Gluten Development in Sourdough: Why You Stretch and Fold (And What It’s Doing to Your Bread)

Gluten Development in Sourdough: Why You Stretch and Fold (And What It's Doing to Your Bread)

I still cringe when I think about the loaf I proudly slid onto the counter for my in-laws’ first visit. It looked like a deflated football. A sad, pale, gummy deflated football. My mother-in-law, bless her, picked it up, turned it over twice, and said, “Oh, how… rustic.” Reader, it was not rustic. It was … Read more

What Actually Happens During Autolyse? The Science Behind That 30-Minute Pre-Mix Rest

What Actually Happens During Autolyse? The Science Behind That 30-Minute Pre-Mix Rest

I want to tell you about the time I confidently skipped autolyse because I was running late for a dinner party, convinced it was one of those steps that “serious bakers overthink.” I mixed everything together at once, shoved the dough in a bowl, and spent the next four hours watching it stay stubbornly dense … Read more

Pizza Stone vs Baking Steel vs Cast Iron: What’s Actually Worth Buying for Sourdough Pizza

Pizza Stone vs Baking Steel vs Cast Iron: What's Actually Worth Buying for Sourdough Pizza

I want to tell you about the night I confidently slid a sourdough pizza into my oven, heard a loud crack, and watched my brand-new pizza stone split cleanly in half like it was auditioning for a dramatic movie scene. My husband walked in right at that moment, looked at the oven, looked at me, … Read more

Sourdough Naan: Tandoor-Inspired at Home with Nothing More Than a Cast Iron Pan

Sourdough Naan: Tandoor-Inspired at Home with Nothing More Than a Cast Iron Pan

I want to tell you about the night I accidentally set off my smoke alarm three times, convinced my husband I was “definitely burning the house down this time,” and somehow ended up with the best flatbread I have ever made in my life. If you have been searching for a sourdough naan recipe cast … Read more

Sourdough Pita: How I Finally Got the Pocket (After Baking 40 Flat Ones First)

Sourdough Pita: How I Finally Got the Pocket (After Baking 40 Flat Ones First)

I pulled open the oven door, slid out the baking stone, and stared at what can only be described as a sad, tan frisbee. No pocket. No puff. Just a flat, chewy disc that looked more like a hockey puck than anything I had ever eaten at a Middle Eastern restaurant. It was my fourteenth … Read more

Sourdough Flatbread: The 20-Minute Recipe That Saved Dinner More Times Than I Can Count

Sourdough Flatbread: The 20-Minute Recipe That Saved Dinner More Times Than I Can Count

It was 6:47 on a Tuesday evening, I had exactly nothing planned for dinner, and my sourdough starter was sitting on the counter giving me what I can only describe as a judgmental stare. Sound familiar? That chaotic moment is actually how I stumbled onto this sourdough flatbread recipe quick enough to save a weeknight … Read more

Sourdough Focaccia: The One Sheet-Pan Bread That Always Gets Me Compliments

Sourdough Focaccia: The One Sheet-Pan Bread That Always Gets Me Compliments

I want to tell you about the time I brought a “rustic artisan focaccia” to my neighbor’s dinner party and accidentally set it down directly on her brand-new linen tablecloth, leaving a perfect olive oil ring the size of a dinner plate. I stood there holding my masterpiece, watching the oil spread in slow motion, … Read more

Sourdough Neapolitan-Style Pizza: High Heat, the Right Flour, and Why Your Home Oven Can Do This

Sourdough Neapolitan-Style Pizza: High Heat, the Right Flour, and Why Your Home Oven Can Do This

I still think about the smoke. Not fondly — not yet — but I get there eventually. It was a Tuesday night, my kitchen smelled like a campfire, and I was standing in front of my open oven door fanning a dish towel at the smoke detector while my sourdough neapolitan pizza home oven experiment … Read more

Sourdough Pizza Dough: The Crispy-Base, Chewy-Crust Recipe That Ruined Takeout for Me

Sourdough Pizza Dough: The Crispy-Base, Chewy-Crust Recipe That Ruined Takeout for Me

This sourdough pizza dough recipe is the only one you’ll ever need as a home baker. Developed and refined for real home kitchens, it delivers a perfectly crispy base with bubbly, chewy crust edges that rival anything you’d find at a specialty pizzeria — no expensive pizza oven required. Your standard home oven is all … Read more

Two-Day Sourdough: The Slow Schedule for the Most Flavorful Loaf You’ve Ever Made

Two-Day Sourdough: The Slow Schedule for the Most Flavorful Loaf You've Ever Made

I want to tell you about the Sunday afternoon I sat on my kitchen floor and cried over a loaf of bread. Not metaphorically. Actually sat down, back against the cabinet, flour on my shirt, and cried. I had been chasing a specific flavor for months — that deep, complex, almost wine-like tang you get … Read more