top ten bread bakers pdf - adobe acrobat

8/8/2019 Top Ten Bread Bakers PDF - Adobe Acrobat

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2010 Top Ten

Bread Bakersin America

For the first time, Dessert Professional has delved deeplyinto the world of artisan bread to name the Top Ten BreadBakers in America. This group of distinguished bakers has

mastered the art and technique of creating the perfect loafthat elusive combination of flavor, texture and appearance.Though their backgrounds and approaches to baking maydiffer, one characteristic was common to all the bakers on ourlist: their willingness to share recipes and information andto teach others about their craft, with the goal of improvingthe quality of bread in America. Following is a short profileof each of our Top Ten Bread Bakers in America, as well asrecipes. We also include a profile of Tom McMahon, our firsthonoree for the Bread Bakers Hall of Fame.

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Busniess profile: Amys Bread is a neighborhood bakery in the middle of a big city. Although our staff and production havegrown, we still feel like a small, local gathering place. You cancome in and enjoy great bread, delicious morning pastries,sandwiches, cakes and other sweets, but were still a breadbakery at heart.

How it all began: I made my first loaf when I was 13, but didntbake a substantial amount of bread until 1989 when I started tostudy bread baking.

What are you trying to do differently?I am really focused onmaking sure we have a great workplace for our employees. Wetake good care of our staff, and at last count, 24 our bakers havestayed for between 9 and 18 years! These long-term bakers helpsupervise the daily production and ensure that the quality ofthe bread is the best it can be every day. They take great pridein their work and (mostly) enjoy working behind the large glasswindows in Chelsea Market where everyone can watch us

making our products. The glass storefront keeps us on our toes!

How many types of bread do you make?We mix 25 different

kinds of dough each day, and each one is made into 2-5 differentproducts, so our selection is vast!

Favorite type of bread to make: I usually like to make wet,sticky dough like Rustic Italian because it looks like it willnever come together, and then, voila! It finally takes shape andbecomes gorgeous, holey bread.

Favorite bread to eat: I love grainy breads. My currentfavorite (this changes regularly) is my new Peasant Wheat withToasted Seeds Roll, a mild whole wheat bread with pumpkin,sunflower, flax and sesame seeds inside, and a toasty coating ofthe same seeds and a bit of sea salt on the outside. Its crunchy,chewy, nutty, toasty, and delicious.

Bread philosophy: From simple to complex, good bread startswith well chosen flour, a perfectly fermented starter, plentyof water, and the right balance of salt and other ingredients.Given ample floor time at a moderate temperature, the breaddough develops the complex aromas and flavors ready to bereleased from this fermenting mixture. An intuitive baker anda good oven are the other ingredients that make good bread.

Signature products: The bread we are best known for isSemolina with Golden Raisins and Fennel. Our Black OliveTwists and Chocolate Sourdough Twists are also very uniqueand have many fans.

Best compliment youve ever received about your bread:French people telling me that my bread is better than theirfavorite bread in France. (French tourists flock to my bakerybecause we are raved about in their guide books!)

Best part of the bread business: Bread bakers are interestingcharacters. They are hard working, a bit crazy, and usuallyquite willing to share ideas and secrets with their colleaguesand competitors. I really love the camaraderie among bakersand their openness with each other. Its a very unique businessthat allows this kind of connection and admiration amongpeople that compete with each other in the industry.

If you werent making bread, what would you be doing?Lately I have had a chance to do some gardening and havereally enjoyed it, so I think I would be a vegetable and flowergardener if I werent baking. Gardening reminds me of breadbaking: Its hard work, it takes lots of endurance to get all thework done, you need to work with your hands and stand onyour feet for long periods of time, there is a lot of heavy lifting,its hot work on a summer day (like standing in front of the

bread oven), and the end result is very gratifying.

If you had to characterize yourself as a type of bread, whatwould you be? I would be a Whole Wheat Walnut loaf. I amglossy deep brown (thats the dark hair), crunchy (thats theprotective exterior that helps me run a bakery), grainy andhealthy (interested in healthful eating), slightly sweet (from adab of honey) and a little nutty.

Whats next? We need more space. So I guess that meansgrowing into a bigger bakery one of these days! Where andwhen is still to be seen.

