When your turkey goes into the oven, start the broth: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and turkey neck and giblets; cook, stirring, until the giblets are browned, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, herb sprigs and bay leaf; cover and simmer while the turkey roasts, about 2 hours. Strain the broth and keep warm; reserve the neck and giblets, if desired.
When your turkey is done, transfer it to a cutting board and pour all the pan drippings into a degreasing cup. Add 1/2 cup of the prepared broth to the roasting pan and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. (If the bits are stuck, put the pan over a low burner to loosen them.) Add the bits and liquid to the degreasing cup.
Let the fat rise to the top of the degreasing cup, then spoon off 1/2 cup fat and transfer to a large saucepan over medium heat. Make a roux: Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the flour browns slightly, about 4 minutes.
Gradually add the hot broth to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Pour the dark roasting juices from the degreasing cup into the gravy, discarding any remaining fat. If desired, chop the giblets and shred the neck meat; add to the gravy. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the flavored butter, if desired.
Make Your Own Butter:
Start with cold heavy cream and mix on high speed.
After about 3 minutes, you’ll have whipped cream; continue mixing.
After about 6 more minutes, the butter will clump and separate from the liquid. Strain and wrap the butter in cheesecloth, then squeeze out the liquid.
Tip: To make perfect rounds, shape flavored butter into a log using parchment paper; wrap and chill, then slice.
Pumpkin
Mash 1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin, 1 stick softened butter, 1/4 teaspoon orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of salt.
Spiced Cranberry
Simmer 1/2 cup cranberries with 1 tablespoon water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 strip lemon zest, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 clove, 6 to 8 minutes. Discard the zest, cinnamon and clove; let cool. Pulse in a food processor with 1 stick softened butter and a pinch of salt.
Bourbon-Raisin
Microwave 1/2 cup raisins with 1 tablespoon bourbon, covered, 45 seconds; let cool. Pulse in a food processor with 1 stick softened butter, 1 tablespoon chopped chives and a pinch of salt.
Sage Brown Butter
Melt 1 stick butter over medium heat and cook until browned. Add 1/4 cup sage and fry 30 seconds; drain on paper towels, then chop. Let the brown butter cool; mash with 1 stick softened butter, the sage and a pinch of salt.
Cook’s Note
The Golden Formula: (for 8 cups of gravy) 1/2 cup fat Use the oil that separates from your turkey drippings. If you don’t have enough, add butter. 1/2 cup flour Cook the flour with the fat to make a roux for thickening the gravy. For a darker gravy, cook the roux longer. (Note: Darker roux has less thickening power.) 8 cups broth Upgrade store-bought broth by simmering it with a sliced onion, a bay leaf, a few sprigs of thyme, parsley and/or sage, and the turkey giblets for about 2 hours. Quick Fixes: Too Thick? Add a splash of water, broth, brandy or bourbon. Too Thin? Mix equal parts flour and soft butter; whisk into boiling gravy. Too Lumpy? Strain the gravy through a fine-mesh sieve.
Center the oven rack; preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
Preparing the cabbage:
Remove the hard core from the cabbage. Then thinly slice or shred the cabbage as for coleslaw. Put the shreds in a large bowl, and sprinkle them with the salt. Toss with your hands to disperse the salt. Then roughly massage the cabbage until it softens and begins to weep moisture (your hands will feel wet) — about 1 minute.
Transfer the cabbage to the prepared baking dish, and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
Making the sauce:
Whisk the eggs in a medium-size bowl. One ingredient at a time, whisk in the mayonnaise and the sour cream (or yogurt). Then add the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and pepper. Whisk vigorously until the batter becomes fairly smooth — about 30 seconds.
Assembling the casserole:
Pour the sauce over the cabbage. Using a spatula, stir the mixture until all of the cabbage is coated. Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese.
Baking the casserole:
Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole puffs and the cheese melts and turns spotty brown — about 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes.
To keep this pumpkin pie recipe sugar-free overall, look for a sugar-free pie crust or make your own crust and leave out the sugar or swap for an artificial sweetener. You could also make a crustless sugar-free pumpkin pie that’s more like a custard. Here’s a pie crust recipe that makes a perfect pastry crust in a pie pan every time.
Try coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk creamer instead of evaporated milk for a dairy-free filling.
Instead of individual spices, feel free to use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for more flavors in the filling.
For a gluten-free pie, use a gluten-free pie shell or make one with gluten-free flour or almond flour.
