While I was watching you try to fail for demonstration purposes, I somehow knew you wouldn’t. No apologies necessary. Skill conquers failure usually. A super class, once again. You put a lot of work into your classes, and it shows. Thanks!
I liked the Detroit pizza class idea you mentioned during class. I hope that’s soon. And bagels, as already mentioned, would be good too. Sourdough loaves with add-ins (olives, sun dried tomatoes, cheese, raisins, figs, etc.—not all in one loaf, of course). How and when to mix in, optimal amounts, how to think about the moisture levels of these ingredients and their impact on the dough. English muffins?
You mentioned your Ooni pizza oven towards the end of the class, I wondered afterwards how baking off some pita in that would come out? I have the small Frya model, might try it when I get it out for the summer.
Pita in an Ooni are amazing. The thing about pita and many other flatbreads (incl pizza) is that hotter is usually better. The broiler trick indoors is great, but nothing beats 800˚F.
A wet dough class like ciabatta would be of great interest. I am also very curious to learn why you choose AP vs. bread flour or other. Tricks you can do to extend the life of your loaf.
One of the best things about your classes is the opportunity to watch your hands shape and handle dough. I learn as much watching you work as I do from learning the recipe. Great format - thanks.
+1 on the wet doughs. Also, (maybe not so much a class but a few short videos/GIFs), shaping/scoring options and loaves like Epi, unless you covered those in your baguette class.
I would like to learn more about your R&D process. How do you come up with your ideas? Do you begin by comparing existing recipes for a product you're interested in perfecting or start with a baseline dough and adjust based on your research? How many times do you repeat a recipe before you're ready/confident to share it? Maybe a blog post would be a better vehicle for this kind of information. I also love the ideas presented about wet doughs. Different handling techniques, when double hydration is necessary, how different flours respond to hydration, etc. Thanks!
Awesome class on pitas -- thank you! For future class ideas, I agree something on how to manage hi hydration doughs would be really helpful. This weekend I tried a miche recipe from the Southern Grains cookbook, not realizing it was like 87% hydration. What a mess to work with, but I also reminded how forgiving sourdough can be - the baked bread was really tasty and not so bad on the eyes, considering I could hardly score it. Thanks for your ongoing education of us all!
I made the pita from class this weekend (200 g version). They were some of the best pita I have ever eaten. I used fresh ground Turkey Red for the whole wheat flour portion. Amazing flavor in a soft puffy pita. Thank you!
Thanks for the hummus recipe, too. I made it in my hot pot pressure cooker with chick peas from Rancho Gordo and it was SO EASY (and delicious).
Loved baguettes and pita; lavash was a revelation. Next? Bagels!!!
Good reminder, that's been on my list for awhile!
While I was watching you try to fail for demonstration purposes, I somehow knew you wouldn’t. No apologies necessary. Skill conquers failure usually. A super class, once again. You put a lot of work into your classes, and it shows. Thanks!
I liked the Detroit pizza class idea you mentioned during class. I hope that’s soon. And bagels, as already mentioned, would be good too. Sourdough loaves with add-ins (olives, sun dried tomatoes, cheese, raisins, figs, etc.—not all in one loaf, of course). How and when to mix in, optimal amounts, how to think about the moisture levels of these ingredients and their impact on the dough. English muffins?
I would also love something about sourdough loaves with add-ins. Thank you, great idea.
You mentioned your Ooni pizza oven towards the end of the class, I wondered afterwards how baking off some pita in that would come out? I have the small Frya model, might try it when I get it out for the summer.
Pita in an Ooni are amazing. The thing about pita and many other flatbreads (incl pizza) is that hotter is usually better. The broiler trick indoors is great, but nothing beats 800˚F.
A wet dough class like ciabatta would be of great interest. I am also very curious to learn why you choose AP vs. bread flour or other. Tricks you can do to extend the life of your loaf.
One of the best things about your classes is the opportunity to watch your hands shape and handle dough. I learn as much watching you work as I do from learning the recipe. Great format - thanks.
+1 on the wet doughs. Also, (maybe not so much a class but a few short videos/GIFs), shaping/scoring options and loaves like Epi, unless you covered those in your baguette class.
I would like to learn more about your R&D process. How do you come up with your ideas? Do you begin by comparing existing recipes for a product you're interested in perfecting or start with a baseline dough and adjust based on your research? How many times do you repeat a recipe before you're ready/confident to share it? Maybe a blog post would be a better vehicle for this kind of information. I also love the ideas presented about wet doughs. Different handling techniques, when double hydration is necessary, how different flours respond to hydration, etc. Thanks!
Awesome class on pitas -- thank you! For future class ideas, I agree something on how to manage hi hydration doughs would be really helpful. This weekend I tried a miche recipe from the Southern Grains cookbook, not realizing it was like 87% hydration. What a mess to work with, but I also reminded how forgiving sourdough can be - the baked bread was really tasty and not so bad on the eyes, considering I could hardly score it. Thanks for your ongoing education of us all!
Will there ever be a cookbook? I know it is a lot of effort, but I would love a bound volume of recipes.
Interested in whole grain breads as they are the most challenging.
I made the pita from class this weekend (200 g version). They were some of the best pita I have ever eaten. I used fresh ground Turkey Red for the whole wheat flour portion. Amazing flavor in a soft puffy pita. Thank you!
SO happy to hear that, Sue. Once you start baking your own pita, there's no going back to store-bought.
Has your pita recipe hit yet? I can't find it, and I'm craving some fresh flatbread!
Yep! https://wordloaf.substack.com/p/subscriber-preview-recipe-sourdough