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Overview
Creating the perfect loaf of bread--a challenge that has captivated bakers for centuries--is now the rage in the hippees places, from Waitsfield, Vermont, to Point Reyes Station, California. Like the new generation of beer drinkers who consciously seek out distinctive craft-brewed beers, many people find that their palates have been reawakened and re-educated by the taste of locally baked, whole-grain breads. Today's village bakers are finding an important new role--linking tradition with a sophisticated new understanding of natural levens, baking science and oven construction.
Daniel Wing, a lover of all things artisinal, had long enjoyed baking his own sourdough bread. His quest for the perfect loaf began with serious study of the history and chemistry of bread baking, and eventually led to an apprenticeship with Alan Scott, the most influential builder of masonry ovens in America.
Alan and Daniel have teamed up to write this thoughtful, entertaining, and authoritative book that shows you how to bake superb healthful bread and build your own masonry oven. The authors profile more than a dozen small-scale bakers around the U.S. whose practices embody the holistic principles of community-oriented baking based on whole grains and natural leavens.
The Bread Builders will appeal to a broad range of readers, including:
- Connoisseurs of good bread and good food.
- Home bakers interested in taking their bread and pizza to the next level of excellence.
- Passionate bakers who fantasize about making a living by starting their own small bakery.
- Do-it-yourselfers looking for the next small construction project.
- Small-scale commercial bakers seeking inspiration, the most up-to-date knowledge about the entire bread-baking process, and a marketing edge.
Synopsis
You may have noticed the renaissance of good bread. Not just good bread, but excellent bread. Not just excellent bread, but nutritious bread that tastes fantastic. Exploring both the science and the artistry of baking bread, The Bread Builders takes you behind the scenes of this revolution, revealing the keys to making your own great bread from start to finish, from grain to oven. The secrets in a nutshell? Whole grain flour, natural leavens (also known as sourdough), and masonry ovens.Daniel Wing, a lover of all things artisinal, had long enjoyed baking his own sourdough bread. His quest for the perfect loaf began with serious study of the history and chemistry of bread baking, and eventually led to an apprenticeship with Alan Scott, the most influential builder of masonry ovens in America. Along the way, Daniel visited numerous commercial bakers steeped in the traditions of natural leavens, masonry baking, and the archetypal village baker.Alan and Daniel have teamed up to write this thoughtful, entertaining, and authoritative book that shows you how to bake superb healthful bread and build your own masonry oven. The first half of The Bread Builders talks about grains and flours, leavens and doughs, the chemistry of bread, and the physics of baking. The second half provides a step-by-step guide to constructing a masonry oven, in typical Chelsea Green style. The authors also profile more than a dozen small-scale bakers around the U.S. whose practices embody the holistic principles of community-oriented baking based on whole grains and natural leavens.The Bread Builders will appeal to a broad range of readers, including:o Connoisseurs of good bread and good food.o Home bakers interested in taking their bread and pizza to the next level of excellence.o Passionate bakers who fantasize about making a living by starting their own small bakery.o Do-it-yourselfers looking for the next small construction project.o Small-scale commercial bakers seeking inspiration, the most up-to-date knowledge about the entire bread-baking process, and a marketing edge.
About The Author
Daniel Wing and Alan Scott are both seasoned bakers and builders (one an amateur, the other a professional). Dan, a biologist and physician by training, has written for publications as various as Fine Homebuilding and The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He travels out from his home in Vermont in a gypsy wagon of his own construction, and naturally he built his own bread oven on wheels. Alan Scott is a craftsman and metaphysician who combines a lifetime's experience in metalwork, farming, and masonry oven-building with a constant awareness of the spiritual dimension of our activities on this earth. Originally from Australia, Alan lectures and leads workshops throughout the U.S., under the aegis of his oven building and consultation firm, Ovencrafters, which is based in Petaluma, California.