Exceptional Breads: Baker & Spice

by Dan Lepard, Richard Whittington

Branches of Baker and Spice are places of pilgrimage for bread lovers. They are the favoured supplier to top restaurants such as the River Cafe, Le Gavroche and Zafferano with everything handmade on the premises using traditional techniques and the finest ingredients. "Exceptional Breads" passes on the secrets of their fabulous breads with recipes for full-flavoured rustic breads from wild yeast starters, classic baguettes, ryes, French fougasse and Italian foccacia. Although the results are always impressive and the techniques are innovative, the recipes are beautifully straightforward. All have been tested in a domestic kitchen and in addition to the clear step-by-step techniques, there are beautiful photographs of the finished breads to whet the appetite and inspire the would-be baker.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking

Paperback

First published April 6, 2007

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I thought this was going to be another lovely bread baking handbook - in spite of its small size. But the few number of pages are not the main drawbacks of the book. After all, good bread is made from just 3 ingredients: flour, water, and salt.

The book is in large part disappointing, and not just because the paper chosen is so high-gloss that the print glares.

This is where they began to lose me:

A powerful table top electric mixer is another great asset. Strong flours demand strong and lengthy kneading, which is hard work done by hand. [...] [W]e have suggested the minimum rather than the maximum requirements. [essentials, p26]

The lists of "must haves" and "optional, but helpful" on page 27 contain surprising things (photo, ejm: p26,27 of "exceptional breads" by Dan Lepard & Richard Whittington with photography by Peter Williams). Some of the "must haves" I would move over to the "optional, but helpful". One of them, in particular, I would omit entirely.



Here is my revision of Dan Lepard's and Richard Whittingtons's lists:

must haves [revised parts in italics]
measuring jugs and spoons
scales (in 1g increments), preferably digital
selection of mixing bowls in different sizes
plastic containers for levains and poolishes
wooden spoons, numerous
wooden board for shaping
metal dough scraper
plastic and rubber spatulas
scissors
rimless metal baking sheet (for peel)
linen cloths and tea towels
several heavy baking trays
scalpel or razor blade
pastry brush
water spray bottle or plant mister
wire cooling rack
calculator [was in original "optional, but helpful"]
digital timer [was in original "optional, but helpful"]

optional, but helpful [revised parts in italics]
baking stone
hand balloon whisks [was in the original "must have list"]
food processor [was in the original "must have list"]
oven thermometer [was in the original "must have list"]
silicone mat or no-stick baking parchment [was in the original "must have list"]
pastry cutters
crumpet rings
cake tins

[entirely unnecessary]
table-top electric mixer with dough hook, paddle or beater and whisk attachments
piping bag and tubes
non-stick Swiss roll tins

There is quite an extensive (for a book that is only 160 pages) 31 page sourdough section. Among the bizarre things mentioned are the necessity of using a heavy-duty electric mixer !! and the addition of orange juice !! for the "basic French levain". And for the San Francisco sourdough starter: yoghurt !! apple juice !! grapes !!

Oh yes, those 19th century gold prospectors always kept their pack animals laden down with apples, grapes, and yoghurt. And electric mixers too. Because plug-ins were so easily found while prospecting out in the wilds of the Sierra Madres....

From sound advice to arguably not-so-sound advice:

