No one can remain totally indifferent to the pleasure of passing a bakery and encountering that delicate and slightly inebriating fragrance that soothes the soul: fresh-baked bread. Despite the olfactory lift, the quality of the bread we are offered is not always top notch and so many have returned to home baking. It true that one needs to overcome an initial resistance (one more thing to do!), but the effort is so rewarding that few return to pre-packaged loaves.
This task that seems a bit antiquated and borders on the micromanaging of diet and nutrition was, up until a few decades ago, part of the daily or weekly domestic routine for most italian families. Yesterday’s “chore” is today’s “choice” with many returning to more natural forms of provisioning though curiously these are celebrated as “discoveries”. We now term “organic” what was, up until the post-war period, a standard agricultural product; we’ve given the term “home-made” a gravitas it never possessed when the domestic production of many foods was the norm; the adjectives “artisanal” and “curated” put in overtime in an attempt to lend a certain cachet to foods that are not mass-produced, but are certainly not “home-made” in the literal sense of the term.
Linguistic attempts to forge a new identity for age-old methods of food production are integral to getting a new audience interested in what their grandparents already know or, more cynically put, the communication that drives consumerism is draconian in its conformity and relentless in its mission. There is nothing new in the kitchen and what there is must be re-marketed for each successive generation of cooks. Home-baked bread is “new” again.
Aided more by the global economic crisis than the competitive cooking shows that are capable of inducing performance anxiety about boiling an egg, home bread baking is rewarding on more than a nutritional level. “Eco-friendly”, trendy and with an end-product that is easily gifted, it possesses a “social” element that renders it perfect for the “community” fostered by the blogosphere and on-line forums. Fortunately, it’s also healthy, deeply rooted in Italian cultural heritage and fun. So, why not bake?
Among the many books intent on guiding us through the process of bread making Bibliotheca Culinaria’s newly reprinted Pane from Richard Bertinet is particularly helpful. A French-born baker now living in the U.K., Bertinet is a prolific author and popular teacher with a no-nonsense approach. His book contains a detailed introduction to basic materials and classic techniques and offers detailed instructions for producing five basic types of dough that are the basis for more than 50 different breads or leavened sweets. Richly illustrated with step-by-step photos, this is a book that will quickly get the neophyte up to speed for everyday production but with enough innovation to offer even experienced bakers recipes for some truly delicious breads.
The Aroma of Fresh-Baked Bread
No one can remain totally indifferent to the pleasure of passing a bakery and encountering that delicate and slightly inebriating fragrance that soothes the soul: fresh-baked bread. Despite the olfactory lift, the quality of the bread we are offered is not always top notch and so many have returned to home baking. It true that one needs to overcome an initial resistance (one more thing to do!), but the effort is so rewarding that few return to pre-packaged loaves.
This task that seems a bit antiquated and borders on the micromanaging of diet and nutrition was, up until a few decades ago, part of the daily or weekly domestic routine for most italian families. Yesterday’s “chore” is today’s “choice” with many returning to more natural forms of provisioning though curiously these are celebrated as “discoveries”. We now term “organic” what was, up until the post-war period, a standard agricultural product; we’ve given the term “home-made” a gravitas it never possessed when the domestic production of many foods was the norm; the adjectives “artisanal” and “curated” put in overtime in an attempt to lend a certain cachet to foods that are not mass-produced, but are certainly not “home-made” in the literal sense of the term.
Linguistic attempts to forge a new identity for age-old methods of food production are integral to getting a new audience interested in what their grandparents already know or, more cynically put, the communication that drives consumerism is draconian in its conformity and relentless in its mission. There is nothing new in the kitchen and what there is must be re-marketed for each successive generation of cooks. Home-baked bread is “new” again.
Aided more by the global economic crisis than the competitive cooking shows that are capable of inducing performance anxiety about boiling an egg, home bread baking is rewarding on more than a nutritional level. “Eco-friendly”, trendy and with an end-product that is easily gifted, it possesses a “social” element that renders it perfect for the “community” fostered by the blogosphere and on-line forums. Fortunately, it’s also healthy, deeply rooted in Italian cultural heritage and fun. So, why not bake?
Among the many books intent on guiding us through the process of bread making Bibliotheca Culinaria’s newly reprinted Pane from Richard Bertinet is particularly helpful. A French-born baker now living in the U.K., Bertinet is a prolific author and popular teacher with a no-nonsense approach. His book contains a detailed introduction to basic materials and classic techniques and offers detailed instructions for producing five basic types of dough that are the basis for more than 50 different breads or leavened sweets. Richly illustrated with step-by-step photos, this is a book that will quickly get the neophyte up to speed for everyday production but with enough innovation to offer even experienced bakers recipes for some truly delicious breads.