Advice on Buying Pumpkin Puree
This recipe calls for pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is simply cooked types of squash that have been mashed. Pumpkin pie filling, on the other hand, is pureed pumpkin flesh mixed with spices and sweetener (most likely sugar). You need pumpkin puree for this sugar-free pumpkin pie recipe.
On many pumpkin puree brand labels, you will not find “pumpkin” listed, but you will find pumpkin flavoring and squash. Ok, so pumpkin is a squash but so are butternut, yellow, zucchini, and many others. But do you want squash pie or pumpkin pie?
Buy baking pumpkins and clean and quarter them.
Place the pumpkin pieces in a baking dish and sprinkle over some pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, a small amount of ground cloves, some brown sugar (or sugar substitute), and a few dabs of butter.
Cover with foil and bake at 350°F until the pumpkin is soft but not overcooked.
Mash the pumpkin thoroughly; otherwise, your pie may be a little stringy.
Understand that the color and texture of your “real” pumpkin pie will be somewhat different from a “squash” pie, but your taste buds will thank you.
Should You Pre-Bake the Crust?
If you are not making a crustless sugar-free pumpkin pie and are using a pastry crust, you may want to pre-bake (or partially pre-bake) so it doesn’t get soggy once you add the filling.
Because your pie is in the oven for a long time to allow for the pumpkin filling to set, you should cover the crust edge after about 30 minutes, so it does not burn. You can use a pie crust protector shield or make your own shield by cutting a “halo” out of aluminum foil – click here for a helpful video.
How to Prevent Cracks in Your No Sugar Added Pumpkin Pie
The secret to getting no cracks in your no sugar added pumpkin pie is not to overbake it. It’s a custard – in some ways similar to cheesecake. So, take it out of the oven when it’s still jiggly.
Overbaking will cause cracks and affect the texture. However, if you do end up with cracks, you can always cover them with whipped cream and no one will notice!
To reduce the chance of cracking your low-carb pumpkin pie, you can bake the pie in a water bath.
This may seem like a mundane post to some, but it’s actually one of the most common questions I receive: what is the best way to store bread after baking it? And really, it makes sense: we spend considerable time fussing about with our sourdough starter, preparing a levain, mixing dough and tending to it for hours—and finally, all our work culminates in the oven. But after baking (and eating) there’s still the task of storing the bread, to try and keep it as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
One of the beautiful things about sourdough bread is it will last longer before staling and molding than a commercially yeasted bread
The acidification of the dough by lactic acid bacteria in our sourdough starter and other physical-chemical changes during the breadmaking process help protect against premature bread firming and drying. Additionally, these acids also help prevent molding, and in my experience (and also that of the WSU Bread Lab), usually keep a loaf perfectly edible for a week or more—all without any chemical preservatives.
The Science: from baking to staling
Before we get into solutions for the best way to store bread, we should first briefly talk about stale bread: no one’s favorite, unless we’re making French toast, ribollita, bruschetta, or bread crumbs and croutons, of course. But what happens behind the scenes when the dough is baked, left to cool, and on its way to staleness?
As bread dough is baking, the starch granules (which wheat flour is primarily composed of) gelatinize. When they gelatinize, they swell from the moisture in the dough, and their rigid, crystalline structure transforms into a non-crystalline (amorphous) form (very similar to what happens when you make a tangzhong or yudane). When the baked loaf is removed from the oven, it begins to cool. From this point on, the crust and crumb begin to harden over time as starch (and most significantly, amylopectin) undergo retrogradation, a re-ordering into a crystalline form.
This retrogradation means a hardening of the crumb as moisture moves out from the starches, eventually taking a loaf of bread from soft and pliable to excessively hard and what we identify as stale. Other processes begin to take effect with the crust as well, as it begins drawing moisture out from the crumb into itself, making the crust rugged and leathery.
In general, staling can be reversed somewhat by reheating the bread to sufficient temperature (140°F / 60°C) but it can’t completely reverse the effects of staling, and the results from heating will only last a short time. You can see this directly in your kitchen: reheat a slice of stale bread in the oven or toaster and you’ll think you almost have a slice of fresh-baked bread on your plate—for a few minutes at least.
It’s also worth knowing that doughs containing some percentage of fats (lipids) will typically last longer before staling. The fat present in the dough slows the re-crystallization of the starch granules and reduces the movement of moisture between starches and proteins (de-gelatinization) which causes the crumb to harden.
Staling vs. drying
Note that staling and drying are distinctly different processes at work. Staling can result in a firm, hard loaf of bread but is not necessarily due to the evaporation or loss of water from the crumb and crust, it’s more about the retrogradation process described above. However, drying can also occur and can especially be a problem in arid climates (like where I live in New Mexico).
