Bread Matters

The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own

by Andrew Whitley

Price: $34.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-7373-0
ISBN-10: 0-7407-7373-9
Format: Hardcover
Size: 7 3/8 x 8 5/8 in.
Page Count: 416 pages

“Everything about Bread Matters, from the book’s stout weightiness to its unadorned cover, telegraphs the comfort of homemade loaves. … After a thorough schooling on leaveners, preservatives, emulsifiers and the like, Whitley offers more than 50 recipes for everything from basic bread to milk bread, rye bread, stollen and ciabatta. The recipes are involved, but if you harbor fantasies of warm loaves on cold days, this is your book.” ––Winston-Salem Journal http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/jan/20/texas-style-spreads-and-homemade-breads/

“If you’re wondering why bread matters and what’s the matter with modern commercially-made bread, Andrew Whitley spells it out in Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own, and he doesn’t mince words. He spends the first 50 pages or so explaining why the commercial bread baking process (specifically in Britain, although I think it largely applies to most industrialized societies) is “a nutritional, culinary, social, and environmental mess.”” ––Wild Yeast http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/12/06/fruit-and-nut/

“It’s really changed my mindset and been a lovely introduction into the bread craft. Because of the thoughtfulness and care with which the book was written, and because of the connection I feel with Whitley’s perspective on baking, I do wholeheartedly recommend Bread Matters.” ––Willow Bird Baking http://bit.ly/sMKsY

“The book is wonderful! If you are planning to dive into a warmth and comfort of home bread-baking, if you are thinking about buying a serious book to begin, trying to choose the best among dozens, let this book to be the one. You won’t be disappointed.” ––Baking Obsession http://www.bakingobsession.com/2009/11/03/sun-dried-tomato-and-red-onion-bread-with-tamari-roasted-sunflower-seeds-and-book-review/

“Whitley’s recipes demystify the bread-baking process by combining simple ingredients with clear, concise instructions. He thoroughly explains the essential steps involved in making homemade bread and includes a guide to improving your results if things don’t go exactly as planned. … Bread Matters is a book that anyone who loves baking bread should add to their cookbook collection for guaranteed best results.” My Gourmet Connection http://www.mygourmetconnection.com/food-finds/editors-picks/bread-matters.php

Whitley shares his over 25 years of baking experience and more than 50 recipes in Bread Matters. His detailed approach walks readers through the baking process, with chapters such as Starting from Scratch, Bread–A Meal in Itself, and Easy as Pie. Also included are chapters dedicated to gluten-free baking and uses for day-old bread. The recipes are supplemented with explanations of essential tools and ingredients, tricks of the trade, and troubleshooting tips.

Previously published in the United Kingdom, Bread Matters is the winner of the 2007 International Association of Culinary Professionals award for Best Bread, Other Baking, and Sweets.  The U.S. edition’s recipes have been tested and Americanized.

Bread Matters dispels any qualms and myths about baking homemade bread.

•    Baking a loaf takes only 30-40 minutes, broken up by periods of waiting.
•    A mixer isn’t necessary to make good bread. Kneading by hand works just as well and can even be a therapeutic exercise!
•    Wetter is better. No need to fear dough sticking to your hands, or to coat them in flour. Slightly wetter dough makes for better bread.

From pumpernickel to sourdough, Bread Matters takes the mystery out of baking homemade bread. Its compelling case against the commercial baking industry will inspire beginners and expert bakers alike to take control of the bread they eat.

“In his wonderful book, Bread Matters, he [Andrew Whitley] not only brings this powerful and ancient symbol down to earth and demystifies the process, but also communicates from his heart how anyone can easily participate in the joys and rewards of the bread baking craft.”
—Peter Reinhart, author of Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor

Bread and cheese go together in so many ways, all of them delicious in my opinion. One of my favorites is a large, flat roll with cheese baked inside and on top. Sliced horizontally and filled with salad leaves and perhaps a thin strip of ham, this is as good a lunch as I can think of.

The flavor of cheese can easily get lost in bread dough so it is important to use something strong, such as a mature Cheddar or a creamy Lancashire. The chili powder and cumin in this recipe add a little something that seems to boost the cheese flavor.

Makes 3 round cheese breads

1⁄2 teaspoon (1⁄28 oz) (1g) Chili powder
1⁄2 teaspoon (1⁄28 oz) (1g) Ground cumin
1 cup (4 1⁄4 oz) (120g) Shredded cheese
2 1⁄2 cups (1lb 4oz) (570g) Basic Savory Bread Dough (page 212)
1 lb 8 3⁄8 oz (692g) Total

2⁄3 cup (3 1⁄2 oz) (100g) Beaten egg, to glaze
Grated cheese for topping

Stir the spices into the grated cheese and add this to the prepared Basic Savory Bread Dough. Fold the cheese through the dough until it is fairly evenly distributed. You may need to add water if the dough shows signs of tightening.

Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and mold them into round balls. Give them a minute or two to relax and then, with the palm of your hand, press them down so that they roughly double in diameter. Put these flat disks on a baking sheet lined with nonstick baking parchment, placing them far enough apart so that they will not touch.