Unusually for a professional baker in Britain, many of the breads are made in small batches, so the techniques used and the amount of what is being produced are on a scale closer to domestic cooking than is typical. [...] Everything that is done in the bakery carries through usefully in the practice of the domestic baker, so this is the most practical of handbooks. It is not about the hard word of a professional baker, but a story of finding and giving pleasure through the making of delicious things for everyday enjoyment at home. [introduction, p13]
~ ~ ~ ~
The bread of the poor for thousands of years was grim coarse stuff of millet, oats, barley and rye, perceived by those with higher standards of living as a damning card of social identity. In hard times virtually anything might bulk the breads of poverty, including pulses, chestnuts, vetches, weeds and — when starvation loomed — sawdust and even clay. [essentials, p18]
~ ~ ~ ~
Since industrial roller technology was first developed in the 1830s by the Swiss, most flours have been steel-ground, a high-speed process that generates heat from friction and that damages various aspects of the flour, including the gluten level and the vitamins and enzymes found in the wheat germ. [...] The ancient practice of grinding wheat between slowly turning stones, which has gone on uninterrupted for thousands of years [...] As a more discerning market continues to develop, so higher quality stoneground flours, once only available to the baking trade or at retail through healthfood shops, are to be found in better supermarkets. [essentials, p20]
~ ~ ~ ~
We use Maldon, the best flake sea salt in the world. [...] [I]t is worth blitzing a boxful in a food processor to give a uniform grind. [essentials, p25]
~ ~ ~ ~
[Y]ou can tell by smell, feel and appearance when a loaf is properly cooked. Any loaf will have lost a lot of moisture when it is sufficiently cooked and it is easy to check this. Weigh the loaf before it goes in the oven, and again when you think it is done — straight from the oven. The loaf should be ready if it is 20 per cent lighter than when it went in. [essentials, p25]
~ ~ ~ ~
As all keen cooks know, you never seem to have too much cooking equipment and there is always a use for another bowl, whisk or sieve. For baking you must have accurate scales. A powerful table top electric mixer is another great asset. Strong flours demand strong and lengthy kneading, which is hard work done by hand. [...] [W]e have suggested the minimum rather than the maximum requirements. [essentials, p26]
~ ~ ~ ~
You should never be aggressive, which is when the standard British description 'knock back' is not used, since it implies a rather belligerent treatment. We encourage a more gentle approach, which pays dividends in improved elasticity by encouraging the formation of better distributed gluten strands and a better crumb in the loaf. [handling bread doughs, p31]
~ ~ ~ ~
If the recipe calls for oil Tip a little oil on top of the dough and rub a little on your hand before starting to tuck the dough underneath itself. [...] Cover the bowl with cling film [handling bread doughs, p34]
~ ~ ~ ~
The French pain au levain, the Italian pagnotta and German rye breads are all examples of wild yeast baking at its best. [baking with wild yeasts, p.58]
~ ~ ~ ~
Put flours, yoghurt and apple juice in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the whisk. On the slowest speed, beat for 10 minutes, when a slightly lumpy batter will have formed. Increase the speed and beat [...] until the mixture is thick, elastic and bubbly. Add the grapes or raisins, which will encourage the airborne yeasts to start working more quickly. [wild yeast starters | San Francisco sourdough starter, p.64]
~ ~ ~ ~
Our San Francisco sourdough starter [...] uses yoghurt, as is typical in American artisinal baking. [...] Vigorous and prolonged beating is important when making the starter to incorporate the maximum amount of air. [San Francisco sourdough starter, p65]
~ ~ ~ ~
Put all the ingredients except the salt in a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. [wild yeast breads | potato and rosemary bread, p.86]
~ ~ ~ ~
Preheat the oven to 250°C with a baking stone or heavy baking tray on the middle shelf [...] Open the oven door and slide the [bread] onto the back of the baking stone. [...] Spray everything liberally with water, then quickly shut the oven door. [wild yeast breads | San Francisco dourdough, p79]
~ ~ ~ ~
1/2 [or 1] sachet fast-action yeast [baking with commercial yeast, numerous pages]
1/2 [or 1] tbsp Malden salt, ground fine [baking with commercial yeast, numerous pages]

[rant-alert]
1. Nowhere in the book is there any mention of how many grams of fast-action yeast there are in a "sachet". While a sachet of fast-action yeast might be standardized in one country, it is hardly standardized throughout the world. Also, there are numerous companies that sell fast-action yeast in bulk.
2. While Maldon flake seasalt may be lovely to have, it must be acknowledged that other salts (seasalt from other places, or Kosher) are equally suitable for "exceptional" bread making. Additionally, the term "finely ground" is subjective. Therefore, salt should always be weighed, and salt quantities in all the recipes should be listed by weight rather than volume.
3. Why the need for plastic?! Especially cling film! Why the need for a heavy-duty stand mixer to mix dough for just one or two loaves of bread? These are neither necessary, nor is it being environmentally conscious to advocate their use.[/rant-alert]

It seems quite likely that the bread sold at Baker and Spice is indeed exceptional — in looks, flavour, texture. However, this book just seems not to be quite up to those same high standards.

If half stars were allowed, I'd assign 2.5 stars. There are some very nice photographs....

[They Lived on Treacle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Lepard’s books are universally excellent, and this is possibly my favourite. With Richard Whittington, he has produced a short but immensely useful guide to baking bread that is packed with information, tips, guidance and excellent recipes. The writing style is engaging and easy to follow, sufficiently technical that it tells you what you need to know, but not off-puttingly detailed. They begin with explaining the basics, working through the essential ingredients for baking bread (flour, salt, yeast). I particularly like the section on flour types, which guides the reader through Canadian strong to French T55 to the wholemeal end of the spectrum. They explain the features of each and their impact on a recipe in such a way that the new baker will be informed but not overwhelmed.

Then comes the most useful, and for some revelatory, section of the book. Many of us would have begun baking bread having been told simply to knead it then put it in a tin, but as any experienced baker of bread knows there is far more to these steps that this advice suggests. How does one knead a wet dough? A dryer dough? When is it done? Lepard and Whittington explain, accompanied by simple, informative pictures.

These questions are vital, but for me reading this book for the first time the most valuable thing I learned was the importance of shaping loaves before the second prove. Without proper shaping, the loaf will not rise properly. Anyone who has placed a hand-shaped loaf on a tray, only to find it a flat pancake an hour later will understand. Lepard and Whittington offer clear, step-by-step guidance on how to shape different types of loaves which is worth the purchase price alone.

The section on starters removes the mystery from this daunting aspect of baking, and the recipes that follow offer a fantastic range of breads to practice your new-found skills on, ranging from simple sourdoughs through the flavoured breads and some using commercial yeast.
There is something for everyone, from the new baker to the more experienced. Highly recommended for anyone interested in baking their own bread.