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The best July 4th holiday bakes

If I'm being honest, the real draw for me during the nation's birthday has always been a flag cake, an ice cream sundae, or even better, a red-white-and-blue berry trifle.

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I know. It's like I was destined to work with food when I got older or something.

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But this year, I thought my kids would have fun picking out some fireworks, so I snagged my youngest and we headed to the temporary white tent in the parking lot plastered with TNT 🧨 all over it.

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As we entered the tent, the sheer selection of Roman candles, sparklers, comets, fountains, and green toxic ooze (this was new this year, the lady said) made my eyes flicker.

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I noticed his eyes light up at the selection, the flashy colors, and the enticing packaging—even the ooze. So we got to browsing.

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But after a few minutes and the newness of it all wore off, he said: "Let's get this small pack and go back to eat some shortcake."

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Ahh yes, like father like son, indeed.

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So we left with our small pack of fountains, and had our second round of strawberry shortcake for the day. I mean, when a recipe is good, it's all you can think about, right?

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Read on!

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In this week's newsletter:

• Recipes: Strawberry shortcake, pizza al taglio, buns, cinnamon rolls
• Baking Help: Why isn't my starter rising high anymore?
• Sourdough Links: The importance of good butter

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🍓 New Strawberry Shortcake with Sourdough Discard Drop Biscuits

Rebecca says in her newest recipe that "no dessert drumrolls the warm weather season quite like strawberry shortcake."

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I completely agree.

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Her recipe makes all-cream biscuits—with a heft portion of starter discard—that work well with the tangy, freshly whipped cream and macerated strawberries. This dessert is perfect for your holiday cookout!

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(Or post-firework shopping spree.)

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GET SHORTCAKE RECIPE →

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🍕 Sourdough Pizza al Taglio

I fell in love with pizza al taglio—or pizza by the slice during my recent trip to Italy. It's an elegant way to serve a large crowd (the pizza cooks on a sheet pan!) and it reheats brilliantly.

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You'll enjoy the crisp texture of the dough and blank canvas for any toppings—my fav being pepperoni or prosciutto + arugula.

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GET PIZZA RECIPE →

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🍔 Milk Bread Hamburger Buns

My latest burger bun recipe is still on rotation over here, and if you haven't given it a try, I promise you you'll love these fluffy buns!

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GET HAMBURGER BUN RECIPE →

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🌀 Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

What's more American than cinnamon rolls? Yes, strawberry shortcake, perhaps, so maybe these for breakfast then shortcake for lunch. If we're going to celebrate, let's celebrate.

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GET CINN ROLL RECIPE →

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👐🏼 Join the Inner Bread Circle

Joining the TPL Membership for my best baking tools and spreadsheets, a huge recipe archive (with modifiable recipes), chatting in real-time with other bakers and me in the community, and viewing the website completely ad-free.

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COME BAKE WITH US! →

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💬 Member Discussion of the Week

Try feeding it with a little whole-grain rye flour for a few days. Those temps are good and promote high fermentation activity. It might also just be the flour you're using; sometimes, when you get a new batch, it won't rise as high—and that's okay. I don't usually judge strength/readiness by rise height!

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🛟 2 Ways I Can Help You Today

• I recently talked with a reader about how to top bread dough and what toppings work well. See my guide to adding seeds, nuts, cereals, and more to bread dough.
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• See how I feed my starter to keep it strong and healthy (even when it's hot outside).

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📙 What I'm Reading and Watching

• ​How a $10 Supermarket Splurge Can Make You A Better Baker (Thrillist). Butter, bread's favorite companion, is an important ingredient, too!

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Careful with those fireworks this year and happy baking!

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Maurizio Leo

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