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Monthly Archive for July, 2008

New York-Style Pizza

Whether it be the crisp, light crust of an authentic Neapolitan, the thick, focaccia-like crust of a Sicilian or the crunchy, chewy crust of a New York-style, pizza is one of the few foods that is almost universally loved.  As a “breadie”, I judge the quality of a pizza by its crust; the texture of the crust should be […]

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Starting a Starter

While bread leavened with baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is an integral part of any baker’s repertoire, that repertoire would be incomplete without the complex flavors that can only come from naturally leavened bread.  Known as sourdough bread here in the U.S., this type of bread relies on the wild yeast and bacteria naturally present on the grain to provide both leavening and a unique, mildly acidic […]

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Cinnamon Raisin Bread

If I had to choose one bread whose aroma while baking consistently makes my mouth water, it would have to be cinnamon raisin bread. Unlike baguettes or pan de campagne, which are made from lean doughs (i.e., doughs with little or no fat), cinnamon raisin bread is made from a rich dough. The fat used […]

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Pain de Campagne

Pain de campagne, or “country bread”, is bread baked in the style of the rustic loaves found throughout the French countryside.  There really is no one correct way to bake a pain de campagne loaf; the formulae are as varied as the traditional ways of shaping the loaves.  Pain de campagne can be made with a natural leaven […]

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