honestly, it's the kind of thing you simply...
8 days ago • 2 min read
New Dough Calculators Hey, baker! If you've ever stood at the counter doing mental math to hit a 78°F dough temperature, or scrambled to scale up or adjust levain ratios at the last minute, I built something for you. I revamped my calculators: drag sliders to adjust water temp, tweak your starter ratio, scale quantities, and see estimated fermentation times. Read on! In this week's newsletter: Tools & Guides: Starter calculator; water temp calculator; bread dough hydration guide Baking Tip:...
15 days ago • 2 min read
Hot pizza in the cold kitchen This weekend, a massive storm is heading through, and all I'm thinking about is how I can use my outdoor pizza oven one more time before it hits... If I'm honest, though, I almost prefer pizza made in the home oven at this point. With a good baking surface, you can make an incredible crust. Check out this beauty: (Don't judge my restrained use of basil, I only had a few leaves 😂) This recipe was based on my home oven sourdough pizza recipe below, with: stretched...
22 days ago • 2 min read
What is dough hydration, and how do I get it right? Hydration might be the single most impactful variable you can adjust in your baking—it affects everything from how your dough handles to your final crumb structure. In this week's guide, I break down what hydration actually means, how to calculate it, and most importantly, how to choose the right hydration for the bread you want to bake. Whether you're struggling with sticky doughs or wondering why your crumb is tighter than you'd like, this...
29 days ago • 2 min read
Celebrating a New Bread-Year Hey, everyone! Maurizio here from The Perfect Loaf. As I've done at the close of past years, I wanted to take a quick look back at everything we baked together over the past 12 months. This isn't a "look what I did" recap—it's more of a check-in: did I hit the mark this year in helping you bake incredible stuff at home? That's always been the goal. Most days, I'm here in my kitchen testing recipes over and over until they hit just right—and this isn't a complaint....
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
The real holiday breakfast I had planned to make sourdough cardamom buns, but I pivoted—fine, I was out of cardamom and didn't feel like making a store run—so I defaulted to my trusty sourdough cinnamon rolls yet again for this holiday. Pretty sure this marks the 5th Christmas in a row. At this point, it's less a choice and more a non-negotiable family ritual. The kids would probably riot if these didn't show up on Christmas morning. Turns out sometimes the best traditions are born from...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
My Fav Holiday Bakes A reader wrote me yesterday asking for Christmas bakes at The Perfect Loaf, and I just had to put this list together—there's quite a lot, and if you're like me, you'll probably be looking for things to bake every single day (that's how I holiday, at least!). Christmas morning means sweet rolls at our house; it's a tradition. This year, though, I'm swapping cinnamon for cardamom. The same rolled concept with a different spice, enough novelty to keep things interesting, and...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Cinnamon toast slice-and-bake cookies When I was a kid, my mom would make us a really special treat: toasted bread with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. What could be better? These cookies take that goodness into a cross between a flaky, buttery dough and the best childhood treat. They're also fantastic for the holidays, you can make a few "dough logs" (as I like to call 'em), keep them in the fridge (or freezer), and slice just before baking. And since you slice and bake, you can make a lot of...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Einkorn pumpkin-raisin scones If you love a quick scone recipe as much as I do, you're going to really enjoy these pumpkin scones. When I started developing this sourdough discard recipe, I knew I wanted to work in two things: whole-grain einkorn flour pumpkin puree The result is an incredibly craggy, rustic scone, rich golden in color and with a lovely hint of sweetness from the pumpkin. These are absolutely incredible. In this week's newsletter: Recipes: Pumpkin scones, cocoa galette crust...
2 months ago • 2 min read