🍞 Babka and traveling Morocco in search of bread


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Babka and Traveling Morocco In Search of Bread

I've been making pizza (stay tuned for a new recipe next week!) wildly often over the past several weeks.

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But, much like the ill-prepared ant, I'm the frenzied fanatic at the market, grabbing tomatoes by the fistful. Winter is coming, and (flavorful) tomatoes will soon not be.

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Yes, there is pizza without tomatoes, and those are amazing, but it's my last grasp of peak summer.

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Maybe that's okay? Fall is my favorite time of the year, and what better way to say hello than with Babka?

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In this newsletter:

  • How I welcome Fall with my sourdough babka recipe
  • A look at the unique breads of Morocco
  • Reader Q & A
  • A few of my fav pizza links this week

🍞 Sourdough Babka

Get a head starter (Ugh, every time I write "start," it comes out as "starter") on all the Fall feels with this babka. The dough is tender, and even with the sugar glaze, the flavor profile isn't too sweet (thank you, natural fermentation).

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I return to this recipe every year to usher in (and this year, perhaps encourage) the cool weather.

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🌎 The Breads of Morocco

Contributing writer Eric Pallant's latest is a travelogue of his recent trip to Morocco in search of all things bread.

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Follow along as Eric takes a bread baking class, looks at the history of Morocco's grain and bread production, a few scenes from bakeries and markets, and, last but not least, several styles of bread that'll make you wish you could take a bite.


πŸ’¬ Member Discussion of the Week

Q:

I just made your sourdough baguettes and need some practice shaping and playing with the oven temperature. I notice that in most of your recipes, you preheat the oven to 450F, then after 20 minutes of baking, you turn the oven downβ€”but you don’t with baguettes. Why?

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A:

I don't turn the oven down because their baking time is much shorter, and they benefit from high heat the whole way through (faster baking β†’ thinner crust). Note that with most of my recipes, I do leave the temperature at 450F, but this is especially true for baguettes.

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πŸ“™ What I'm Reading and Watching

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Until next time, happy baking.

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Maurizio Leo

P.S. With my recent article on high-protein bread flour, I just had to make sourdough bagelsβ€”see how they turned out.

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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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