What direction do you see the bread baking industryheading? These are some trends that I have seen recently:

People still love bread, but they also love sugar. Bakeries today must provide customers with more than bread. If they haveretail stores, they are expected to offer sweets, sandwiches,beveragesa full range of products besides bread. As muchas people talk about whole grain breads, white breads like thebaguette still outsell all others by a large margin. We get lots ofrequests for breads for special diets like gluten free, wheat free,etc. Restaurants have cut back on their bread baskets or havestopped offering bread in the more casual concepts. Bread ishere to stay, but expect to see fewer or simpler bread basketsin restaurants, and bakeries with 5 or 6 kinds of bread to offer,and a huge case full of sweets to keep their customers happy!

Amy ScherberAmys Bread

Owner: Amy Scherber

75 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10011(and multiple locations)

212-977-2670www.amysbread.com

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Semolina Breadwith Apricotsand SageMade with Biga Starter

Makes three 1-poundround loaves

Equipment: baking stone and woodenpeel, one 17 x 12-inch sheet pan

This lovely golden bread is both sweetand savory. Apricots sweeten the loavesand chopped fresh sage adds an earthy,grassy flavor. It is similar to our Semolinawith Golden Raisins and Fennel inshape, color, and texture. We form andcut the bread into a sunflowera specialshape we make for all the holidays. It

also makes a unique gift because it looksso pretty. We like to serve this Semolinawith Apricots and Sage with fish orpoultry, and weve even diced it to addto Thanksgiving turkey stuffing. Withits crunchy cornmeal crust and dense,almost cakelike interior, this bread issure to please.

8 oz/227 g dried apricots, diced2 oz/57 g very warm water (105 to 115F)1 tsp active dry yeast12.5 oz/355 g cool water (75F)10 oz/284 g Biga (see below)18.35 oz/520 g patent durum flour

6 oz/170 g medium yellow cornmeal.56 oz/16 g kosher salt.25 oz/7g fresh sage leaves, choppedExtra cornmeal, for sprinkling

1. Place the apricots in a large measuringcup, and add warm water to come justbelow the top of the fruit. Set aside tosoak.2. Combine the very warm water andyeast in a medium bowl and stir with afork to dissolve the yeast. Let the mixturestand for 3 minutes.3. Add the cool water and biga to theyeast mixture and mix with your fingersfor about 2 minutes, breaking up thestarter. The mixture should look milkyand slightly foamy.4. Whisk the flour, cup of the cornmeal,and the salt together in a large bowl. Pourin the yeast mixture and mix with yourfingers until the dough forms a sticky

mass. If the dough feels too stiff, add coolwater 1 tablespoon at a time.5. Move the dough to a very lightly flouredsurface and knead for 5 to 8 minutes,until it is smooth, elastic, supple, and

somewhat resilient. The dough will stillbe somewhat firm. Put the dough backinto the mixing bowl, cover with oiledplastic wrap, and let rest for 20 minutesto smooth out and develop elasticity.6. Drain the apricots. Spread out thedough in the mixing bowl and evenlysprinkle on the chopped sage and dicedapricots. Press them into the dough, thenpull the dough from the edges of the bowl

and fold it in toward the middle. Kneadthe dough in the bowl until the fruit andsage are incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.7. Gather the dough into a loose ball, lift itup and oil the bowl, then place it back inthe bowl, along with any loose apricots.Turn the dough to coat with oil, coverthe bowl with oiled plastic wrap, and letit rise at room temperature (75 to 77F)for 1 hour.8. After 1 hour, turn the dough while it isstill in the mixing bowl. Gently deflate

the dough in the middle of the bowl withyour fingertips, then fold the left sideover the middle, and the right side overthe middle. Fold the dough in half, gentlypat it down, and then turn it over so theseam is underneath. Let it rise again for40 minutes to 1 hour, until it doubles involume. When the dough is fully risen,an indentation made by poking yourfinger deep into the dough should not

spring back.9. Divide the dough into three equalpieces, about 510 grams/18 ounces each.Shape each piece into a boule.10. Place the remaining cup cornmealin a bowl. Using a plant mister, sprayeach loaf generously with water, thenroll the loaves in the cornmeal, coatingthem completely. Place the loaves on thework surface and press down gently toflatten them into disks about 8 inches indiameter.

