Sublime

At my bakery, we use a levain with hydration close to that of the final dough it will be used in. I find this approach more balanced, as opposed to mixing in a levain with a substantially different hydration than the dough. The result is bread in which you can taste the wheat, the fermentation, and a subtle chorus of lingering background notes that

... See more

At Ken’s Artisan Pizza, we have been using the low-gluten flour from Shepherd’s Grain, a product of the Pacific Northwest, since we opened in 2006. The results are excellent. Dough made with Shepherd’s Grain flour stretches well, has excellent flavor, and has a protein content between 10.5 and 11.5 percent, depending on the previous year’s

... See more

This is a good example of how to make a long-fermented pure levain dough that has mellow flavors and a gentle tang (rather than being sour) and a very pleasant, rustic look and taste. The chew of the crust from this loaf is particularly satisfying, and the way the crust flavors permeate into the crumb is soulful—provided you bake the bread until

... See more

Since many different styles of pizza are featured in this book, it required creating various dough options—a menu, so to speak, of choices that can be applied as needed. Some doughs are wetter than others, some are leavened by natural wild yeast starters (sourdough) and some with commercial yeast, while others incorporate whole-grain or even

... See more

Then Michael wrote Cooked, and his agent—this was Binky Urban, a really powerful agent—read the part of the draft which described me, and she said, “Oh wow, what a charismatic character. Does she have any book ideas?” And he said, “Well, yes actually, she has an idea.” So I told her what I was thinking, and she said, “Yes, this is a good idea but

... See more