I used to make a lot of things from scratch. Every week I used to make bread and focaccia. I used to make a gallon of soymilk, and then make homemade soysauge from the leftover pulp. I baked from scratch and cooked a lot.

Then, as it is said, life happened.

New jobs, new responsibilities, and less kitchen time highly curtailed my making and cooking. Recently, however, I’ve felt the urge to get back to making things myself…especially bread. I wasn’t 100% sure where to start getting back into it, but after a few questions to some friends who know their way around a kitchen, I became aware of the remarkable book by Ken Forkish called Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza.

I checked it out of CLP, and at first this book was a bit heavy, but after actually reading it, rather than just looking at the recipes in it (as an avowed cookbook reader, a crucial distinction that I had been neglecting in this case!) things really started to make sense and Forkish’s style and clarity came through for me. The book is clear and the directions are simple to follow for even the most novice bread baker.

The Author in question, proving baking is serious business

I can’t recommend Flour Water Salt Yeast enough. It’s engaging and fantastic. If you’ve never baked bread, it’s a great introduction! If, like me, you’re getting back into it after a break, it’s also excellent. If you’re an experienced baker who does it all the time, Forkish has some really interesting techniques and ideas that are well worth your time, too!

This book, as well as plenty of others on baking and bread, is available from CLP, so check out some bread books and get baking!

-Eric

(Who is working on different pre-ferments and got proofing baskets…it’s getting serious…)