P.S. (an extra letter)
Take a peek inside the baking project and some other recommendations
This is an extra letter for all subscribers. I realized that I had a bit more that I wanted to write and share. From time to time, I get questions about how the project works and how I balance it with the rest of my life. I also had some passing recommendations that I wanted to share. I’m also including my recipe for flour tortillas made with ghee.
As a reminder, the costs of running the project are covered by subscriptions to this newsletter. As we scale up our operation and work on baking more loaves to deliver free bread to more people all over Austin, the costs are going up. If you’re interested in becoming a monthly or annual subscriber, we would love your support.
Subscribers get first access to the full letter which often includes a recipe, interviews with other bakers, and other fun content. If you’d like a paid subscription but can’t afford one, DM me on Instagram and we’ll get it sorted.
Inside Ali Bakes Bread
It’s Wednesday, and I’ve had three people come and pick up their free loaves. By Sunday, I’ll have baked six loaves for six different people. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but each batch of dough weighs nearly ten pounds, and I mix them all by hand. I mixed this last batch in a big plastic Cambro, and with those sharp corners, I kept banging my hand against the sides. These loaves are small-batch, large-pain.
A typical mix day kicks off at 4 a.m. If I’ve prepped the levain the night before, it’s pretty much just a matter of tossing everything together. But with this cold weather, the levain’s been moving slow, needing a little more time to wake up. The dough demands attention throughout the day, though, always needing a check-in. On my last mix day, I had the dough shaped and chilling in the fridge by 3 p.m. for an overnight cold proof, then baked it off the next morning by 7 a.m.
Usually, people just knock and pick up their loaves, but the last few times, the doorbell has sent my anxious poodle, Bailey, into a full-blown meltdown. So lately, I’ve had folks text me when they get here, and I just run the bread out to them.
There’s something undeniably rewarding about handing someone their bread, especially after they’ve waited so long in the bread queue. At first, you can sense their quiet skepticism, like they’re half-convinced this whole “free bread” thing is a scam until the moment I hand them a warm loaf. And then, the shift—a peek inside the bag, a little smile, and that unmistakable look that says, “Wait, this is actually for me?” It’s a small, quiet kind of magic, realizing you’ve made someone’s day—or maybe even their week—with something as simple as a loaf of bread.
Wednesday night is an early night for me because Thursdays and Fridays are my days where I work at the bakery. Typically I try to start winding down by 8pm, hope to fall asleep by 9pm, and I’m up around 4am. I’ll get to the bakery around 5am, and my shift goes until about 3pm.
I get to work on a lot of different things at the bakery. Last Thursday, I got to measure out the ingredients for our country sourdough loaves and baguettes into the large mixers. Once the doughs were ready, I portioned them into bus tubs for bulk fermentation. Throughout the day, those hefty slabs of dough were lifted, folded, and turned—a gentle wrestling match that builds gluten and strengthens the dough. Finally they were shaped and nestled into proofing baskets for their final rise.
At any given moment in the bakery, you are managing 8-10 different timelines for different doughs at different stages that all need something different. I don’t yet have a good sense for keeping all of that in my head, so my manager helps me stay on track.
On Friday, I scored country, seeded, olive, and spinach & artichoke sourdoughs, sliding each onto the loader and into the deck oven. We also had a wholesale order for baguettes that needed shaping, proofing, and baking by 9 a.m.
Because of my Thursday-Friday schedule, I’ve moved my bread project days to Saturdays (mixing) and Sundays (baking). Hopefully, that makes it easier for people to pick up their loaves. Right now, I’m still baking one loaf at a time—an exercise in patience and logistics—but I’m working on a setup to bake four at once.
Scaling up is the next goal. I’m eyeing a spiral mixer that’ll let me prep larger batches of dough without leaving my arms sore and my knuckles perpetually bruised. It’s an investment, but one I think about every time I fold yet another batch of dough by hand.
For now, we continue to push forward, one loaf at a time.
Three Delicious Recommendations
It might be some time before I get to travel, but hopefully you get to and you can tell me all about it and I’ll do my best to hide my jealousy (or not). Maybe you’re in the early stages of planning your springtime getaway. Here are a few treats that might inform where you head out on your next vacation.
