🎧 Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 6: Balls & Sticks | Heritage Radio Network

Listened to Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 6: Balls & Sticks by Michael Harlan Turkell from Heritage Radio Network
This is Episode Six of Modernist BreadCrumbs: “Balls & Sticks,” on shapes, scoring, and semiotics.

Balls & sticks. You’ll hear this idiom over and over in this episode, as if we’re talking in circles. The two shapes’ repetitive figures have been a constant in bread’s identity over time, but why?

Modernist BreadCrumbs is a special collaborative podcast series with Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine, that takes a fresh look at one of the oldest staples of the human diet—bread. Although it may seem simple, bread is much more complex than you think.

From the microbes that power fermentation to the economics of growing grain, there’s a story behind every loaf. Each episode will reveal those stories and more, beginning with bread’s surprising and often complicated past, from the perspective of people who are passionate about bread, and shaping its future.

🎧 Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 5: Against the Grain | Heritage Radio Network

Listened to Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 5: Against the Grain by Michael Harlan Turkell from Heritage Radio Network
This is Episode Five of Modernist BreadCrumbs: “Against the Grain,” on politics.

How does bread play a part in politics you ask? Withholding grain has been part of party lines as well as a catalyst of war. Though the fight still continues to bring bread to those impoverished and underfed around the world, we urge you to chew on this: become as active as a sourdough starter, and be part of the bread revolution. Rise up!

Modernist BreadCrumbs is a special collaborative podcast series with Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine, that takes a fresh look at one of the oldest staples of the human diet—bread. Although it may seem simple, bread is much more complex than you think.

From the microbes that power fermentation to the economics of growing grain, there’s a story behind every loaf. Each episode will reveal those stories and more, beginning with bread’s surprising and often complicated past, from the perspective of people who are passionate about bread, and shaping its future.

🎧 Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 7: Thermal Mass | Heritage Radio Network

Listened to Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 7: Thermal Mass by Michael Harlan Turkell from Heritage Radio Network
This is Episode Seven of Modernist BreadCrumbs: “Thermal Mass,” on baking and ovens.

We’ll discuss “thermal mass,” or the ability to absorb and hold heat, in two-parts: within bread itself, and the ovens it’s baked in. It’s a complex physicochemical process… that’s more than just hot air.

Modernist BreadCrumbs is a special collaborative podcast series with Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine, that takes a fresh look at one of the oldest staples of the human diet—bread. Although it may seem simple, bread is much more complex than you think.

From the microbes that power fermentation to the economics of growing grain, there’s a story behind every loaf. Each episode will reveal those stories and more, beginning with bread’s surprising and often complicated past, from the perspective of people who are passionate about bread, and shaping its future.

🎧 Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 4: Milling About | Heritage Radio Network

Listened to Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 4: Milling About by Michael Harlan Turkell from Heritage Radio Network
This is Episode Four of Modernist BreadCrumbs: “Milling About,” History Part II, Pre-Industrialization.

When we look back on how modern baking came to be, it’s the same old story of craft informing art, and how the artisanal approach was replicated through the aid of mechanization. This episode picks up where Episode One left off, telling bread’s life story from All Purpose to Zopf.

Modernist BreadCrumbs is a special collaborative podcast series with Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine, that takes a fresh look at one of the oldest staples of the human diet—bread. Although it may seem simple, bread is much more complex than you think.

From the microbes that power fermentation to the economics of growing grain, there’s a story behind every loaf. Each episode will reveal those stories and more, beginning with bread’s surprising and often complicated past, from the perspective of people who are passionate about bread, and shaping its future.

