Bread: From Sourdough to Rye

Bread: from sourdough to rye is a delicious journey around the great breads of the world, from Linda Collister, the author of several of the best books on bread and baking. Chapters include: The Americas are richly endowed with wonderful breads, from the original tortilla to dozens of variations on sourdough, excellent Jewish breads like challah and bagels, marvelous cornbreads, and rye. France, Italy, and Spain are the source of some of the great breads of the world-try baquette, pain de campagne, ciabatta, focaccia, pizza, and more. Northern and Eastern Europe have contributed German Beer Bread, Polish Poppy Seed Roll, Swedish Saffron Bread, and the Grant Loaf-easy, foolproof, and delicious, made with just one rising and no kneading at all. South Asia includes countless regional variations on the bread theme, from the well-known wheat based breads of North India and Pakistan, such as naan and chapatti, to the delicious South Indian breads, poori and dosa, made of rice and lentil flour. Australian and New Zealand breads are typical of the many immigrant groups in the region-from Irish potato bread to splendid French baquettes produced by Vietnamese bakers. They are made with excellent produce, such as good flour, high quality dried fruit, and native ingredients such as macadamia nuta. Linda's introduction gives basic information on flours and yeasts, how to make a sourdough starter, making and kneading dough with an electric mixed, and how to make a basic loaf-the basis of many of the breads in the book. A directory of specialist flour millers and suppliers, together with stores selling bakeware and utensils for the serious baker-names, addresses, websites, and more-makes this book required reading for all home bakers, whatever their level of experience.