“A Bird Came Down the Walk”

The brave new world of Artificial Intelligence — an AI-generated photo from a poem by Emily Dickinson. (Image generated by ChatOn AI)

I recently tried my hand at OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence that has taken the world by storm.

The irony was rich: I still make bread in a wood-fired oven. I guess I’m a holdout for the old ways.… Continue reading

It Starts With Wonder

This commercial has nothing and everything to do with bread!

I was surprised to see a television commercial, recently, for Wonder Bread, the factory produced bread-like product made of pure white flour (along with multiple nutritional supplements and chemical preservatives) and one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Wonder Bread has a place in North American culture.… Continue reading

No-Knead Bread, Revisited

Readers of the New York Times may have noticed that the well-known “No-Knead” bread method is back in the news.

In a May 3 article, the Times food writer, J. Kenji López-Alt, took a look back at the breadmaking method that revolutionized home baking in the early 2000s. It’s a startlingly easy way of making bread that produces excellent results.… Continue reading