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11. Line a peel and cover a baking sheetwith parchment paper and sprinkle withcornmeal. Place one disk on the peel andthe others on the baking sheet, leavingat least 4 inches between each loaf. Ifyou dont have a baking stone, place oneloaf on one baking sheet, and two on theother to rise. Let the loaves rise for 45

minutes to 1 hour.12. Thirty minutes before baking, preheatthe oven to 425F. Prepare the oven byplacing a cast-iron skillet and a smallerpan (a mini loaf pan) on the floor of theoven or on the lowest possible rack inan electric oven. Place an oven racktwo rungs above the cast-iron pan, andif you have one, put a baking stone onthe rack. Place another oven rack on therung just below the stone. Fill a plasticspray bottle with water. Fill a teakettlewith water to be boiled later, and have a

metal 1-cup measurewith a straight handleavailable near the

kettle.13. Five to 10 minutesbefore the loaves areready to bake, turn thewater on to boil, andcarefully place two orthree ice cubes in thesmall loaf pan in thebottom of the oven.This helps to create

moisture in the ovenprior to baking.14. Place an inverted

mug or glass with a 3-to 4-inch opening in

the center of one disk.Press it gently intothe dough, and use adough cutter to cut thedough into 4 wedges,starting at the edge ofthe glass. Cut those wedges in half, then inhalf again, so you have 16 segments. Giveeach cut segment a quarter-turn so a cutside is facing upward. If the dough feelstoo sticky, dont twist the segmentsjustleave them fl at and separate each oneslightly from the one next to it. Removethe glass, leaving an uncut area in thecenter of the loaf. Repeat the procedure

with the other 2 disks. Let the loaves restfor 10 minutes before baking.15. Make sure the parchment is notsticking to the peel, open the oven door,and gently slide the bread onto the stone.Place the pan of bread on the rack below.Or if using two baking sheets, place oneon the upper rack and one on the rackbelow that. Quickly mist the loaves withwater 6 to 8 times, pour 1 cup of boilingwater into the skillet, and immediatelyshut the oven door. After 1 minute,

quickly mist the loaves with water again,then shut the oven door.16. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce theoven temperature to 375F and bake for15 to 18 minutes longer, until the loavesare a golden yellow-brown and soundhollow when tapped on the bottom. Thecrust should be firm but not too dark;watch the bread carefullyit will brownquickly during the last few minutes ofbaking. Place the loaves on wire racksand cool completely before serving.

TIPS AND TECHNIQUESUnbleached all-purpose flour with aprotein content of 11.7% was used inthe biga. We recommend using mediumcornmeal for this dough. Fine cornmealdoes not produce a contrasting texture,and coarse cornmeal is too rough and

makes the bottom crust very tough. Bobs

Red Mill produces medium cornmealand corn grits (polenta). Both work wellfor this dough.

Biga Starter

Many of our recipes use a biga starter made from flour, water, and a smallamount of yeast. Biga, which is the Italianword for starter, was called SpongeStarter in the first version of AmysBread, but today the word biga is wellknown by bread bakers so we decided touse it here as well. Biga usually refers toa starter made with yeast, not sourdough,although sourdough biga (biga naturale)can be found in some Italian recipes.This starter, which is thicker thanpoolish, is allowed to ferment for at least8 hours. It can then be used immediatelyor stored in the refrigerator, covered

with plastic wrap, for up to 24 hours. Welike breads made with biga because theyhave a moist, chewy texture with moreflavor, a nicer crust, and a longer shelflife than straight yeasted breads. Theseare many of the same qualities that makesourdough breads so appealing, but youcan achieve them without the extendedprocess of making a sourdough starter.

Small BatchMakes 400 grams / 14 ounces / 1 cups

7 oz/200 g very warm water (105 to 115F)1/8 tsp active dry yeast8 oz/227 g unbleached all-purpose flour

Large BatchMakes 800 grams / 28 ounces / 3 cupsEquipment: one 2-quart clear plastic orglass container with high sides

14 oz/397 g very warmwater (105 to 115F) tsp active dry yeast16 oz/454 gunbleached all-purpose flour

1. In a medium bowl, mix the warm waterand yeast togetherand stir to dissolve theyeast. Add the flourand stir vigorouslywith a wooden spoonfor 1 to 2 minutes, untila smooth, somewhatelastic batter hasformed. The batterwill be fairly thick andstretchy; it gets softerand more elastic afterit has risen. Scrapethe biga into the

container, mark the height of the starterand the time on a piece of tape on theside of the container so you can see how

much it rises, and cover the containerwith plastic wrap.2. Let it rise at room temperature (75 to78F) for 6 to 8 hours. Or let it rise for 1hour at room temperature, then chill it inthe refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.Remove it from the refrigerator and let itsit at room temperature for 3 to 4 hoursto warm up and become active beforeuse. Biga should more than double involume. If you use the starter while itsstill cold from the refrigerator, be sureto compensate for the cold temperatureby using warm water (85F to 90F) inyour dough, instead of the cool waterspecified in the recipe. Use the starterwhile it is still bubbling up, but before itstarts to deflate.52

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top ten bread bakers pdf - adobe acrobat

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