With a plastic scraper or the back of a knife, mark the cheese breads with 2 cuts at right angles to make a cross. Simply press down on the dough, aiming to cut through almost to the baking sheet but not quite. (If you press too hard and the dough breaks in 2 [or 4], do not worry: it will probably join up again during proofing or baking.)

Brush the visible surface of each bread with a little beaten egg. Divide the remaining shredded cheese and place it as evenly as possible on top of each bread, but do not put it too near the edge. The cheese will partially obscure the cuts made by the scraper, but this does not matter. As the dough proofs, it will spread the cheese out a little.

Proof until well-risen, then bake in a moderate oven (375°F [190°C]) for 15–20 minutes. These breads are small and flat, so the heat will penetrate fairly quickly to the center of the dough. Take care not to let the cheese topping get overcooked; it can change from softly melted to dried and “foxy” in a few minutes.

The deep cross you pressed into the dough should be just visible after baking and the cheese breads should break easily into 4 wedges, which make good soup rolls. If you plan to fill a cheese bread, it is best to keep it as one, divide it horizontally, insert the filling and then cut the whole thing into halves or quarters.

Rich Christmas tea breads of German origin are found in various parts of northern Europe and seem to have had Christian or even earlier connotations. In one version from Dresden, the marzipan running through the middle of the loaf is used to create a shape suggestive of the infant Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. Other versions omit the marzipan altogether. In the recipe below, I use marzipan because it gives a wonderful moistness to the loaf, but I like to disperse it more evenly than in the Dresden stollen by rolling a sheet of it up with the dough, so that every mouthful benefits.

Makes 1 large stollen

Stollen fruits

Scant 1⁄2 cup (21⁄2 oz) (70g) Golden raisins
Heaping 1⁄4 cup (2oz) (60g)Raisins
1⁄4 cup (1 3⁄4 oz) (50g) Candied mixed peel
4 teaspoons (3⁄4 fl oz) (20g) Rum, brandy, or fruit juice
7 oz (200g) Total

The marzipan

7 tablespoons (2oz) (60g) Ground almonds
5 teaspoons (3⁄4 oz) (20g) Superfine sugar
8 teaspoons (3⁄4 oz) (20g) Confectioner’s sugar
4 teaspoons (3⁄4 oz) (20g) Beaten egg
1⁄2 cup (120g) Total

The stollen dough

1 scant cup (7oz) (200g) Stollen Fruits (from above)
1 3⁄4 cups (12 1⁄2 oz) (360g) Basic Festive Bread Dough (page 260)
1⁄2 cup (4 1⁄4 oz) (120g) Marzipan (from above)
1lb 8oz (680g) Total

Beaten egg, to glaze
Melted butter
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Place the fruit in a small bowl or strong plastic bag and pour the rum, brandy, or juice over it (you can be more generous with the rum if you feel inclined). It is best to do this a few hours before making the stollen or even overnight. Stir the fruit through with your fingers or shake the bag periodically to help the liquid to soak in.

Mix these ingredients together to make a firm paste suitable for rolling on the work surface. It is a good idea to make this the day before and store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Using two types of sugar may seem a bore, but with just one or the other the marzipan becomes either too gritty or too smooth.  If you don’t have any confectioner’s sugar handy, whiz up the total quantity of ordinary sugar in a blender or coffee grinder to reduce its grittiness.

If you have been generous with the rum to soak your fruit, your largesse is now rewarded. Drain any excess liquid from the fruit and enjoy a cup of anticipatory good cheer. Fold the drained fruit gently into the prepared festive bread dough after it has had its hour of bulk fermentation, trying not to break up its structure completely but aiming to distribute the fruit reasonably evenly. You may need to use another 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour to dust your hands and the work surface as you fold the fruit into the dough. Having done so, relax the dough (and yourself, perhaps) for 10 minutes.

Using a light dusting of flour on the work surface and your rolling pin, roll the marzipan into a rectangle about 83/6 inches (203/15 cm). Then roll or stretch the dough out to make a rectangle very slightly larger than the marzipan.  Place the marzipan on the dough, press down gently and then roll the whole thing up like a jellyroll, finishing with the seam underneath the resulting log. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment.

Brush the stollen thoroughly with beaten egg, being careful not to leave any tide marks around the edge. Cover loosely and put in a warm place to prove, making sure that the cover cannot come into contact with the dough.  When the stollen is proofed, bake in a moderate oven 350°F (180°C) for 30–40 minutes, until it is golden brown all over.

As soon as it is out of the oven, brush it liberally with melted butter, then leave to cool. Sprinkle all over with confectioner’s sugar and, if you like, decorate your stollen with a red ribbon.  Simple confectioner’s sugar will soak quite quickly into the surface of the stollen (you can be sure that the everlasting dusting on commercial stollen with a long shelf life is fortified with strange additives). The traditional remedy is to dust your stollen afresh with confectioner’s sugar just before serving. Some traditional German products are sold with a little sachet of sugar for just this purpose.