An Obsessive’s Quest for Professional Quality Baked Goods from a Home Kitchen
Posted in Lean Doughs on Jul 4th, 2010
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sampling a piece of halvah, that sweet, dense and crumbly sesame seed-based confection, then you’ll understand why I’ve been enamored of sesame flavor since childhood. �Sesame seeds and bread are a classic combination. �Whether sprinkled on top of a loaf, as in the quintessential sesame bread Scali, or […]
Posted in Lean Doughs on Aug 2nd, 2008
When it comes to pain au levain, I have to admit that I am a bit of a snob. Why else would I call it pain au levain rather than sourdough bread, as most people do? I’ve never much cared�for the name “sourdough”. Once something carries that moniker, all sorts of lip-puckering, eye-watering attributes are […]
Posted in Rich Doughs, Techniques on Jul 26th, 2008
Whether it be the crisp, light crust of an authentic Neapolitan, the thick, focaccia-like crust of a Sicilian or the crunchy,�chewy crust of a New York-style, pizza is one of the few foods that is�almost universally loved.��As a “breadie”, I judge the quality of a pizza by its�crust; the texture of the crust should be […]
Posted in Techniques on Jul 20th, 2008
While bread�leavened with�baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is�an integral part of any�baker’s repertoire, that repertoire would be incomplete without the complex flavors�that can only come from naturally leavened bread.� Known as sourdough�bread here in the U.S.,�this type of bread�relies on the wild yeast and bacteria naturally present on the grain to�provide both leavening and a�unique, mildly�acidic […]