To avoid excessive drying, it’s important to make sure bread is stored properly (cut-side-down, using a breadbox, etc.—more on this soon, I promise) so it doesn’t prematurely dry to a bone.
Ok, enough science. So how do we put this into practice?
The Practice: Keep Bread Fresh Longer
The following steps are loosely how I take a loaf of my baked bread from the oven, to cooling, to cutting, to long term storage.
Wait to slice bread after baking
Cutting fresh-baked bread too early will result in a gummy and sticky interior .
First and foremost, it’s always best to let fresh bread rest until it’s cool and fully set before slicing. I know, fresh-from-the-oven is hard to resist, but your bread will not only taste better it will keep longer if you wait to cut it for at least an hour—I actually prefer two or more.
The reason goes back to the science behind all of this: starch retrogradation is happening right as the loaf is pulled from the oven, but it hasn’t progressed far enough to firm up and set the interior appropriately. Because of this, slicing a warm loaf of bread too early will result in a gummy and sticky interior.
Further, recipes containing a high percentage of whole grains, especially a 100% whole grain loaf (which are typically highly hydrated), or loaves that are larger (like my 1.5 kg miche), benefit from an even longer rest. In fact, with these types of breads I find their flavor improves 2-3 days after baking.
With rye bread, especially when rye is in a high percentage, it’s common to let the bread rest, wrapped in baker’s linen or a towel, for one or two days before cutting.
After the baked loaf is cooled and fully set, then it’s time to cut.
Store bread cut-side down
Once cool, I first cut the loaf directly down the middle creating two halves (as seen above, right). This way after slicing from the middle I can turn the halves so the crumb is facing the cutting board. This completely surrounds the interior by the (relatively) thick crust, keeping it from drying out excessively. The crust is a natural bag of sorts, keeping moisture in and dryness out.
I can typically keep my bread like this for a day or two (remember, it’s very dry here) on my cutting board, at which point I move it to a breadbox.
Use a breadbox
This is as simple as it gets: just keep your cooled loaves, cut or uncut, in a bread box, and let the box do its job. I’ve had a few different boxes over the years, and when my favorite Wesco German-made box broke (thank my kids for that one) I replaced it with the svelte stainless steel breadbox (seen below) and it works just as well if not better.
I like that it’s rather large (H: 7.3″ x W: 18.2″ x D: 9.8″), and I can easily store 2-3 whole loaves of bread in there at a time. And because I bake so often here at home, I almost always have at least one loaf of bread in the box, ready to be sliced and used straightaway.
Simply place your bread in the wrap and cover tightly. The beeswax lined wrap will deform and wrap around all the nooks and crannies of your loaf as the warmth of your hands mold it to fit.
Paper bags, kitchen towels, and plastic bags
Plain paper bags and kitchen towels also work very well to keep bread from excessively drying. And while many sources say never use a plastic bag, sometimes it might be necessary, especially if your climate demands it so. In the dead of winter here in New Mexico, humidity levels drop so low my lower hydration sourdough bread almost has to be placed in a sealed plastic bag to retain some semblance of a soft texture. In this rare case, a sealed plastic bag is necessary and works well.
Don’t place bread in the refrigerator
Finally, and this is a very important one, don’t store bread in the refrigerator. It might seem counterintuitive since the refrigerator is seen as a food-preserver, but placing your homebaked loaf of bread in the refrigerator will actually cause it to stale faster than if it’s kept at room temperature.
The Practice: Freeze bread for Long Storage
For long term storage, a freezer is a handy option. By subjecting bread to very low temperatures the retrogradation process can be mostly halted, preventing the migration of moisture out of starches and their subsequent recrystallization. This means a cooled loaf can be frozen whole or sliced completely and then the slices are frozen independently (my preference).
First, let’s look at freezing slices.
Freezing Slices
In practice, freezing individual slices of bread is a great way to get the best of both worlds: conveniently sliced bread that can be reheated at a moment’s notice that also keeps for a very long time in the freezer (I’ve done a month or so, but this could probably go longer). When reheated, the bread comes out like freshly baked bread that’s perfectly toasted.
Years ago when I first started baking bread I was on the search for the perfect toaster. After going through a few, I found the Breville Smart Toaster which is the best toaster I’ve found: not only does it take extra long slices (like the ones from sourdough boules or batards) but it has a frozen function that works perfectly to reheat a frozen slice of bread to just the right amount. It’s expensive for a toaster, but the amount of bread I go through here in my kitchen easily justifies the expense.
