An Obsessive’s Quest for Professional Quality Baked Goods from a Home Kitchen
Posted in Lean Doughs, Techniques on Nov 1st, 2010
When I first started learning how to bake bread a few years ago, my goal then, as it is to this day, was to be able to bake breads with superior flavor, texture and aesthetics. Most of the bread books I’d read at the time, as well as most of the professional bakers with whom […]
Posted in Rich Doughs, Techniques on Aug 30th, 2008
Here in the U.S., ciabatta has become the quintessential Italian bread. Characterized by a crisp, flour-dusted crust, a holey interior and a rustic, “slipper-like” shape, ciabatta is ideal for dipping into any one of a number of wonderfully aromatic, herb-infused olive oils. When sliced horizontally, it also makes great sandwiches, the holey crumb providing deep […]
Posted in Rich Doughs, Techniques on Aug 24th, 2008
There’s something about focaccia that I can’t quite put my finger on. People who would normally just pass around the breadbasket at the dinner table without partaking, lunge hungrily at pieces of focaccia when included as part of the breadbasket fare. Perhaps it’s the delicious unctuousness of the surface craters filled with fragrant rosemary oil. Or maybe it’s the […]