Atomic Bread Making At Home is an in-depth article covering the ingredients, manufacture, and chemistry of; market research into; and social impact of the 1950's-era USDA No.1 white pan loaf.
posted by TheDonF
on Feb 7, 2012 -
23 comments
"Long ago Occidental man acquired a definite preference for raised bread instead of cooked cereals and flat breads. Bread reigned over the ancient world; no food before or after exerted such mastery over man. The Egyptians, who invented it, based their entire administrative system on it; the Jews made bread the starting point of their religious and social laws. The Greeks created profound and solemn legends for their Bread Church of Eleusis. And the Romans converted bread into a political factor. They ruled by it, conquered an entire world by it, and lost the world again through it. At last the day came when Jesus Christ made consummate all the spiritual significance that had become attached to it, saying, 'Eat! I am the bread.'" (
Reinhart,
Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History). (Google Books)
The Romans ruled through bread and circuses; "bread" (and "dough") are money, and the "bread-winner" is the head of the household. The next big invention is always "the greatest thing since sliced bread" Wheat, Rye, Brioche, Challah, Matzo, Limpa--a look inside the long and fascinating history of bread.
[more inside]
posted by kittenmarlowe
on Oct 24, 2011 -
55 comments
Cool little video profile of Chad Robertson, co-owner, with his wife, Elisabeth Prueitt, of San Francisco's Tartine bakery. Chad is obsessed with
bread.
[more inside]
posted by AceRock
on Dec 10, 2010 -
16 comments
"When you squeeze it, its golden brown crust should crackle and even sing. Its aroma should be a little bit sweet, a little bit toasty. There should be a good marriage between its crust and its interior crumb. When the crumb is pressed, it should spring back rapidly. Its color should be off-white and its cavities widely distributed and uneven in size. Its nutty, buttery taste should be both sweet and savory - like a good chardonnay.” Bread expert and Cornell prof
Steven Kaplan talks with Conan, to pretty hilarious effect, about his
latest book.
You may have to snoop around the NBC site - I couldn't find a direct link. The man is really into
baguettes. He's given a few entertaining
radio interviews as
well, and a New York magazine
profile of him features a list of his
six favorite NYC baguettes.
If you don't have a great bakery nearby, you can
try your
hand at
home.
Bonus Game:
Balance the Baguette! (from a previous post)
posted by jtajta
on Feb 24, 2007 -
22 comments
Bread is dangerous Research on bread indicates that: More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days. (More research inside)
posted by growabrain
on Apr 19, 2005 -
34 comments
"Salt rising bread is, when at it's best, as if a delicately reared, unsweetened plain cake had had an affair with a Pont l'Eveque cheese."
There's even a
mystery to go along with your (cheese-flavored) bread.
posted by scrim
on Nov 26, 2004 -
10 comments
Due to temporary budget shortfalls, I find myself spending my Saturdays elbow deep in breadmaking.
Sourdough bread is perhaps one of the most primal forms of bread relying an an artificial ecosystem of
hundreds of different bacteria and yeasts to digest grain flours and produce gas. The souring of the dough has
complex effects on the flavor of the resulting bread and is necessary for low-protein flours such as rye. Free starter cultures can be obtained from the
friends of Carl who continue his tradition of mailing his culture to anyone who sent a self-addressed stamped envelope. You can buy
cultures from around the world, but if you want to live dangerously, you can cultivate your own by just using a mixture of flour and water relying on microbial flora growing on the flour. Sourdough in some ways puts the art of hacking
back into breadmaking because it requires a deeper understanding of what is going on beyond just throwing a set of dry and wet ingredients into a bread machine.
Which could explain why I'm still lucky to get something other than a brick. But like beermaking, the DIY satisfaction makes up for many flaws in the final product. (And on final edit, I can't get away with making this post without the obligatory link to the
sourdough faqs.
posted by KirkJobSluder
on Jul 3, 2004 -
32 comments
Up to
35 million Americans are on a low-carb diet. Food manufacturers have responded with
more than 600 new low-carb products this year. Restaurants are altering their menus.
Online communities are springing up to share information about the low-carb lifestyle. With this big target market, how hard will corporations push to expand the low-carb movement? Do the
health warnings about the diet foretell an increase in medical problems, or will we see a generation of healthy, slender, pork-rind chomping families?
posted by neuroshred
on Dec 17, 2003 -
30 comments
The BBC Is Looking For The Best Sandwich In The World: Can you help? Sandwiches are supposedly easy but, come to think of it,
perfect sandwiches are actually quite difficult to invent and produce. Bread gets wet; lettuce wilts; flavours and textures clash. Personally, I like English
tea sandwiches best; though the
Mediterranean versions are a meal in themselves. But if you had to stake your life and reputation on one fulfilling and tastebud-enticing sandwich, which one would it be? To go.
posted by MiguelCardoso
on Sep 6, 2003 -
63 comments
http://www.Breadhours.org A group of over 300 residents and merchants in California’s Bay Area has established a local currency called BREAD (a rough acronym for Bay Area Regional Exchange and Development), based on hours of work valued at $12 an hour. Through the BREAD network, which now has over $20,000 worth of currency in circulation, members can pay for dinner, carpentry, childcare, tutoring, clerical assistance or organic produce. Tired of traditional activism, founder Miyoko Sakashita wanted to create a positive local economy and “stop our resources from supporting global corporations that are not accountable to people and the environment.” Check it out at Breadhours.org
posted by bureaustyle
on Mar 15, 2003 -
28 comments
The Upper Crust Of Bread: What happens when the greatest
bread-maker in
France, Lionel Poilâne, talks to America's
finest baker, Peter Reinhart, and her most fanatical
bread-taster, Edward Behr? I'll tell you what: a scrumptious, crackling and very knowledgeable conversation about the the wonders of the
baguette, the complexities of simple bread and the
deliciousness [
"Forgiveness for mistranslations"] of
the staff of life in general. Last year, for the first time ever, an
American baker beat the French competition to win the "Best Bread in the World" award. Will what recently happened with wine in the New World now happen with
bread? Will the Americans [
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches notwithstanding] begin abandoning industrial, pre-sliced and sweetened white bread, just as Europe increasingly and depressingly
succumbs to it? [
Main link requires Real Audio.].
posted by MiguelCardoso
on Nov 23, 2002 -
29 comments
Cancer and Carbohydrates (per FT) may be closely linked according to recent international study - and not just any carbohydrates but those that are our favorites - deep fried potatoes, rice, and bread all may contain high levels of cancer causing acrylamides. What's your average carb eater to do?
posted by zia
on Apr 26, 2002 -
13 comments
Jesus! In The Raisin Bread? What Kinda Holy Communion Is That?! Better read
Helen Hull Hitchcock's fascinating column on
Catholic.net to find out: "
In recent months Catholics from around the country have been reporting with increasing frequency that their parishes are using "real" bread (i.e. table bread) instead of Communion hosts. Many are concerned that the validity of the Mass is affected. "Have I really received Christ?" is a frequent question. Are they right to be concerned? You bet...So, have progressive Catholics gone
too far? And what does the
Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, known to all as
IGMR, have to say about
that?
posted by MiguelCardoso
on Apr 2, 2002 -
53 comments