Upper-left: slice cooled bread thoroughly; upper-right: stack slices in a freezer bag; lower-left: a frozen bag of bread; lower-right: remove slices and reheat in a toaster
The process is simple: once your loaf of bread is cooled thoroughly, slice it completely from end-to-end. Then place the pieces in a freezer Ziploc bag, one on top of the other, in an alternating pattern (place a layer on the bottom from side to side, then place slices on top of the bottom layer turned 90°) and press out as much air as possible. Then, place the bag in the freezer until the slices are fully frozen. At this point, take one or two slices out and reheat them in the toaster to your liking. The plastic freezer bag can be used many times without discarding.
Freezing Whole Loaves
This method uses a little more material to make work, but it’s a great option if you know you’ll want an entire loaf of bread for some use in the future. A good example might be if you bake two loaves at one time, plan to eat one this coming week, but want the second loaf for the week or two after.
Once the baked bread is fully cool, wrap it completely in plastic wrap. Then, take the wrapped loaf and put it into a freezer Ziplock bag. Press out as much air as possible, then stick the bag in the freezer. When you want to eat the bread, take it out to defrost in the fridge for a few days or on the counter overnight. Once it thaws completely, store it on the counter via one of the methods described above.
What Next?
I’d love to hear if you have your own best way to store bread and keep your sourdough fresh. I know here in my kitchen, with the various options for storing and using bread, there’s hardly ever a loaf wasted—and I bake a lot of bread!
If you’re looking for a recipe to get started baking sourdough (and freezing!), check out my latest simple weekday sourdough bread—a delicious bread that couldn’t be easier.
The Perfect Loaf has been helping others learn to bake sourdough bread since 2013, help support the site to continue to grow with more baking guides, recipes, and more. As a member, you’ll receive baker’s perks: Ad-free reading site-wide; Access to a members-only chat to post pictures and receive baking help; access to baking spreadsheets, formula archives, and other baking tools; and baking hardware & supply discounts. Your support is greatly appreciated.
This is a dry rub frequently used by Jeff Smedstad. Usually I make modifications. I’ve not made modifications this this mix, in deference to Jeff’s culinary expertise. Since he did not say the amounts, I’ve created the amounts for each ingredient. Tailor my ingredients to your own tastes.
If you are ever in Sedona, please stop by and visit his resutaurant Elote Cafe in Arizona. It is an experience NOT to be missed.
This is Jeff’s cure that he uses for chicken, fish, pork and beef. If possible, coat meat and refrigerate overnight.
1 TBL Allspice
1 TBL Cumin
1 TBL Dried Ancho Chili powder
1 TBL Granulated Garlic or Garlic Powder
2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Salt
If I were to change anything, it would be for my own particular palate.
I would replace the Ancho Chili with granulated Cayenne Pepper. I would also add 1 TBL onion powder.
FULL INGREDIENTS: 508g All-purpose white flour 203g Russet potato (about 3 medium; baked, riced, cooled) 112g Unsalted butter 91g eggs 25g superfine white sugar 178g whole milk 61g water 11g fine sea salt 183g ripe levain (made with 61g ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration, 61g AP white flour, 61g water; left to ferment for 3 hours at room temp) 🫙 EQUIPMENT 13×18″ plastic sheet pan covers: https://amzn.to/3uduy6s My favorite parchment paper: https://amzn.to/3OE6hhZ All my favorite baking tools: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/my-bak...
These sourdough buns with added potato are the perfect hamburger bun. Extremely soft with enough strength and structure to support anything you might be grilling.
Ingredients
Levain
61g all-purpose white flour
61g water
61g ripe sourdough starter
Main Dough
447g all-purpose white flour
203g potato, russet (about 3 medium; baked, riced, and cooled)
112g butter, unsalted
91g eggs
25g caster sugar
178g whole milk
11g sea salt
183g ripe levain
Egg Wash
1 egg
1 tablespoon whole milk
Topper
A mix of white and black sesame seeds, if desired.
Instructions
Prepare levain and potatoes (8:00 a.m.)
In a small bowl, mix and knead the Levain ingredients. Transfer to a small container, cover, and keep it at a warm temperature for 5 hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F (178°C) with a rack in the middle. Grab three or four potatoes that together weigh at least 300g or so — you will need a little extra to avoid coming in short (I baked 3 and had a little leftover) and scrub the skin clean under running water. Place the whole potatoes into a small roasting pan or dish and, with a fork, prick the skin around the potatoes several times to allow them to breathe during baking. Bake the potatoes for about 1 hour, flipping them halfway through. Remove them from the oven when a knife can easily slide into the center of the potato (internal temp of 208-211°F / 98-99°C). When baked, remove from the oven, skin them and rice them onto a baking sheet to cool.
