Bread inspiration comes from many places. I used to dream of bread, squishing dough between my fingers or tossing it into the air and catching it, feeling its weight and texture before tossing it up again, light as air.
It was common in these dreams for loaves to be rising in the background while other things were happening, looking out at the ocean, having an argument with someone, or having a kiss.… Continue reading
by Cheryl Pearson
Up before the hens, my daughter. Just her and the cows in the blue hour. Them tugged of milkweight and loosed to steam like warm loaves in the cold air. Her in an apron, hair pulled into a bun. I know how she works: the way she takes the dough’s wet slack, punches it down into flour.… Continue reading
Who are your bread teachers?
Nina Raginsky asked me this question last week when I chatted with her. Names of book authors came first to mind, but there were far fewer real acquaintances who taught me anything about bread.
I’ve written of my Aunty Betty, my earliest bread teacher.… Continue reading
Nina Raginsky is on to something!
Her Pain Sauvage is nothing short of a revelation, being made without any leavening of any kind. No sourdough, no commercial yeast, just whole flour (and grain meal), water and salt. And it makes the most delicious bread.
Remarkable!
She lives on Salt Spring Island in a 100-year-old house, which she calls her “Maison Sauvage” and tends her garden, which she calls her “Jardin Sauvage.”… Continue reading
Might the humble French baguette be on the verge of a renaissance?
In November 2019, I lamented in a blog post that the venerable baguette might be in decline. Scores of rural French boulangeries were closing. They were unable to compete with megastores like Carrefour and Super-U, which sell TVs and liquor alongside peanut butter and pork sirloin.… Continue reading