I’m spoiled for good things in Paris with boulangeries on either side of my building, but a train ride across the Channel changes things quite drastically.
Battling Paris withdrawals I’ve been investing most of my free time in recreating the goût of boulangeries, and while I think I’m almost there with my breads, my first attempt at making croissants has been spectacular.
Arjun and I have a little bread blog of our own which we used to track our first sourdough bread or pain au levain we made in Paris, terrified we won’t find it quite as easily in London. Our first attempt was far from desired, but we learned a couple of key things and I’ve been baking something pretty damn amazing in the following attempts. That bread sparked of my new found hobby of bread-baking without or with little need for yeast. It’s been incredibly fun and I reckon I’ll be blogging there a lot more than here, posting videos, articles, insights about bread baking should you care to explore this fascinating science as well.
While Artisan Breads Everyday (USA/UK/India) used to be my go-to book for baking (excellent for baking with yeast), it’s been sitting back on shelf while I’ve keenly been learning from Tartine Bread (USA/UK/India) and even got myself a copy of Tartine Book 3 (USA/UK/India) to keep me company on the train.
I have my kitchen table filled with all types of flours (just discovered wholemeal Kamut!) and I can’t wait to try baking with other grains and seeds. I’m looking to do more reading on the subject so if you know of cookbook/online resource that talks about the ancient ways of bread making and slow fermentation, I’m all ears!