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🍞 An ode to tomatoes, pizza, and more
Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read
An ode to tomatoes, pizza, and more
I've been checking on my tomato plants just about daily, waiting for that first one to finally turn ripe.
It's been hot here, maybe a little too hot, but the plants are laden with fruit, and I can't wait any longer.
Our tomato plants a little earlier in the season.
My plan for friselle, calzone, and pizza is already set, with weeks of dough planned out and ready for baking.
I'm not sure there's any better season during the year, and it makes prepping the beds, working the soil, and keeping the dog out all worth it.
Let's look at what I have in store.
Oh!
I also wanted to mention I just put together a The Perfect Loaf Travel page that'll be kept up to date with any upcoming trips, classes, and workshops (including upcoming trips to Italy).
Let's get to those tomatoes 🍅
In this week's newsletter:
Recipes: Friselle, calzone, focaccia, tomato tart
Baking Help: What does proofing in the fridge really do?
Sourdough Links: Some stellar bakeries in France
🍞 Sourdough Friselle
Friselle at Roscioli in Rome, Italy. Look at that ring!
On my recent trip to Italy, I ran into friselle galore. They were just about in every bakery from Rome all the way down to southern Italy. It's hard to state just how fun these are to make and how delicious they are.
Now that tomato season is here (or almost here), I have this recipe ready—it's how I most enjoy eating them! (See below.)
You'll love the mix of crunchy and soft as the tomato, olive oil, and vinegar soften the bread. It's almost like an already-made bruschetta just waiting for toppings.
I was making pizza recently with my kids, and my youngest was having trouble stretching out the dough, tore a hole in the side, and then half of the dough stuck to the peel.
Ugh!
Instead of scrapping it or trying to cobble it together, we just moved all the toppings to one side, folded the dough, and made a calzone.
Crisis averted. And maybe it was even better than the pizza would have turned out to be anyway!
In my recipe above, I walk you through making dough just for calzones. While it's more work, the result is worth it—I promise.
(As a side note, you can also use the dough to make regular pizza, too!)
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Hi Maurizio, quick question: does the overnight in the fridge do much, or is it mainly for controlling what time to bake? When it’s ready for the fridge, is it ready to bake? I’m an early riser and could probably be at that phase by noonish. Thanks!
The overnight fridge proof will help bring extra flavor (sourness, complexity) to your bread and make it a little easier to score. However, it's not mandatory, and often, I like proofing the dough at room temperature and baking it the same day, too.
No, when you place the dough in the fridge, it continues to proof until it cools down—which can be several hours. If you're going to room-temperature proof your dough, usually it's around 2 to 4 hours. Use the poke test to determine when it's ready!
An Insider's Guide to the Most Mouthwatering Bakeries in Paris (NYT; Thanks, Alan!). I've read about most of these, but still, bakeries in France have such a wonderful sense of style—not to mention the bread looks fantastic. (LINK)
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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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