a little more bread talk

If you wish to take your bread baking to a new level, allow me to introduce to you to Mr. Peter Reinhart. 

“Peter Reinhart is the Leonardo da Vinci of bread; his recipes are foolproof, his research exhaustive and yet a delight to read and follow, and his hunger for knowledge and technique is boundless and infinite. He is without a doubt the definitive source of true style and information when it comes to all things baked and delicious, and my go-to guy for all things leavened and sandwichable”
--Mario Batali, author of Molto Italiano


I have his book Artisan Breads Every Day in my possession. I love it. It is filled with detailed instructions, time saving techniques all accompanied with beautiful, full color photos throughout that will make you salivate. 

One of my favorite recipes from this book is The Best Biscuits Ever.  I never cared much for biscuits until I made these. I can serve my family pretty much any kind of soup as long as I pair it with these amazing biscuits.

He has numerous other bread baking books that I would love to read sometime.  

He co-authored a book just for those who are interested in gluten free and sugar free baking.

My friend Gina has compiled a wealth of information on bread making on her blog. I didn't realize that she was a student of Peter Reinhart until today when I did a google search on reviews for his biscuit recipe. She has covered the bases well. I'm anxious to go back and learn more from her in the future.

My mom is the one who first introduced me to Peter Reinhart. The only book of his that I have in my possession came to me as a gift from her.

Let me just say she is quite an amazing bread baker herself. I am sure that I've learned more from her than anyone else about bread baking.  It is not unusual to be served some kind of new and tasty bread if you are privileged to enjoy a meal at her table. 

She is also a good teacher. I think she enjoys sharing her expertise with others, though not in the cyber world. :) 

I don't claim to be a good teacher myself, but boy....am I ever proud of this son of mine who took over my bread baking position this past summer. 

I knew that he really had progressed beyond simply following the recipe the day that he came to me with his dough and said "mom, I think I got this dough just right....feel it". And I pressed my finger into the most perfect texture ever.

Yes. He has the touch. I can count on him to produce nearly perfect loaves of french bread when he is in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, he is back to being a scholar for the winter months and I'm back to being the primary bread baker at this house.

 I will conclude by sharing my mom's famous french bread recipe, which also happens to be the bread recipe that Nicholas likes best.

MY MOM'S FAMOUS (NEVER FAIL) FRENCH BREAD

2 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
2 T. Crisco
2 t. salt
2.5 c. hot water
5-6 (give or take a little) flour.

Mix ingredients together in order given in your *Kitchen Aid mixer. Once ingredients are thoroughly combine use the dough hook to knead the dough for 3-5 min. Add flour until the dough no longer sticks to the edges of bowl. Allow to rest until doubled in size. Punch down and divide dough into two long loaves. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet.  Lightly score the loaves as you wish.  Brush with a mixture of one beaten egg and 2 T. milk. Let rise. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min.

This recipe yields 2 large loaves of bread.


*I'm sorry if you do not have a Kitchen Aid. I love mine.