️ Modernist Bread by Nathan Myhrvold, Francisco Migoya

Wished for Modernist Bread (The Cooking Lab)
Modernist Bread: The Art and Science is a revolutionary new understanding of one of the most important staples of the human diet. Created by the team that published the award-winning Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, this massive treasury of practical knowledge and groundbreaking techniques captures over four years of independent research and collaborations with leading industry professionals; the result is the most in-depth look at bread to date. Stunning photography brings the complete story of bread to life across five volumes—uncover its incredible history, loaves from every corner of the world, and the breath-taking beauty of scientific phenomena at work above and below the crust. In addition, you will discover innovative recipes and techniques developed by the Modernist Cuisine team that have not been published anywhere else. Housed in a sleek stainless steel case, this five-volume set contains more than 1,500 traditional and avant-garde recipes, as well as a wire-bound kitchen manual so that you can easily bring all of the recipes into the kitchen in one compact collection. Spanning over 2,300 pages, Modernist Bread will become an invaluable resource for anyone who has a thirst for knowledge about bread or wants to advance their craft. This book is a call to arms for any baker—whether you are a strict traditionalist, avid modernist, home baker, restaurant chef, or an artisanal baker—to embrace the possibilities of invention and follow your inspiration to make breads in your own way. The Modernist Cuisine team is an interdisciplinary group in Bellevue, Washington, founded by Nathan Myhrvold. The team comprises scientists, research and development chefs, a full editorial and photography department, and business and marketing staff—all dedicated to advancing the science of the culinary arts through creativity and experimentation.
I thought McGee’s 60 page synopsis of milk was interesting, but how is this to compare to a $520.00 treatise on bread that spans over 2,600 pages?

I’m thinking this would be an awesome Christmas present!! Hint, Hint

👓 Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 2: The Great Civilizations of Grain | Heritage Radio Network

Listened to Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 2: The Great Civilizations of Grain by Michael Harlan Turkell from Heritage Radio Network
This is Episode Two of Modernist BreadCrumbs: “The Great Civilizations of Grain,” on grains, flour, and milling.

In this episode, we look inside with a kernel of knowledge, sprout ancient grains, and take a journey through wheat’s history. We could go on for flours.

Modernist BreadCrumbs is a special collaborative podcast series with Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine, that takes a fresh look at one of the oldest staples of the human diet—bread. Although it may seem simple, bread is much more complex than you think.

From the microbes that power fermentation to the economics of growing grain, there’s a story behind every loaf. Each episode will reveal those stories and more, beginning with bread’s surprising and often complicated past, from the perspective of people who are passionate about bread, and shaping its future.

🎧 Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 3: On the Rise | Heritage Radio Network

Listened to Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 3: On the Rise by Michael Harlan Turkell from Heritage Radio Network
This is Episode Three of Modernist BreadCrumbs: “On the Rise,” on yeast, leavening, and fermentation. Here, we observe a microscopic single-celled organism from the fungi kingdom, and its full effect on bread: yeast. How can something so small make such a big impact? When it comes to bread, the proof really is in the proofing.

Modernist BreadCrumbs is a special collaborative podcast series with Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine, that takes a fresh look at one of the oldest staples of the human diet—bread. Although it may seem simple, bread is much more complex than you think.

From the microbes that power fermentation to the economics of growing grain, there’s a story behind every loaf. Each episode will reveal those stories and more, beginning with bread’s surprising and often complicated past, from the perspective of people who are passionate about bread, and shaping its future.

🎧 Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 1: Pre-ferment | Heritage Radio Network

Listened to Modernist BreadCrumbs | Episode 1: Pre-ferment by Michael Harlan Turkell from Heritage Radio Network
This is Episode One of Modernist BreadCrumbs: “Pre-ferment,” on the history of bread. In this episode, we take a look at ancient drawings on cave walls, dig through the ashes of a volcano eruption, and consider the primal evolution of bread as we know it. We hope you’ll loaf it.

Modernist BreadCrumbs is a special collaborative podcast series with Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine, that takes a fresh look at one of the oldest staples of the human diet—bread. Although it may seem simple, bread is much more complex than you think.

From the microbes that power fermentation to the economics of growing grain, there’s a story behind every loaf. Each episode will reveal those stories and more, beginning with bread’s surprising and often complicated past, from the perspective of people who are passionate about bread, and shaping its future.

A podcast right up my alley to be sure. However the first episode is painfully scattered. I know they’re trying to set things up for what looks like a limited series, but this just jumps around far too much. There is no cohesion between the dozens of voices. Will some recur or are they just stopping by? Who are the hosts really? The hosts sound more like ad pitchmen and I expect an advertisement every time I hear their voices.

I hope things pick up significantly after this episode.