BAKING

"How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?"
- Julia Child

I have been baking yeasted breads since 1980 and teaching bread making since 1983. Students have ranged from grade schoolers to great grandparents! The fellow in the picture below took a bread class with Mom as part of his home school curriculum, and he got an "A"!

"Your class was one of the best things I ever did TOGETHER with Michael. Thank you for being the skilled catylist who brought a great memory to us both." - Barbara, West Hartford

My daughter and I have been active with the Girl Scouts and helped plan and run "Father-Daughter Weekend" at Camp Timber Trails each Fall. One year we had a weekend of rain. In need of an indoor activity, we taught all 200 girls and their dads how to make bread, baked it off in the camp kitchen and we served it at dinner!

What I've been reading: Bread

the breads of the world and how to bake them at home
by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter

The comprehensive reference guide that follows is a fantastic visual catalogue of the breads of the world. Organised by country, each entry includes fascinating background information such as how the bread is baked, its history, its shape and flavour and the type of flour used.

There are breads from almost every country in the recipe section too. Over 100 recipes and variations have been tested and adapted where necessary so that you can bake them easily at home. Illustrated step-by-step instructions take you through each stage of the preparation and there is a photograph of every finished bread, so that you can see what you are trying to achieve.

For more books, please visit my Reading List page!