Peter Reinhart (Tenspeed Press)Co-founder of the legendary Brother Juniper’s Bakery, author of ten landmark bread books, and distinguished instructor at the world’s largest culinary academy, Peter Reinhart has been a leader in America’s artisanal bread movement for more than thirty years. Never one to be content with yesterday’s baking triumph, however, Peter continues to refine his recipes and techniques in his never-ending quest for extraordinary bread. In this new edition of the award-winning and best-selling The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Peter shares bread breakthroughs arising from his study in France’s famed boulangeries and the always-enlightening time spent in the culinary college kitchen with his students. Peer over Peter’s shoulder as he learns from Paris’s most esteemed bakers, like Lionel Poilâne and Phillippe Gosselin, whose pain à l’ancienne has revolutionized the art of baguette making. Then stand alongside his students in the kitchen as Peter teaches the classic twelve stages of building bread, his clear instructions accompanied by more than 100 step-by-step photographs. You’ll put newfound knowledge into practice with fifty master formulas for such classic breads as rustic ciabatta, hearty pain de campagne, old-school New York bagels, and the book’s Holy Grail—Peter’s version of the famed pain à l’ancienne, as well as three all-new formulas. En route, Peter distills hard science, advanced techniques, and food history into a remarkably accessible and engaging resource that is as rich and multitextured as the loaves you’ll turn out. In this revised edition, he adds metrics and temperature conversion charts, incorporates comprehensive baker’s percentages into the recipes, and updates methods throughout. This is original food writing at its most captivating, teaching at its most inspired and inspiring—and the rewards are some of the best breads under the sun.
@c Marvellous for the intangibles of bread that go beyond weights and measures.
@jeremycherfas Do you have any other bead book favorites?
@c I quite like Dan Lepard although the recipes can be a bit dodgy. And, of course, Hamelman, which is falling apart. Elizabeth David on English Year Cookery is a great historical read.
@jeremycherfas I’m tempted to get the Modernist Bread volumes, but not sure if I’d have the time to study them in proportion to their cost. Theory is always more interesting than actual recipes, particularly as a guide for when a recipe will go off the rails.
@c That’s what libraries are for, though not here. I’m enjoying the podcast to a certain degree, despite having to bite my tongue about 15 times per show. So shoestring …
@jeremycherfas I don’t think I’m as far into it as you are, but I’m having the same tongue-biting issues. I saw your weight note on Fornacalia. 🙂 Their storytelling style isn’t a 10th as strong as yours and it drags things down.
@jeremycherfas Given the surely unlimited budget they’ve got for production, I’m surprised they didn’t do better.
@c Unlimited compared to mine, definitely. But I know nothing about the parent company except that other shows I’ve listened too have also been a bit all over the map. I’m interested enough to keep listening, but do fear for my tongue. All that whole grain stuff didn’t fit.
@jeremycherfas I suspect that this particular production was likely backed by Myhrvold who bankrolled the books. I’ve not yet listened to others in the network yet, though I suspect those are professional, but have much more modest budgets.