Gluten Development for Beginners: From Flour to Structure
Understand gluten development from flour to finished structure, how mixing and hydration build strength, and why it matters for bread, pastry, and cakes.
Ben Alcott
Bread & Sourdough Writer
Ben Alcott
Ben has kept a sourdough starter alive longer than some friendships and baked through every failure worth learning from. He demystifies bread with honest timelines and real dough photos, because good bread rewards understanding far more than gadgets.
Articles
9 articles by Ben
Ben Alcott
Baking Steel or Dutch Oven? Choosing Your Crust-Making Tool
Compare baking steels and Dutch ovens for home bread, weighing crust, oven spring, and price so you can choose the right tool for the loaves you bake.
Ben Alcott
Reading Your Dough: A Field Guide to Proofing by Feel
Stop guessing when bread is proofed. Learn to read dough by feel and the poke test, with visual cues for under, over, and perfectly proofed loaves.
Ben Alcott
Kneading Without a Mixer: Hand Techniques That Actually Work
No stand mixer? Learn hand-kneading techniques, from the slap-and-fold to stretch-and-folds, that build strong gluten and great structure in any dough.
Ben Alcott
Flatbreads Around the World: Naan, Pita, and Focaccia at Home
Make three classic flatbreads at home, from pillowy naan to pocketed pita and dimpled focaccia, with dough tips and cooking methods for each style.
Ben Alcott
Enriched Doughs Explained: Brioche, Challah, and Milk Bread
Understand what butter, eggs, and milk do to bread as we compare brioche, challah, and milk bread, with tips for handling soft, sticky enriched doughs.
Ben Alcott
Same-Day vs. Overnight: Two Roads to a Great Loaf
Compare same-day and overnight bread methods so you can pick the schedule and flavor that fit your day, from quick weeknight loaves to deep overnight tang.
Ben Alcott
Mastering Hydration: Why Wetter Doughs Make Better Bread
Discover why higher-hydration doughs create an open, airy crumb, and how to handle sticky dough with confidence using folds instead of heavy kneading.
Ben Alcott
How to Build an Active Sourdough Starter From Scratch
Learn to build a lively sourdough starter from flour and water in about a week, with daily feeding tips and clear signs it is ready to bake with.
Ben Alcott