letter #7
What does it mean for a baker to have a point of view?
Hello and welcome to Letters to Beloved, a newsletter from Ali Bakes Bread! If by some miracle, you’ve found your way over here but are not yet subscribed, let me help you with that:
If you’re a free subscriber, you now have access to last month’s letter, which included my favorite recipe for an easy, delicious treat (butterscotch pudding).
Paid subscribers to this month’s letter get a recipe for an Ali Bakes Bread original—dal sourdough. Packed with red lentils and whole toasted spices like cumin and fennel seed, this loaf is an incredible savory complement to your morning omelette or this chicken keema from cookbook author, Maryam Jillani.
If you’d like a paid subscription but can’t swing it financially, send me a message on Instagram, and we’ll work something out.
As always, thanks for reading <3
Baker’s Note
Austin is lousy with incredible bakeries. No matter where you are in town, you have access to pitch-perfect pastry and world-class sourdough. Our gluten game is strong.
It makes me wonder: Does this town really need more bakers?
What can I contribute? Do we need more maximalist croissants stacked with three to five ingredients in the name? (Strawberry, elderflower, and matcha cheesecake croissant—OK, that one would bang.) More than that, though—how can something you bake tell someone about who you are, what you love, what you care about?
I love being Pakistani. I love that it ties me to my father, whom I miss dearly. Holding onto my culture is a way of holding onto him—his voice, his scent, the way we both enjoyed the smell of toasted cumin seed dancing in a pot of sizzling garlic and ginger. He taught me to appreciate a simple bowl of basmati rice, to notice how each grain was glossed with fat, carrying flavor.
But growing up, I wasn’t always sure of my place in the culture. As a third-culture kid who barely speaks the language, I often felt like an outsider looking in. Cooking, though—cooking bomb-ass Pakistani food—became my way in. A way to claim my place, to take pride in something that felt undeniably mine. Being Pakistani is an essential piece of who I am, even if I had to find my own way to express it. And now, through baking, I finally feel like I have something to say.
That’s how I landed on dal sourdough. I wanted to see if I could take an oat porridge loaf—like the one they serve at Tartine—and swap in Pakistani flavors. By using cooked lentils instead of oats, the dough takes on a creaminess and warmth that makes for a fantastic savory toast. Dal is usually served over rice, and I love how the sourdough steps in as the carb here—it’s a different form, but the same comforting balance. My dad’s favorite meal was dal over rice with a pat of butter melting on top, and that’s exactly how I love this bread. I like to think he would have recognized the flavors instantly—familiar, comforting—but been surprised and delighted by how they took shape in something new.
Honestly, it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. By taking the flavors of a beloved dish and finding a new way to express them, I managed to say something about who I am and why I bake. It’s not fusion. It’s not trend-chasing. It’s finding harmony and substance—baking as a way to stake my place, to tell a story, to share something real about who I am.
The Bread Queue
Here’s who came up on the queue this month and got some bread! Bijal, Grant, Mondie, @melitlit, @l_sanford8787, Shannon, Donald, and Daniel. Thank you for letting me bake for you.
Another thank you to all of the subscribers for supporting this newsletter that supports the bread project <3
If you’re interested in becoming a paid subscriber to support the bread project, we’d love to have you. Your subscription goes to pay for flour and baking materials. You are providing other people with free, community bread.
Looking for free bread? DM @alibakesbread on Instagram to get on the bread queue.
Taste This
You can use your favorite sourdough recipe. I like this one from Maurizio at The Perfect Loaf. You can substitute my recipe for dal for the oat porridge that Maurizio’s recipe calls for.
For the brave ones, here’s my recipe start to finish:
Ingredients
Bread
450g bread flour (I use Trailblazer from Cairnspring Mills)
9468g water
120g levain (100% hydration, 50/50 mix of AP and rye)
12g salt
1.2g diastatic malt powder (optional)
Inclusions
One recipe for dal, cooled
12g of cumin seeds, soaked in warm water, rinsed and drained
12g of fennel seeds, soaked in warm water, rinsed and drained
Levain
25g ripe starter
50g all-purpose flour
50g rye flour
100g water
Method
Levain Build: Build your levain and let it ferment for about 6 hours until it doubles or peaks.
Autolyse: About three hours into your levain build, mix the flours, diastatic malt powder (if using), and your water until fully hydrated. Let rest for 3 hours.
Mixing: Add the levain to the autolysed dough and mix thoroughly. I usually knead for about 5 minutes at this point. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Incorporating Salt: Sprinkle salt evenly over the dough, dimple it in, and knead for another 5-7 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Folding & Bulk Fermentation: Spread your cooled dal over the dough, sprinkle soaked and drained cumin and fennel seeds on top. Perform three sets of coil folds every 45 minutes, followed by a final 45-minute rest.
Pre-shape & Rest: Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a round. Let them bench rest for 15 minutes.
Final Shaping & Proofing: Shape again and place into proofing basket. Let sit for another 30-45 minutes at room temperature until well-risen.
Cold Ferment: Transfer to the fridge for an overnight cold ferment (at least 12 hours).
Bake: Preheat your oven to 500°F. Bake in a preheated cast iron dutch oven for 30 minutes covered, then 450°F uncovered for another 20-25 minutes.
Cool & Enjoy: Let the loaf cool completely before slicing. This is important! Inside, the loaf is still cooking and if you don’t wait you risk the crumb being gummy and unappetizing.
Note: Because this is a relatively high-hydration dough, I use the Rubaud method when kneading in steps 3 and 4. You can learn about that method and how to do it here.
That’s letter #7. We’ll be back next month with another round. Please reach out, let me know what you liked, didn’t like, and if there’s anything I should eat or try.