Tag: bakeries

The Noble French Baguette Achieves UNESCO Heritage Status

I am here
Warm, light, magical
Under your arm or in your basket
Let me give the rhythm
To your day of idleness or work

– Cécile Piot, French baker and poet, describing the baguette

The iconic French baguette, the elongated loaf of crusty bread, was named last Wednesday to UNESCO’s “intangible cultural heritage” list. The website says the baguette is recognized as part of “the country’s heritage and its importance in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of increasing globalization.”… Continue reading

Confessions of a Would-Be Baker

Feeding the multitudes

I don’t consider myself a professional baker by any means. I’ve never studied a baking program, never worked in a bakery. I’ve learned a few tricks from books, watched a few videos like everyone else. And I’ve learned a bit by doing. Making larger quantities of bread than just a couple of loaves at a time.… Continue reading

The New Bread Basket

New Bread Basket Book Cover

The New Bread Basket by Amy Halloran starts off a little like Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. The taste of a simple cookie, a madeleine, inspires a flood of memories for Proust. In Halloran’s case, an oatmeal ganache cookie, a treat from her husband, awakens a taste for flour and all that was entailed in bringing it to the oatmeal ganache cookie.… Continue reading

An Inspiration in the Early Morning

In the early morning hours, sweeping out the oven, bringing dough baskets down from the fridges … even before the birdsong starts, I listen to bread podcasts to keep my sleepy brain focused.

One, in particular, has become a bit of an obsession for me, The Rise Up Podcast. It’s a celebration of bakers and their bakeries and the communities they serve.… Continue reading