This newsletter is coming to you on a Friday afternoon instead of a Friday morning because in all honesty, I’ve been moving a little slower lately. It’s been rainy and cold and gray for a week straight here in Boston, the last dregs of winter seeping into my bones before April arrives.
The weather also means I’ve been thinking about eating warm and comforting things, and what is more warm and comforting than fresh bread?
When I was a child, one of my favorite picture books was Everybody Bakes Bread by Norah Dooley. A young girl and her brother go around their neighborhood on a similarly rainy afternoon, sampling all the different types of bread their neighbors have been baking, from fresh pita to Caribbean coconut bread to challah.
My range isn’t nearly as comprehensive (yet!), but during the past year or so, I have added three different simple and easy doughs into my regular rotation and I’d love to share what I’ve learned along the way.
Knead-To-Know Basics
Flour
All of these recipes use bread flour, but all-purpose (AP) works too. The difference between bread flour and AP is that the former will build a stronger gluten network, meaning, in short, the texture will be closer to bakery quality. You can find it relatively easily in pretty much all standard grocery stores.
However, if you don’t have bread flour on hand, AP will work! Just make sure to include proper resting time and a few extra strength-building folds during the process. (More on this later!)
Yeast
All three of these breads require yeast and if you’re planning on baking at least a few times per month, I recommend buying it in bulk rather than in those little packets. You’ll get better value for your money and if you store the jar in your fridge, it will last significantly longer. I like Fleischmann’s instant yeast, or Red Star.
Temperature
Bread likes to be relatively warm, both before and during baking.
The first step is activating instant yeast in warm water, with a sprinkle of sugar or flour to give it something to feed off of. The ideal water temperature is 105F-115F — a great application for a kitchen thermometer! — but if you don’t have one, a decent test to touch the water with your inner wrist. It should be warm but not scalding; normal body temperature is about 97F, so the water should feel like stepping into a bath.
When the dough is rising, I keep it near a warm appliance like the refrigerator or in a turned-off oven. If it’s already warm in my apartment, I just leave it on the counter.
Time
One of the factors I stressed about the most before starting to bake bread was time. I’d heard about the dangers of both over proofing and under proofing, the debates about sourdough starter timelines, and the pros and cons of overnight rises in the fridge.
Turns out that unless you’re angling for that Paul Hollywood Handshake, it’s way less complicated.
Proofing typically happens in two steps: the first is during the kneading/strength-building phase and the second is the rising phase, where you just leave it alone for a bit before baking.
Rising can also be done overnight in the fridge if you’re not ready to bake yet. The cold temperature will slow down the process, just make sure to have a large enough vessel to account for the growth.
Another easy overnight tip is to include a pre-ferment called a poolish. It’s a mixture of flour and water (much like a starter), but minus the waiting and feeding steps. Make the mixture the day before you’re planning on baking and just leave it covered on your countertop until you’re ready. It will add a little boost of flavor to your bread that will get you that one step closer to bakery-quality at home.
Equipment
The only equipment you truly need for great bread are:
A large bowl
A baking vessel (loaf pan, Dutch oven, cast iron pan, etc.)
This will depend on the recipe, so check ahead of time what you have on hand ahead of time.
Something to mix with (stand mixer, large wooden/metal spoon, your hands)
A kitchen scale
This makes measuring pretty much everything you make much easier. However, if that’s not accessible to you, bread is primarily about ratios, so more power to you if you’re up for working out the percentages!
Focaccia
![Focaccia.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd248c22c-7896-424b-ada5-9f7fa5b25b7e_1308x1308.png)
![Focaccia.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1ca2c363-6211-49b5-b6d2-44bf01c3226f_1302x1304.png)
Focaccia is one of the easiest breads I’ve had the pleasure of baking and it’s endlessly customizable. My go-to recipe is from Ethan Chlebowski and takes less than three hours from start to finish.
It also includes four sets of strength-building folds, each spaced 30 minutes apart, which makes for an extremely airy end result. For AP flour instead of bread flour, do not skimp on these! AP will need extra help building that desired texture.
Everyone’s oven and dough will be slightly different, but I find baking at 450F like the recipe says means my bread gets too dark on the bottom before the top gets the chance to form a crust. I’ve tested it at 425F for 25-30 minutes and even at 400F or 30-35 minutes, and both work fine.
Because focaccia uses such a high hydration dough, it’s also extremely forgiving. Higher heat for less time means it will be crispier on the outside, while lower heat for longer means slightly less of that crust, but a softer, fluffier texture all the way around. Play around and to find your preferred finished texture.
My cast iron is typically my go-to baking vessel, but a baking tray also works great. I like to flavor my focaccia simply with flaky sea salt, rosemary or thyme, and garlic, but it’s really a savory blank canvas for whatever you want!
The best part of focaccia is that unlike a traditional bread loaf, you don’t have to wait to cut into it before eating.
To reheat, simply toss your slice(s) into a 375F oven for about 10 minutes.
Here are a few other recipes to try:
Ligurian Focaccia by Samin Nosrat
Cast Iron Focaccia 3 Ways by Brian Lagerstrom
Soft & Crispy Focaccia by Claire Saffitz
No-knead Focaccia by Jade Lim from She Bakes Sourdough
Big Bubble Focaccia by Chef John from Food Wishes
Pizza Dough
Buying balls of pre-made pizza dough at the grocery store and keeping them in my freezer for a quick weeknight dinner is one of my favorite ways to get fresh, hot pizza minus spending money on takeout.
However, if I’ve managed to plan ahead, I also enjoy making my own pizza dough. I’ve tried about a million different recipes, but so far, my favorite is from New York Times Cooking.
I also have a recipe on my Instagram, which varies a little bit, but is consistent every time.
For one 16-inch pizza, you will need:
1 cup flour
⅔ cup warm water (see note about water temp above!)
1 packet of instant yeast (or about 7 grams if you have a scale and are using the bulk yeast)
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
Add the yeast and sugar into the warm water and let stand for 10 minutes or so.
Combine the flour, olive oil, salt, and the water/yeast mixture in a large bowl or a stand mixer if you have one. Mix with a wooden spoon, your hands, or with the stand mixer for a few minutes until it forms a shaggy ball of dough that is sticky to the touch, but pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
Cover and let rest in a well-oiled bowl or container for 2 hours.
After two hours, dump the dough into your baking vessel and stretch it gently with your fingertips to even it out. If it’s springing back too much, don’t worry! Just cover it and let it rest for an additional 30 minutes while you heat your oven to 425F.
If you want to make pizza tomorrow instead, after the first two-hour rise, pop your covered dough into the fridge. If you want to make pizza anytime after tomorrow, put it in the freezer and take it out for several hours to defrost on the counter.
After 30 minutes, finish stretching the dough to your satisfaction, add your toppings of choice, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes on a cutting board before slicing.
Like carbonara, pizza has a low floor for success but a high ceiling for perfection. There are about a million resources out there to help you get there, including:
What Type of Flour Makes the Best Pizza? By Ethan Chlebowski (again! Thanks, Ethan!)
Big Loaf
![Home baked bread.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc50f9e57-4c36-4b6a-92d6-066c20f8cd7f_1308x1296.png)
![Home baked bread.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3267dda9-c8b4-4972-9e03-50884df9853c_1308x1302.png)
This is the bread I most enjoy making and the one I feel the most proud of when I pull it out of the oven. It has a thin and crispy crust, is satisfyingly chewy but still light, and makes fabulous leftovers.
Big shoutout to Brian Lagerstrom for developing this recipe! The only tweak I made was to add an extra round of strength-building folds; the recipe calls for three and I go for four. The oven spring is truly unreal.