Mix (11:00 a.m.)
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add all of the Main dough ingredients except the potato and butter (leave the butter at room temp to soften at this time). Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and mix until everything is incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and dough hook and increase to speed 2, mix for 3-5 minutes until the dough begins to cling to the dough hook, and remove from the sides of the bowl. Then, scrape the hook clean, cover the mixing bowl, and let rest for 10 minutes. After the rest, mix on speed 2 for another 2-3 minutes until the dough again begins to cling to the hook. Next, add the room temperature butter, one pat at a time, while the mixer is set to low speed. Once all the butter is added, add half the riced potato and mix on low until incorporated. Then, add the remainder of the potato. Transfer the dough to a container for bulk fermentation.
Bulk fermentation (11:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.)
This dough will need 3 sets of stretches and folds during bulk fermentation where the first set starts after 30 minutes into bulk fermentation and the subsequent sets are at 30-minute intervals. After the third set of stretches and folds, let the dough rest, covered, for the remainder of bulk fermentation.
Divide and shape (2:30 p.m.)
To make shaping easier, place your bulk fermentation container into the fridge for 30 minutes. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. After the dough is chilled, scrape the dough out to a floured work surface and divide into 120g potions. Using floured hands, flour the top of the dough pieces and shape them into tight balls. Place 5 on each baking sheet.
Proof (2:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.)
Cover the baking sheets with large reusable plastic and seal shut and proof for about 2 1/2 hours until the dough has puffed up considerably and is very soft to the touch.
Bake (5:15 p.m., pre-heat oven at 4:45 p.m.)
Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C) with one rack at the bottom third and another at the top third. Make the egg wash: in a medium bowl whisk together one whole egg and 1 tablespoon of whole milk. Whisk until no lumps remain and the mixture is frothy. Uncover your baking sheets and, using a pastry brush, paint on an even layer of the egg wash. Liberally sprinkle on black and white sesame seeds, if desired. Bake the dough for 25-30 minutes until well colored. When baked, remove and let cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, then transfer to wire cooling racks.
Sturdy, light, airy, and absolutely delicious, these homemade sourdough hot dog buns will take your next hot dog to the next level.
Ingredients
Main dough
398g medium-protein bread flour or all-purpose flour
100g whole wheat flour
274g water
55g (one whole egg) egg
50g butter, unsalted
25g caster sugar
9g fine sea salt
139g ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration)
Egg wash
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
Mix (9:00 a.m.)
Cut the butter into 1/2″ pats and let warm to room temperature while mixing the ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the water, flour, sourdough starter, egg, sugar, and salt. Mix on speed 1 for 1 to 2 minutes until the ingredients come together. Increase the mixer to speed 2 and mix for 4 to 5 minutes until the dough starts to strengthen and clump around the dough hook. Let the dough rest in the mixing bowl for 10 minutes. Turn the mixer on to speed 1 and add the room temperature butter, one pat at a time, waiting to add each pat until the previous one is fully absorbed. This is a fairly strong dough, so it won’t take long to add all the butter and the dough to come back together and smooth, somewhere around 3 to 5 minutes.
Bulk fermentation (9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) Transfer the mixed dough to a bulk container and ferment for 3 hours at 75ºF (23°C). Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals.
Chill dough (12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.) Place the covered bulk fermentation container into the fridge for at least 1 hour to thoroughly chill.
Divide and shape rolls (1:30 p.m.) Line a full sheet pan, or two half sheet pans, with parchment paper and set near your work surface. Divide the dough into ten pieces, each weighing 100g. Shape each into a tube about 4-inches long and place them on the prepared sheet pan with space between.
Proof (1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.) Cover the proofing dough with a large, airtight cover ensuring the cover doesn’t contact the dough (grease it with oil if necessary to prevent sticking). Let the dough proof at room temperature for two hours.
Bake (3:45 p.m.) Preheat an empty oven with a rack in the bottom-third to 425°F (220°C). In a small bowl, whisk one whole egg and one tablespoon of whole milk for the egg wash. When the oven is preheated, uncover the dough and brush on a thin layer of the egg wash. Slide the sheet pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After this time, rotate the pan back to front and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Bake for 10 minutes longer until the tops of the buns are golden brown, but the sides are still pale yellow. Once fully baked, remove the buns from the oven and cool them on a wire rack for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing. These buns are fantastic buttered and grilled before serving.
