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.
Share
π Introducing the Baking Shell and bread to go with it!
Published 5 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
β
Introducing the Baking Shell and bread to go with it!
Hey there, Bakerβwell, it's finally here.
β
After many months of helping my friends at Brod and Taylor design the latest tool for bread bakers, it's finally available!
This incredibly lightweight cover traps steam at the beginning of baking for optimal loaf volume and a well-colored and crispy crust.
β
Baking with heavy pots and Dutch ovens has always been a workaround for the home baker, but now, with this shell, the final step in the baking process is much easier.
β
I've written a post on the design and development of the Baking Shell and how to use it, and we even put together a video of me using it in my kitchen.
Easily one of my favorite recipes I've ever created, this bread is earthy, a little sweet, and I swear there are hints of peanut butter that come through.
β
The danger with this bread is how good it is. It'll be gone before you know it (thankfully, the recipe is for two loaves π).
Every time I put my dough into the oven, it spreads. What am I doing wrong?
β
Usually, spreading in the oven when scoring is a sign of under-strengthened or over-hydrated dough (or a combination of both, as they are related). If youβre still getting significant spreading, try adding another set or two of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation (or you can knead the dough a bit before bulk begins; check out my guide to mixing). If that doesnβt help, reduce the dough's hydration by 2-5% to increase strength.
β
Finally, itβs also possible your dough is overproofing, leading to a breakdown and excessive spread in the oven. If your dough felt strong and you shaped it tightly, try pulling back that final proof time a few hours (if youβre cold-proofing) to see if that helps. If it does, dial in that proof time until you have a strong dough when baking.
π 2 Ways I Can Help You Today
If you haven't yet used my note-taking sheet when baking, it'll help you schedule your dough, track the essential bits of the process, and improve your baking! Download my baker's notes sheet. β
Mixing dough by hand? Check out the slap and fold technique for super fast and efficient mixing.
If you have any questions about the Baking Shell, leave a comment at the post or reply back to this email.
β
As always, happy baking!
β
Maurizio Leo
P.S. A big THANK YOU to everyone who ordered my cookbook during Amazon's recent sale. Even though the sale is over, my book is still over 40% off retail if you missed it β€οΈ
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.
Back from Italy and Hearty October Bakes! I'm back home from two weeks in southern Italy and Naples! What. A. Trip. I had the pleasure of finally meeting fellow TPL readers, working with some dough in a sourdough friselle workshop, and tasting all Italy has to offer, from cheese, to bread, to taralli (little crackers), to pizza (of course). I'll have a longer post about the trip, our itinerary, how I brought back and used a 90-year-old sourdough starter (!!), and all the juicy details next...
Since I'm in Italy, let's bake Italian. I'm in southern Italy right now with a group of fine The Perfect Loaf readers who signed up to explore bakeries, pizzerias, and more with TASTE and I. (More info on this trip to Italy is here.) Since I'm in for a few weeks of Italian bread, gelato, and pizza, I thought maybe you'd like to taste a bit of Italy, too? Today's newsletter features a collection of my favorite Italian sourdough breads and pizza, which I know you'll love. Oh! And if you'd like...
Sometimes, I don't listen to myself. This week I found myself ignoring my own advice to other bakers Making bread is interesting that way. Sometimes, you fall into routines and lock certain parts of the process in place, thinking they're just how they should be and need no further adjustment. This time, it was my mixing time & dough development. I talk about it a lot in my cookbook: how many beginning bakers (and experienced bakers, as it turns out π) tend to under-mix their dough. There's a...