In Search of the Perfect Loaf: A Home Baker's Odyssey"An invaluable guide for beginning bakers." –Sam Sifton, The New York Times In 2009, journalist Samuel Fromartz was offered the assignment of a lifetime: to travel to France to work in a boulangerie. So began his quest to hone not just his homemade baguette—which later beat out professional bakeries to win the “Best Baguette of D.C.”—but his knowledge of bread, from seed to table. For the next four years, Fromartz traveled across the United States and Europe, perfecting his sourdough in California, his whole grain rye in Berlin, and his country wheat in the South of France. Along the way, he met historians, millers, farmers, wheat geneticists, sourdough biochemists, and everyone in between, learning about the history of breadmaking, the science of fermentation, and more. The result is an informative yet personal account of bread and breadbaking, complete with detailed recipes, tips, and beautiful photographs. Entertaining and inspiring, this book will be a touchstone for a new generation of bakers and a must-read for anyone who wants to take a deeper look at this deceptively ordinary, exceptionally delicious staple: handmade bread. |
Contents
California and the Country Loaf | |
Pain de Campagne | |
Recreating a Diverse Grain Pantry | |
Turkey Red Miche | |
Epilogue | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
amylase ancient wheat bacteria baguette baking bread baking sheet baking stone barley began Boulangerie bowl bran bread bakers bread wheat breeding celiac disease Cereal CIMMYT counter crop crumb crust Cucugnan Delmontel diversity dough dough scraper einkorn emmer wheat enzymes farm farmers feed fermentation Feuillas flatbread flavor fold the dough French Fromartz genetic gliadin gluten Göbekli Tepe grams water grapes Hamelman hand Heinz home baker hydration ingredients Jewish Jim Lahey Kaplan kernel kitchen lactic acid lactic acid bacteria landrace leaven let the dough levain loaf loaves looked method mixer modern wheat organic Paris percent Pichard plant plastic protein recipe refrigerator rise rye flour salt seed shape slash sourdough starter spelt starch stone mill sugar Tartine taste technique temperature told took towel Weichardt wheat varieties white flour whole grain whole wheat flour wild yeast wood-fired ovens Zakowski