Slow, honest bread, written down as I learn it.
Recipes, mistakes and small discoveries from one home kitchen: traditional methods, whole grains and long fermentation, shared freely.
my favourite loaf
Xin chào, and welcome.
I’m Phuong. I bake bread slowly and by hand because I like knowing exactly what goes into what we eat: flour, water, salt and time. Bánh mì was my first love, and sourdough came later, one stubborn starter at a time.
This notebook is where I write down what works, what doesn’t, and why. Nothing here is for sale. Take what is useful, ignore the rest, and bake something this week.
Classic sourdough boule
A crackling crust, an open crumb and a gentle tang, timed around an ordinary day.
sourdough boule
Classic sourdough boule
A crackling, deep golden crust and a soft, open crumb. A forgiving first loaf, mixed in the afternoon, shaped in the evening and baked the next morning.
Read the recipeRecipes & guides
Each entry gives weights in grams, baker’s percentages and the reasons behind every step.
sourdough boule
When the crumb comes out dense
A heavy slice usually means the dough was under-fermented, under-strength, or cut before it had cooled. Here is how to tell which.
sourdough starter
A starter in a warm kitchen
What changes when the room sits above 28 °C, and how to keep a levain from peaking while you are out.
sourdough starter
Feed a starter, and when to ignore it
A small daily feeding, a weekly one from the fridge, and the signs that the jar is ready to bake with.
hands working dough
Hydration, explained plainly
What 65 percent does to a dough, what 80 percent does, and why the water inside a levain counts.
sourdough starter
Raise a starter in seven days
Flour, water and a week of small feedings. A plain way to grow the leaven this notebook bakes with.
sourdough boule
Classic sourdough boule
A crackling, deep golden crust and a soft, open crumb. A forgiving first loaf, mixed in the afternoon, shaped in the evening and baked the next morning.
Good bread is slow bread
Long and slow
Hours of natural fermentation develop flavour and keep bread fresh longer, as bakers did before commercial yeast.
Whole and freshly milled
Whole-grain flours bring fibre, minerals and a deeper, sweeter taste. I explain how to bake with them.
Four honest ingredients
Flour, water, salt and a leaven. No improvers, no additives, and nothing you cannot pronounce.
portrait of me
Hello, I’m Phuong Vo.
I’m a home baker who writes things down so I remember them, and so you can skip a few of my mistakes. Here is a little more about how I bake and why.
About meNotes from the bakehouse
A short letter now and then with a new article, a traditional method or a question from a reader. Free, and you may stop it at any time.