Bread teaches us patience. We have to wait for yeast to activate; then slowly mix and knead the bread dough to develop gluten strands, which create an internal structure capable of rising. Next, the dough must ferment or “proof”; and then we have to wait for it to bake in the oven while a shiny, crispy crust grows distinct from the tender, yeasty crumb underneath. Bread, through all these phases, can calm the restless mind. These days, we have many worries, but we need not worry about having fresh bread. With just a little flour (get some on your next grocery run if you can!) and water, you can make a yeast starter, and then you’ll always have leavening power for your homemade sourdough bread. As you develop your wild yeast starter, you’ll often pour some out. This is known as “discard” and makes great Sourdough Crackers (no waste!).
Students at Berkshire Mountain Bakery
This is all fresh in my mind not just because the global coronavirus quarantine has us all looking for soothing comforts (and I search every day). But also because I recently taught a weeklong course on artisan bread-baking at Berkshire School, my alma mater. The first thing my students and I agreed upon (via a focused bread-and-bagel tasting) is that artisan bread tastes better than commercial bread. The texture is chewier, often with a crisp crust and a soft crumb – a combo you just won’t get from a packaged sandwich loaf. We had a long chat about the triumphs and hazards of the corporate food system. While there is a purpose for those convenient loaves of commercial bread (they get many people fed, and maybe they ward off fear – I’m currently happy to have one in my freezer), freshly-made artisan bread is a complex, dynamic marriage of yeast, whole grains, kneading, and know-how. It is different; it has more flavor, more nutrition, and some might say more integrity.
Artisan Bread
The highlight of our adventure was a field trip to Berkshire Mountain Bakery, where Chef Richard Bourdon’s old-world techniques have sustained a thriving and renowned artisan bread business for decades. He and his staff showed us some serious know-how.
Once you get the elements of bread-making, you can expand to Ciabatta, Parker House Rolls, Whole Wheat, Multigrain, and more. Fancy some Pumpernickel with sunflower seeds? Add a few handfuls of nuts and seeds to this recipe:
All these recipes are available in A BAKER’S PASSPORT– all fine for beginners. Good news: bread tutorials from San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery on Instagram here. Here are some advanced bread videos, too, and here are links to excellent recipes by favorite bread book authors:
And, from the archives, remember the days when we easily bought fresh bread at farmers’ markets? I sure love my homemade bread, but #IMissMyMarkets.
HARVEST: Farmers’ Markets at their Finest
April 15, 2020
Wow, this is wonderful. And the videos are extra helpful, so much better as instruction than traditional recipes. I don’t know which are more delightful, the pictures of the kids, especially the Lacrosse Team player, so intent on this new skill, or the beautiful crusty breads that are the reward to the baker. What an uplifting and cheerful posting at this scary and isolating time. It reminds us of the simply pleasures that come from staying home, spending time with our families and leaving the world and all its terrible problems beyond the door. Thank you for reminding us of this.
April 16, 2020
Thank you, Philip! Bread can transport us to a better place somehow, it’s true.
April 15, 2020
I’ve got to try the sourdough starter. Brilliant 🙂
April 16, 2020
Oh, and some of my readers are really curious about sourdough starters now. Technically, they are “wild yeast” starters because they collect yeast that naturally occurs in the air. Strange times to think of these microbes, but breadmaking and science class should be taught together more often. Even with this simple formula, you can develop a wild yeaster starter for more complex bread at home:
1 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour (unbleached)
3/4 cup water
Mix these two together in a glass jar or bowl, then add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water everday. For a boost, add in about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs from your last loaf or store-bought bread that has been around your kitchen for a while….gather wild yeast.
April 16, 2020
Of course, you are a culinary trendsetter! I think it interesting as a metaphor that we capture the ‘starter’ from the air at this time. Maybe that is the hopeful root or just a need for that warm toothy tang beneath the crust. To be honest, I ate an entire loaf of sourdough with my cioppino last week–some bites well-buttered and some dunked in the fish stew. That big pot recipe pretty much cleaned out the freezer of any leftover scallops, shrimp and cod, as well as the cupboard for clams and clam juice. I’ve avoided the store for several weeks but I think it’s time. So, what’s for dinner tonight?
April 16, 2020
Now I want some of that cioppino!
April 16, 2020
The video is fantastic. I just watched it. I don’t know how I missed. It was perfection. Congratulations.
April 17, 2020
Ooo, the one one the home page! So glad you liked it, Miss Tracy!
April 16, 2020
Just seeing all this is a comfort right now, whether or not one is even able to FIND the flour! Thanks so much, dear Gypsy. You have lit up my day.
April 20, 2020
yummmm. I’ve been making sourdough for the first time! It’s been such a delight… remember when gluten was “bad”? Now I spend inordinate amounts of time refining my techniques to improve the gluten structures of my bread!