Monday Open Thread 2/21/22

Lately I’ve been working on a new (to me) approach to making enriched breads, one that involves dialing in the composition of the preferment to create a soft, long-keeping bread rather than relying on a precooked starch like a tangzhong. Given how much I use the latter approach in my baking, it’s sort of upended my understanding of things, which is both troubling and exciting in equal measure. There’s still lots of testing left to do, but I’m looking forward to sharing more with you all here soon. If you are curious, the shokupan/Japanese milk bread recipe I’m currently using (pictured above) is called the Five-Thousand Dollar Starter Bread, and is a scaled-down version of this formula.

What recipes have you all been working with lately that you’ve gotten excited about? Share with the rest of us in the comments below!

—Andrew