Hey Reader!

By the time you're reading this (unless you're one of the very early birds), I'll be somewhere in Paris eating pastries and drinking coffee.

It's hard to believe France is already here. It feels like yesterday we were talking about summer plans, and now June has arrived, the weather is beautiful, and I've got a long list of bakeries to visit.

Next week I'll share some of my favourite bakeries, meals, and discoveries from the trip, along with a few places that are worth adding to your list if you ever find yourself in Paris.

For now, I'm going to keep this week's newsletter on the shorter side because I still have a suitcase to pack and a flight to catch.

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What Is a Baguette de Tradition? 🥖

As I write this, I'm getting ready to spend the next week in France, which feels like the perfect excuse to talk about one of my favourite breads.

If you've ever visited a French bakery, you've probably seen something called a Baguette de Tradition.

Unlike many commercial breads, a Baguette de Tradition is protected by French law. It can only contain flour, water, salt, and yeast or levain. No additives, no preservatives, no shortcuts. Just simple ingredients and good technique.

The result is often a baguette with a thinner crust, deeper flavour, and a more open crumb than a standard baguette.

What I love most about baguettes is that they're deceptively simple. The ingredient list fits on a napkin, but mastering fermentation, shaping, scoring, and baking can take years.

That's also why they're such a rewarding bread to learn.

Over the next week, I'll be visiting bakeries throughout Paris, eating more baguettes than is probably reasonable, and taking notes on what makes them special.

If you'd like to learn how I approach baguettes at home, I'm opening enrollment for my Baguette Course from June 19–21. I'll also be sharing a series of free baguette emails with tips, techniques, and lessons I've picked up over the years.

👉 Join the Baguette List

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Wood-Fired Sourdough Pizza 🍕

Last week I shared a photo of a sourdough pizza I made in our new wood-fired oven and asked if anyone wanted the recipe. The answer was a pretty overwhelming yes 😂.

So before I disappear into Paris for a week, here's the dough formula I've been using lately.

The weather in Ontario has been beautiful, which means I've been spending a lot more time experimenting with pizza. One thing I've been reminded of is that great pizza dough doesn't need to be complicated. A handful of ingredients, good fermentation, and proper dough development will get you most of the way there.

A quick note if you're mixing in a spiral mixer: don't rush it. The goal is to fully develop the dough while keeping the temperature under control. You should start to see a bit of "pumpkining" as the dough develops. This creates a dough that's extensible, easy to stretch, and less likely to tear.

You can also experiment with different flour blends. Every flour behaves a little differently, so don't be afraid to make small adjustments as you learn your dough.

Sourdough Pizza Dough

Makes 6 dough balls (approximately 300g each)

• 300g is a bit large for the smaller Ooni or Gozney ovens so you might want to make this into 7 dough balls.

Build the Levain

Mix together:

• 85g bread flour
• 85g water
• 5g mature starter

Ferment for approximately 10-12 hours at room temp or until ripe and active.

Note - you can use any ripe levain, this is just a guideline

Mix the Dough

Option 1: Hand Mix

Combine the bread flour, 00 flour, and Water 1 until no dry flour remains. Cover and autolyze for 30 minutes.

Add the levain and mix until fully incorporated. Rest the dough for 20 minutes.

Dissolve the salt in Water 2 and add it to the dough. Mix until fully incorporated. Rest for 10-20 minutes.

Add the olive oil and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and developed.

Option 2: Spiral Mixer

Combine the bread flour, 00 flour, and Water 1 in the mixer. Mix on first speed just until combined. Cover and autolyse for 30 minutes.

Add the levain and mix on first speed until incorporated (about 8-10 min).

Increase the mixer speed and slowly add Water 2 while mixing. Once fully absorbed, add the salt and continue mixing.

Gradually increase the mixer speed and continue mixing until you achieve good gluten development. Keep an eye on the dough temperature and avoid overmixing.

Finally, add the olive oil and mix until the dough is smooth, developed, and slightly glossy.

The dough should feel strong but still extensible. You should be able to stretch it without tearing. I often look for a bit of "pumpkining" during mixing, which is a good sign that the dough is developing properly.

Bulk Fermentation

Ferment for approximately 3 hours at room temperature with one-two folds after 90 minutes.

Divide & Ball

Divide into six dough balls of approximately 300g each. Round tightly and place into lightly oiled containers.

Cold Fermentation

Refrigerate for 24–48 hours.

Before Baking

Remove the dough from the fridge 6-8 hours before baking, so it has time to relax and warm up.

Stretch gently by hand using a 50/50 mixture of semolina and flour on the bench. Top as desired and bake in a very hot oven.

For wood-fired ovens, I usually start around 750°F and adjust from there depending on the oven and the style of pizza I'm making.

This week's pizza was topped simply with salami and shallots. Nothing fancy, just good dough, good ingredients, and a hot oven.

Want to dive deeper into sourdough pizza?

My Pizza Course covers mixing, fermentation, shaping, baking, troubleshooting, and multiple pizza styles in much more detail. If you're serious about improving your pizza game, you can learn more here.

👉 Learn More About the Pizza Course

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Brown Butter Sourdough Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches 🍪

I've been working on a fun project with Chapman's Ice Cream, and one of the recipes that came out of it was these brown butter cookies.

Brown butter might be one of the best baking ingredients ever. Taking a few extra minutes to toast the milk solids transforms ordinary butter into something nutty, caramel-like, and incredibly flavourful.

For the ice cream sandwiches, I paired the cookies with Chapman's Butter Tart Pecan Ice Cream and let's just say they didn't last very long.

The cookies are excellent on their own, but if you're looking for a summer dessert, sandwiching a scoop of ice cream between two of them is a pretty good place to start.

Brown Butter Cookies

Method

Brown the Butter

Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it begins to foam, continue cooking until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty. Immediately transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Make the Dough

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine the browned butter and both sugars. Mix until combined, then add the egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Shape & Chill

Divide into 12 portions (about 60g each) and roll into balls.

If the dough feels soft, refrigerate for about an hour before shaping. Once portioned, refrigerate until ready to bake.

Bake

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 16–18 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through baking.

For extra chocolatey cookies, press a few additional chocolate chunks into the tops during the last couple minutes of baking.

Allow to cool completely.

For Ice Cream Sandwiches

Once cooled, sandwich your favourite ice cream between two cookies and freeze for 15–20 minutes before serving.

I used Chapman's Butter Tart Pecan Ice Cream and highly recommend it.

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Before I Go... 🇫🇷

Alright, I should probably stop procrastinating and finish packing.

By the time next week's newsletter lands, I'll have spent a week eating my way through Paris, visiting bakeries, drinking too much coffee, and hopefully finding a few ideas worth bringing home.

I'll report back with my favourite bakeries, meals, pastries, and discoveries.

Happy Baking,

MJD

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