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Maurizio Leo, founder of The Perfect Loaf and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, joins me to celebrate the release of his new book, The Perfect Pizza.

Growing up in his father's pizzeria, Maurizio developed a love for pizza long before he became known for sourdough bread. Now he's bringing his thoughtful, technique-driven approach to making exceptional sourdough pizza at home.

We explore what makes pizza dough different from bread dough, why fermentation is everything, choosing the right flour, managing hydration and extensibility, using young levains, and finding the sweet spot for whole grains.

We also step outside the kitchen to talk about Maurizio's transition from engineering to baking, finding purpose in your work, and why curiosity is essential to growth.

Find Maurizio and his new book:

The Perfect Pizza | Order the book

The Perfect Loaf | Website and recipes

Instagram | @maurizio

Support independent bookstores | Bookshop.org

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A little something different this week! I'm sitting down for an unedited Q&A, answering questions submitted by Saving Bread listeners from around the world.

We're talking about blending flours for better sourdough, shaping dough based on how it behaves, knowing when to stop adding bassinage water, choosing quality grains without breaking the bank, and finding loyal customers for your cottage bakery.

And we end with a more personal question: What has bread baking taught me about myself?

From practical baking techniques to the lessons that stay with us long after the bread comes out of the oven, this is a casual conversation about making better bread and growing along the way.

In this episode:

• Blending different flours for strength, extensibility, and flavor
• Sourdough shaping and avoiding too much tension
• Bassinage, dough hydration, and temperature control
• Choosing affordable whole grains and supporting local farmers
• Finding and keeping customers for your microbakery
• Learning to accept failure and keep moving forward

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions!

Follow shaping on Instagram: @matriarchbread

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What do sourdough bread, music, pottery, and a colorful silicone scrubber have in common? Joshua Grange.

Joshua is a lifelong professional musician who has toured and recorded with artists including kd lang, Beck, and Sheryl Crow. He's also a passionate sourdough baker, the creator of DOAP, and the musician behind the Saving Bread theme song.

In this episode, Allison sits down with her good friend Joshua for a funny, thoughtful, and wonderfully unpredictable conversation about creativity, friendship, and finding fulfillment in the things we make.

We explore how Joshua's journey from professional music to sourdough baking led to the invention of DOAP, why embracing failure is essential to learning, and how the worlds of music, pottery, and bread share more in common than we might think.

We also talk about whole grains, the importance of supporting local farmers, the inspiration behind his free DOAP-Calc for baker's math and levain calculations, and why not everything we love needs to become a business.

Along the way, Joshua shares the story behind "Crush Out," the song listeners hear every week on Saving Bread, and offers his own perspective on what saving bread really means.

More than anything, this is a conversation between two friends who believe in creativity, community, and making room for everyone at the table.

Connect with Joshua and explore DOAP:

DOAP Website

Free DOAP-Calc

Instagram @getdoap