i have tried to make bread so many times. i simply do not have the patience nor do i have the technical mind that it requires. i like to add a dash of this a dash of that. you simply can’t do that with bread. it’s science.
joe on the other hand loves making bread. we took a class together in italy and i think he finally found something he enjoys helping with in the kitchen. maybe it was that bread requires patience and preciseness or maybe he just really really wants his toast and jam in the morning. either way he has learned techniques along the way and i thought i would share with you some of our favorite resources for bread making.
lets start with books. there are two books that we use quite a bit when in comes to bread making.
the larousse book of bread – i would have to say this is the one joe uses the most. it has everything you could possibly need to know about baking bread of all kinds. it even gets into the nitty gritty of temps, humidity etc.
beard on bread – ah james beard. i was reading provence 1970 and it talked in great detail how beard was writing this book with julie child checking in every now and then. this book is very simple and direct. it was written in the 70’s geared towards the home cook so you will find no strange words/techniques listed without ample instruction and explanation.
web and magazine sources
king arthur flour – this website is PACKED full of not only information, but every single accessory, special flour and gadget you “knead” (see what i did there) to bake some beautiful loaves at home. while truly you can make bread from things you already have at home there is just a few added accessories that might make it a bit easier. (oh and you can buy a sourdough starter)
sift magazine – this is a wonderful magazine produced by king arthur flour. i love the GORGEOUS photos and it has wonderful simple bread recipes (in addition to cakes, cookies etc). this is more of a recipe/inspiration source but it was too beautiful to leave out.
tool sources
freckled farmhouse – i bought this amazing bread cloche to help simulate a professional bread oven by trapping steam and getting that perfect crust. joe uses this almost every time now that he is baking bread. the exception being baugettes and longer loaves.
sur la table – ok first i’m so excited that we finally have one of these in grand rapids. SO excited. but second this is a great resource for pans, molds etc. if you sign up for their emails you get a nice steady stream of sale alerts and discounts. and who doesn’t love those.
webstaraunt store – if you can’t find it anywhere else you can certainly find it here. if i wasn’t scared from my subway baking days i might invest in some of these silicone bread trays.
i hope you give it a try even just starting with something simple like a pizza crust! if all goes wrong just make sure you have a frozen loaf from the grocery store on hand. nobody will know the difference and i won’t tell. ps. can you tell by joe’s face how thrilled he is to be on the blog today?
thank you for the recipe and keep up the good work.