Les Petits Mitrons (Paris) - My favorite discovery in Paris! I happened to walk by this little shop on the way to my hotel and stopped in my tracks when I saw all the delicious fruit tarts in their window. Step up to the counter and order slices of everything that catches your eye.
The owner bakes these tarts with seasonal fruits, sometimes mixing different fruits in ways that you'll continue to think about long after you leave Paris. I love the texture. My suggestion is to grab a couple and head to a nearby park to sit down and savor them with whoever you’re with while everybody votes on their favorite. I came here like four times on my trip.
Nagisa No Udon (Kobe) - On our last night in Japan, I was craving udon and chanced upon this little eight-seater in the Suma Ward near the beach. The owner caught me looking lost outside and practically dragged me inside. I’m so glad he did. It wasn’t just the freshly made udon noodles or the perfectly fried tempura shrimp that sold me on this place. At one point during the meal, the owner/proprietor brought me a small candy from the back. Through a combination of Google Translate and my hilariously bad Japanese, he told me that the candy actually came from his hometown and the image on the wrapper was of Momotarō. The whole restaurant then helped translate for me the folk tale of Momotarō—a boy born from a peach who grows up to vanquish some ogres. By the time we left, we were all taking pictures with each other and promising that we’d see each other again (we all follow each other on Instagram now).
Ho Foods (New York City) - I still remember the first time I had the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup at Ho Foods. The broth is dreamy. The base of the soup is collagen-heavy cow hooves and beef shin bones, salted with two kinds of soy. The richness is offset by the the holy trinity of garlic, ginger, and scallions. Pickled mustard greens come in a ramekin on the side. This is the kind of soup worth traveling for.
Taste This
I love having flour tortillas on hand. The dough freezes beautifully, so you can portion it out and defrost it whenever you want to elevate something simple—like scrambled eggs. I love roasting off some potatoes and making a simple taco with whatever salsa is lying around.
I typically make these with ghee, but if you have bacon fat or tallow, those are excellent options as well.
Ali’s Flour Tortillas
Ingredients:
600g all-purpose flour
350g warm water
12g kosher salt (not that table stuff)
110g ghee or bacon fat (you decide, but both are excellent)
Directions:
Start by melting the fat into the warm water—just get it nice and melted, nothing too complicated here. In a big bowl, combine the wet ingredients with the dry flour and salt. Use a spoon or spatula to mix it all together, making sure you don’t leave any dry pockets behind. Cover the bowl, then let it sit for 10 minutes. Pet your dog or your cat. think about how delicious your breakfast is going to be.
After that short rest, give the dough a few good kneads. You’re not looking for perfection, just make it a little smoother. Cover it again, and let it sit for another 10 minutes. Another short rest. You’re really just giving the dough a little time to think about its life.
Now, knead it a couple more times—just until it’s soft, smooth, and pillowy. Cover it one last time and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Honestly, if you need to take a breather and let it sit longer, that’s fine. Just don’t let it dry out.
When you're ready to go, scale the dough into 50-gram portions. If you can’t get them exact, it’s not the end of the world. Roll them into little dough balls and let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes. Like us, they just need a little moment to relax.
While that’s happening, heat up a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium heat. You want it to get nice and hot. Hot enough to cook the tortillas quickly but not so hot they’ll burn the second you drop them on.
Now, dust your work surface with flour and roll out each dough ball into your desired thickness.
Once rolled out, brush off any excess flour with a pastry brush (or whatever you’ve got) and immediately throw them onto that hot skillet. I like to brush a little oil on the comal. The tortilla will start to puff up—if you’re lucky, it’ll get those signature air pockets. Don’t let it sit too long—about 30 seconds on each side, just enough to get golden spots and soft, pillowy texture.
Serve 'em right away, or wrap them up tight if you want to save some for later. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to four days. To use them after chilling, just take the dough out, let it come to room temp, and you’re good to go.
Enjoy. This is the kind of simple comfort food that always tastes better when you’re not in a rush. Take your time.
Hope you enjoyed this little extra letter. Drop me a line and let me know what you thought.
And if you haven’t already, please subscribe and share this newsletter with a friend.
See you next month, beloved.
The tortillas look amaaaazing.