Enriched Dough
Sourdough Babka
This sweet and sticky sourdough babka is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.
March 30, 2020
Maurizio Leo
Maurizio Leo is the creator of The Perfect Loaf, the leading independent resource for baking sourdough bread and pizza at home, and the James Beard Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Loaf and The Perfect Pizza. He lives in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife and two sons, and he's been labeled "Bob Ross but for bread." Read his full story →
Expertise
- Maurizio is the author of two cookbooks: The Perfect Loaf (2022), winner of the 2023 James Beard Foundation Book Award and the 2023 IACP Cookbook Award and a New York Times bestseller, and The Perfect Pizza (2026), his follow-up on sourdough pizza and focaccia.
- He has baked and written about naturally leavened bread daily since founding The Perfect Loaf in 2013—the site won Saveur Blog Awards in 2016 and 2018 and was a 2019 Webby nominee.
- His work and recipes have been featured by The New York Times, Food52, King Arthur Baking, WIRED, Food & Wine, and TASTE.
- Maurizio is primarily a self-taught baker, though he has since taken professional-level baking courses at École Internationale de Boulangerie in France, The San Francisco Baking Institute, and at the WSU Bread Lab with King Arthur in Washington State.
- He hosts small-group bread travel and workshops, most recently in western Sicily.
Background
Maurizio grew up in his family’s Italian restaurant, Mimmo’s Ristorante, in Albuquerque, where his father’s pizza dough was his first education in fermentation. He took the long way back: after obtaining a master’s degree in computer science and years as a software engineer, he founded The Perfect Loaf in 2013. While he loves the craft and creativitiy of making bread and pizza, his engineering side still shows through in every recipe on the site. Each recipe is thoroughly tested over many iterations in his home kitchen, with dough temperatures, fermentation times, and results logged before anything is published. He wrote his first cookbook, The Perfect Loaf, after nearly a decade of working with dough. The James Beard Foundation named it the best bread book of 2023 and it won an IACP award the same year. He lives in Albuquerque with his wife and two sons and bakes and writes for The Perfect Loaf.
Read the full story on the About page →
5 Quick Things About Maurizio
- The sourdough starter I use for baking is the very same one I created in 2012
- No, my sourdough starter doesn’t have a name (though it’s definitely a family member at this point)
- I’m unusually obsessed with temperature
- I love traveling and find myself in a different country at least a few times a year (usually in search of great bread)
- He’s been called the “Bob Ross of Bread”
Posts by Maurizio Leo
Sourdough Starter
Keeping a Smaller Sourdough Starter to Reduce Waste
How to maintain a smaller sourdough starter to reduce discard waste.
March 22, 2020
Sourdough Guides
The Best Way to Store Bread
A roundup of methods to keep your bread fresh for longer.
March 16, 2020
Sourdough for Beginners
Simple Weekday Sourdough Bread
A simple recipe for baking sourdough bread during a busy workweek.
January 30, 2020
Ancient Grain
Spelt, Rye, and Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
A trio of delicious grains for a hearty and wholesome loaf.
January 9, 2020
Other Food
How to Make Canelé
My recipe and process for making one truly exquisite French pastry.
November 18, 2019
Ancient Grain
Whole Grain Spelt Pan Loaf
Spelt found its way into my baking rotation ages ago and has since become a regular.
October 10, 2019
Freshly Milled Flour
Malted Wheat Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread using sprouted and milled whole barley.
July 30, 2019
Freshly Milled Flour
Honey Whole Wheat and Barley Pan Loaf
A pan loaf with subtle sweetness from honey and a soft texture from a barley porridge.
July 2, 2019
Specialty Ingredient
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough
Cinnamon and raisins mixed into a dough for one tasty loaf.
May 30, 2019
Sourdough for Beginners
Sourdough Fougasse
Soft, chewy, and delicate, but with a hefty crunch.
April 19, 2019
Sourdough for Beginners
Pain de Mie Sandwich Bread (With Video)
Super soft. A touch sweet. Incredibly delicious. The perfect bread for toast.
March 17, 2019
Sourdough Guides
How To Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven
How to effectively steam your bread dough while baking.
January 11, 2019
High Hydration
A Simple Sourdough Focaccia
Perhaps one of the greatest foods in existence; get ready to impress.
November 30, 2018
Other Food
Seriously Soft Sourdough Pretzel Recipe (With Video)
Tender, chewy, and perfect for dunking in cheese or mustard.
October 3, 2018
Specialty Shape
Sourdough Ciabatta Bread Recipe
Light and airy, your new go-to bread for sandwiches.
August 21, 2018
Ancient Grain
Einkorn Sourdough Bread
Sourdough made with healthy and delicious einkorn wheat.
June 13, 2018
Pan Bread
Whole Grain Wheat and Spelt Pan Bread
A whole-grain pan loaf that makes for some healthy and delicious toast.
April 27, 2018
Recipes
Naturally Leavened Bomboloni (Doughnuts)
Light. Airy. Tender. Certainly the best doughnuts to come out of my kitchen.
March 23, 2018
Sourdough Guides
How to Store a Sourdough Starter (Without Feeding It)
Keep your starter healthy even when you’re not using it.
February 22, 2018
Sourdough for Beginners
The Importance of Dough Temperature in Baking
Temperature control equals great bread.
December 9, 2017
Ancient Grain
Einkorn Miche Bread Recipe
A big, deeply-flavored loaf with a dark crust and tender crumb—perfect for large gatherings.
October 25, 2017
Freshly Milled Flour
Kamut Demi-Baguettes
Delicious baguettes, with a khorasan twist.
September 13, 2017
Sourdough Pizza
A More Whole Wheat Sourdough Pizza Dough
A recipe for a sourdough pizza dough with a bit more whole wheat flour for added nutrition and flavor.
August 30, 2017
Enriched Dough
Brioche Hamburger Buns
Tender, wholesome, and a little buttery, these buns will level up the BBQ.
June 29, 2017
Best Baking Tools
Build Your Own Dough Retarder
Over the numerous years I’ve baked bread, and the countless nights my dough has proofed overnight in the family fridge, there have been (so many)
June 19, 2017
Specialty Ingredient
Sourdough Potato Bread
A hearty sourdough bread with added roasted potato and rosemary.
May 23, 2017
Sourdough Guides
Weekend Bread Baking Schedule
An example schedule on how to maintain your starter during the week and bake bread on the weekend.
April 14, 2017
Specialty Ingredient
Sour Cherry, Toasted Pecan, and Buckwheat Levain
Buckwheat brings extra flavor to this classic fruit and nut combination.
March 3, 2017