From a Baker's Kitchen Techniques and Recipes for Professional Quality Baking in the Home Kitchen

by Sher, Gail

• ISBN13: 9781569243862
• ISBN10: 1569243867
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-11-25
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books

Summary

Twenty years since its first publication, From a Baker's Kitchen remains the very best single introduction to foolproof professional-quality home baking. Gail Sherthe first head baker of the celebrated Tassajara Bread Bakery in San Franciscocreated more than 100 clear, foolproof, and wonderfully varied recipes, divided into two basic categories: yeasted breads, ranging from white breads to whole-wheat, rye and specialty-flour breads (including recipes for rolls and buns as well as loaves); and quick breads, covering corn breads, spoonbreads, biscuits, tea cakes, batter breads, gingerbread, and muffins. Sher also covers every ingredient: grains, leaveners, salt, liquids, shortening, eggs, and "embellishments"; equipment; and most originally, methods and principles of breadmaking, with a special discussion of her ingenious "sponge" method, which no less a baker than Rose Levy Beranbaum (The Bread Bible) has praised as crucial to her own understanding of bread bakingand which remains the most effective technique for creating flavorful bread. Over 100 drawings are also featured in this reset new edition of the all-in-one classic baking book.

Author Biography

Gail Sher, founding baker at the Tassajara Bread Bakery in San Francisco, is also poet, psychotherapist, teacher, and writer whose books include The Intuitive Writer: Listening to Your Own Voice and One Continuous Mistake. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xiii
Publisher's Note	xv
Introduction	xvii
PART I. bread ingredients	1	(28)
Grains	2	(9)
Leaveners	11	(8)
Salt	19	(1)
Liquids, Shortening, Eggs	20	(5)
Embellishments	25	(4)
PART II. methods and principles of bread making	29	(28)
Dough	30	(8)
Molding	38	(7)
Slitting and Glazing	45	(6)
Baking	51	(4)
Storage	55	(2)
PART III. guidelines for equipment	57	(14)
PART IV. the sponge method	71	(12)
The Sponge Method	72	(3)
Steps for the Sponge Method	75	(8)
PART V. recipes	83	(142)
yeasted breads
White Breads	85	(7)
Whole-Wheat Breads	92	(6)
Rye Breads	98	(7)
Breads with Home-Ground Grains	105	(7)
Specialty Flour Breads	112	(7)
Sweet Yeasted Breads	119	(9)
Rolls and Buns	128	(18)
quick breads
Corn Breads	146	(8)
Spoonbreads	154	(10)
Biscuits	164	(12)
Tea Cakes & Batter Breads	176	(12)
Gingerbreads	188	(6)
Muffins	194	(13)
leftover bread	207	(18)
Notes	225	(1)
Bibliography	226	(1)
Index	227