Brenci - Advanced Bread Baking at Home: Recipes & Techniques to Perfect Your Sourdough and More

advanced bread baking

at Home

Recipes & Techniques to Perfect Your

Sourdough and More

chef daniele brenci

creator of Breadcrumb

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This book was written during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is dedicated to all of the people who have found a positive outlet in baking during the challenging times that we have all faced across the globe. I am hoping you will take what you have learned during this time we have been forced to spend apart and share it with those you love most now that you are reunited.

Grains were one of the first ever consumed foods. As society evolved, bread quickly became a staple food that, to this day, represents the very foundation of nutritional needs as well as being an essential component of many culinary traditions. Bread in its many forms is often the vessel different cultures use to deliver their flavors. For example, in Rome when grandma asks you to try her tomato sauce thats been simmering on the stove all day, you sure dont grab a spoon, but rather you tear off a piece of bread and dip that in the pot. You would never waste an opportunity like that with a spoon! Similarly, flatbreads are used in cuisines around the world to accompany and wrap some of the most flavorful foods. I could never imagine an Indian feast without naan bread or Middle Eastern food without pita. From Southeast Asia to Central and South America, traveling through the Middle East, Africa and Europe, countless varieties of bread exist. Grains have transformed over time, evolving into some of the most delicious creations.

In this book I aim to refresh and refine your baking skills. If youre just beginning to explore the craft, Id like to guide you through the process starting from scratch, beginning with the very basics of how I go about the process of baking, from sourcing quality ingredients to choosing the right equipment and developing and maintaining your own sourdough culture. Once you have progressed through the initial steps successfully, the real fun begins. I am excited to share with you my exploration of some more advanced techniques. I start with a tribute to ancient grains and classic breads, where the mastery of sourdough baking combined with the knowledge of the performance of each individual grain will allow you to develop a successful loaf that highlights the flavor, texture and unique qualities of these distinct grains. Moving forward through the book, I explore more playful applications of flavor combinations and techniques that I hope will encourage you to experiment on your own and will stimulate your creativity.

You will soon learn how deep my love for pizza is, which is why I wanted to dedicate a whole chapter to pizza and focaccia. Historically, pizza has taken many shapes over time in different regions of Italy and around the world. In fact, I thought the pizza I grew up eating in Rome was the only way pizza was supposed to be made, and I was under the impression that there were only two main styles, Roman and Neapolitan. Once I landed in the United States years ago, I found out how this profoundly celebrated and avidly protected Italian masterpiece was transformed into so many exquisite variations. Often taking the name of the cities in which they were mastered, a new pizza world opened up in front of me. It was fascinating to see how a few inches of dough topped with a handful of simple ingredients have so powerfully brought people and cultures closer together to celebrate what ultimately is something we all enjoy sharing: bread.

Celebrating with food is a profound tradition deep within my roots. I believe that the gesture of tearing bread with your hands and sharing it over a warm meal with others is one of the purest forms of spreading love and joy, which is why I feel particularly attached to baking.