A new blog? Yes! It’s not about books? No. It’s about my other passion - food.
How do I start this out? How about my love affair with bread. And no, I didn’t just discover it recently. I, like so many of you, have been eating the stuff since childhood, but that relationship became a whole lot more serious recently. But why, when, and how?
Let me tell you.
It was a dark and stormy day. Probably not, but it sound good. Any who, it was July 17th 2018. I stumbled across a cookbook on Amazon. The book? Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza [A Cookbook] by the awesome Ken Forkish. (Book pictured behind my very first attempt) Yes, The cover drew me in. I judged this book almost completely by its cover.
Now I’d already wanted to try my hand at making homemade bread before I found this book, but purchased it on impulse and hoped it would A: provide a grassroots map to follow and B: look awesome on my coffee table. Luckily, it did both.
I started reading right after I received it and found Flour Water Salt Yeast one of the most readable cookbooks I’d ever had. Ken has an incredibly approachable style that melds personal experience with direction. In other words, he’s a pretty darn good teacher. I made the Saturday White Bread first, as it was a bread that used dry yeast and could be made and baked all in a single day. I wasn’t quite ready for the more advanced breads like sour doughs, poolish, or brioche.
Some people on Amazon reviewed the book negatively, for no better reason than they disagree with his method. You can tell these people aren’t novices either. What I learned early on is this: you will undoubtedly learn either from a cookbook, online videos, or recipes. As you continue to practice, you will start to take liberties with both the recipe and the approach. Subtle differences in hydration level or types of flour can make noticeable differences in dough workability or flavor. Baking time covered versus uncovered can also help you modify the amount of rise versus the color and texture of the crust. Books like Flour Water Salt Yeast helps teach you the basics, giving you a jumping off point, and from there, it really does become your story.
You could say I had a blast with my first artisan bread attempt, following the instruction step-by-step, and experiencing the joy that is pulling your first loaf out of a 500 degree cast iron Dutch oven. When they say the smell of fresh bread is amazing, they aren’t joking. There is also the sound-a subtle but joyful crackling and popping as the loaf cools. It really is a magical experience.
If you’re interested in trying your hand at baking your own artisan bread, there are a few tools and techniques I’d recommend acquiring first. Firstly, and this might be because I’m a book guy. I would highly recommend getting a book on baking bread. Why? For starters, it helps to understand the steps of the process, but unlike the average “How-to” video on YouTube, most instructional books will help you understand why they are important. With that knowledge, it is easier to refine your own approach and keep you from skipping them in the future. For example, why autolysis is important for some forms of bread, how to fold, fold and stretch, or knead, and what really separates the wide variety of flours available at your local supermarket.
If you decide to pick up a copy of Ken’s book, I highly recommend following him on his YouTube channel (Ken’s Artisan) as it really does help to see some of these techniques in action, and it services as a wonderful tool when used to supplement the written form.
Tools. Yes. Give these things strong consideration. Some of these things I either already had, or purchased quickly (and wished I had at the beginning).
For starters, make sure you have a nice quality cast iron Dutch oven. Here is one of mine in action…
Why a Dutch oven? Simply put, if you don’t have a fancy steam injection oven, you’re going to want to invest in one of these. Cast iron, although it heats more slowly, heats more evenly. It also holds up to higher temperatures better than thinner metals and alloys. When baking, you will thoroughly preheat the Dutch oven. Once hot, drop in the dough, replace the cover and bake. Covering the vessel ensures that the escaping moisture is trapped as steam, adding a secondary cooking element. For a person that doesn’t have an expensive oven with a steam feature, a cast iron Dutch oven is an great alternative.
Next, and one could argue almost as important, a good set of bench and dough scrapers. This is the set I purchased and like them very much. But why scrapers? Specifically, they change how you handle the dough. This set includes a curved scraper perfectly suited for helping the dough out of a mixing bowl, a straight scraper ideal for picking it up off a working surface or cleaning that surface off, and a metal dough knife which you can use to cut and size portions when shaping and preparing to bake. The last thing you want to do is get stuck trying to peel your dough off an under-floured work service, and ironically, fingers and hands don’t work that well. Bench scrapers help prevent a lot of headaches.
Get a good scale.
Something like this.
Last, but far from least, is a good kitchen scale. Why? There is a reason why bread bakers use weight over volume. Simply put, it is just more reliable. Measuring food goods like flour by volume doesn’t account for air. Yes, you can sift it, but that only helps so much. Teaching yourself early to measure and proportion by weight is a great way to bypass some problems. It also makes the process significantly easier. Hydration level is key when making bread, as it will not only control the density of the finished product, but will also directly control how easy that dough is to work when kneading, stretching and folding, or whatever gluten development technique that recipe, or your mood, calls for. For example. If you know that 800 grams of flour (could be a single use flour, or combination of AP, Bread, Rye, white wheat, dark wheat, etc) and your desired hydration level is 78%, then the math is easy. 78% of 800 grams is 624. Measure out 624 grams of water by weight and boom. Done. Can you portion by volume? Yes. But you have to understand that volume and weight are two different things. 6 cups of sifted flour could weight 700 grams, or it could weigh 754 depending on how well it is sifted, and if you’re targeting a specific hydration level, you’re going to have to guess. Guess work and baking don’t always yield the best results. What do I mean by guess work? Simple. You end up with a bread dough that is either too dry or too wet, and you find yourself adding flour or water after the initial mix to find a better balance. My advice, save yourself some frustration, and buy yourself a scale.
Like writing, baking bread has become a labor of love. Nothing smells or tastes like it, and in a world fraught with division and strife, I cannot overvalue the positive psychological benefits tied to practicing a home food craft. The world doesn’t always consider your feelings-politics divide us, family doesn’t always agree, and book reviews aren’t always good. But I have found that pulling hot, fresh bread out of the oven always makes my family and I smile. And you really can’t beat that!
What’s coming next? How about adventures with a smoker. Mission? Makin’ bacon. Stay tuned.