Baguette Course: Almost Fully Baked 🥖
Just a quick update for those of you who’ve been following along with my Baguette Course. Simplifying Baguette is nearly complete!
This week, I’m finishing up the final two recipes:
- Overnight Rye Levain Baguette with Seeds
- 100% Whole Grain Baguette
Both videos are edited and will be uploaded this weekend, along with the printable formulas. Once they’re live, the full course will officially be complete!
Student Win: J’neene, who recently joined the course, just baked her first poolish baguettes, and they look amazing. I’ll share a photo below so you can see the kind of results folks are already getting.
👨🏫 Bonus Interview: I’m also sitting down with Alexandre Laumain, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France and 2023 World Bread Champion, for a bonus interview about French baguettes. If you’re in the course already, you can submit your baguette questions until July 28th. New Additions: I've also added shaping, scoring, and seed-crusting tutorials, plus refresh-and-store tips so your baguettes are always at their best.
If you’ve been thinking about joining, now’s the time. The course is still on pre-sale until next Friday’s newsletter.
Rye Chocolate Cake with Olive Oil & Gelato 🍫
One of my go-to chocolate cakes got a quick remix at work this week, and it delivered. I made my Rye Sourdough Chocolate Cake for a dinner service, skipping the sourdough discard this time and swapping in olive oil for the usual coconut oil (I have to make it work with what I've got!).
This cake is based on an old Alain Ducasse recipe I’ve loved for years. It’s rich, not too sweet, and has this melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s dangerously good. The rye flour adds depth and brings out the flavour of the cocoa beautifully. It’s a straightforward mix, but the results are seriously decadent.
Its pretty simple to make and it is impressive when done right. At the dinner, I served it with vanilla bean gelato and candied pecans and the guests all loved it!
The Ultimate Summer Burger Bun Recipe Is Here 🍔
It’s peak grilling season, and there’s no better time to level up your burger game. This week I’m sharing one of my most popular summer recipes: Sourdough Burger Buns.
These buns strike the perfect balance: soft, flavourful, and sturdy enough to hold all the juicy, saucy goodness you pile inside. I’ve spent months testing different variations and landed on a formula that’s now a staple in my house. It features a sweet, stiff levain, the yudane method, and loads of tips to help you get them just right at home.
Whether you’re firing up the grill or just dreaming of that next perfect burger, you’ll want this one bookmarked.
Sourdough Discard Cookies (Turned Ice Cream Sandwiches!) 🍪
After that epic dinner event, we wanted a dessert that was a bit more playful and fun, and these sourdough discard chocolate chunk cookies were just the thing. Crispy on the outside, gooey in the middle, packed with melty chocolate and a nutty hit from tahini… yeah, these hit hard.
I made them into ice cream sandwiches for staff and guests, and they disappeared. Like, instantly.
This recipe is one of my go-tos when I have extra starter around (and let’s be honest, I always have extra starter). They’re made with spelt flour, sourdough discard, and chopped dark chocolate, and the tahini gives them that special something.
Trust me, you’re going to want to make a double batch. One for now… one for the freezer.
This Week in the Micro Bakery At the Cottage 🏕️ - Profiteroles With Chocolate Sauce
For a 40-person dinner at my summer gig, I brought out one of my most classic and loved recipes, Profiteroles with Whipped Cream and Chocolate Sauce. I’ve made these at countless parties over the years, and they never fail to impress. Light, crisp choux pastry filled with whipped cream and drenched in warm chocolate? Yes, please.
These were a massive hit, and today I’m sharing the full recipe so you can make them too.
🥄 Choux Pastry
Yield: About 40 profiteroles
Ingredients:
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- (Optional) 4 tbsp chopped nib almonds + 4 tbsp crystal sugar for topping
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F convection.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to a rapid boil.
- Add the flour all at once, reduce heat to medium, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 2–3 minutes. A slight film will form on the pan that’s normal!
- Transfer the dough to a bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each. The dough may separate initially, but it will come together by the third egg.
- Once all eggs are in, the dough should be smooth, shiny, and fall from a spoon in a ribbon.
To Bake:
- Pipe small 1-inch rounds onto a parchment-lined tray.
- Top with almonds and sugar if using.
- Bake until golden, dry, and crisp, lowering the oven temperature gradually as they take on colour.
🍫 Chocolate Sauce
A rich pour-over that takes this dessert over the top.
Ingredients:
- 4½ oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce to low and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened and glossy.
🥣 Optional Crème Fraîche Sauce
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup whipping cream (35%)
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ¾ cup crème fraîche
- Juice of 2 lemons
Instructions:
Bring cream, vanilla, and sugar to a boil, whisking until dissolved. Remove from heat, strain, and stir in crème fraîche and lemon juice.
✨ To Serve
- Slice each profiterole in half and fill with a scoop of ice cream.
- Pile 3–4 profiteroles in a serving dish and pour over the chocolate (or crème fraîche) sauce.
Serve immediately and accept the compliments.
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Happy Baking,
MJD
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P.S. Want to learn more from me? Check out my online video resources 👇
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