King Arthur Flour - The King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion

This book is the realization of a decade-long dream by baking visionary P. J. Hamel, senior writer and editor at King Arthur Flour. This book, these recipes, the patiently described techniques, and the friendly take-you-by-the-hand tone are in large part her handiwork. P. J. was ably accompanied by her team of bakers and writers in Norwich, Vermont, and by Brinna Sands, another visionary, inveterate baker, and prolific writer on all things baking related. Brinna has been a part of the King Arthur family since 1976, and in 1990 authored The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook. P. J. and Brinnas dedication to the gentle art of making someone a homemade loaf of bread, or cookies, brownies, pie, muffins, cake, or other piece of love, is a true inspiration.

The book you hold in your hands was a true company-wide project, and recipes flowed from all corners. It is a testament to the hard work and contributions of all of King Arthurs 150+ employee-owners. After the recipes were chosen, they were tested, and tested, and tested yet again in King Arthurs kitchens. Baker/writer Susan Reid, with the assistance of Robby Kuit and Teresa Griffith, tweaked, and massaged, and refined the recipes until they were just right. Susan took up the slack all along the way, doing whatever needed doingfrom writing headnotes, to compiling and checking lists of ingredient weights, she smoothed what often seemed a bumpy road. Publications manager Toni Apgar coordinated this year-long effort and, in the process, gently rode herd on our stable of baker/writers. In addition, the following people made invaluable contributions: Test kitchen director Sue Gray; artisan bakers Richard and Stephanie Miscovich; Master Baker Jeffrey Hamelman; Susan Miller, who runs our Baking Education Center; Cindy Fountain, who runs The Bakers Store in Norwich, Vermont; Michael Jubinsky and Judy Ulinski, who over the years have taught a quarter-million students through our national baking classes; Shannon Zappala, who has tirelessly worked to elevate King Arthur Flours position on the food world map; Janet Matz, our art director; and Robyn Sargent, Ali Scheier, Jen Korhonen, Starr Kilgore, Emmy Zietz, Jane Korhonen, Robin Rice, and Brenda Hickory. Thanks are also due to President Steve Voigt, for encouraging us along the way, and for allowing us the time and resources to develop this manuscript.

BRENDA HICKORY

The bakers at King Arthur Flour

And to our editor at The Countryman Press, Kermit Hummel, we also say a great big thanks, because his enthusiasm for this project from day one saw us through the inevitable tough times. He always believed this would be the wonderful book it is. We now count him as a friend as well as an editor. We appreciate the sage advice of W.W. Norton editor Maria Guarnaschelli, who assisted us in developing this books outline.

Finally, wed like to dedicate this book to John Sheldon, our long-time catalogue photographer and colleague. His pictures grace these pages; his talent carries us ever upward; his friendship enriches our lives.

We wish you all warm bread from the oven whenever you want it.

THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR COMPANY, INC.

Why, in todays fast-paced world of food-at-your-fingertips and instant gratification, would anyone want to bake? Packaged cookies and boxed crackers at the grocery store taste pretty good and are well within most peoples financial reachwhy bake your own? Artisan bread bakeries have opened up on every other street corner; the bakers there produce fresh bread daily. Why bake bread at home? A stroll into the bakery section of the local club store will yield you a personalized birthday cake, instantly, for less money than it takes to feed a family of four at a fast food chainwhy take the time to make and decorate a birthday cake for a child?

Because store-bought is, at best, a shallow substitute for homemade. Do you like fudgy brownies (not cakey!), with a thin, shiny crust, a hint of espresso, and a swirl of raspberry icing? You cant buy them; you have to bake them. Do you want less salt, or more? Do you like your coffeecake less sweet? Your chocolate chip cookies crunchy or chewy? Tailor these recipes to your own nutritional needs and tastes, without making them taste like cardboard. Do you dislike the long list of multisyllabic additives and chemicals on the label of that frozen chocolate cake you buy for the kids? You are what you eat; take control of your life (and theirs), and let them eat cakeyour cake. The scent of hot yeast bread gently wafting through the kitchen, a comforting aroma as old as time itself, is reason enough to bake your own bread.

But what if you never learned to bake? Or you learned, but havent been totally satisfied with the results? You may not have had Grandma gently guiding your hands as you rolled out your first pie crust; and even if you did, perhaps youve forgotten most of what she showed you. Thats where The King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion comes in. In this book youll find the recipes and solid information you need to become a top-notch baker, one who makes the lightest, most tender pancakes, a dark, gutsy chocolate cake, and an apple pie thatll bring a grown person to tears. Youll make oatmeal cookies better than any youve ever tasted, even those from that fancy cookie shop at the mall; your yeast breads will rival those of the local bakery, at one-tenth the price. In short, youll learn (or realize once more) the pleasure of baking for your family and friends, and the satisfaction that comes from using your imagination and skill to create baked goods that feed not just the body, but the soul.

Let this book be your companion as you walk a path followed by bakers from hundreds of cultures for thousands of years. Youre a link in a limitless line of bakers: the sticky bun recipe you pass along to your son or daughter today will continue to be shared long after youre gone. And the guiding hand you place atop a friends, as she kneads her first batch of bread dough, will in turn be placed atop her grandchilds someday. We here at King Arthur Flour take our responsibility to the bakers of America seriously; as Americas oldest flour company, founded in 1790, we are committed both to preserving our countrys baking heritage, and helping to forge its future. You are an integral part of that future.

Come with us now into the kitchen, and lets bake.

P. J. HAMEL, BRINNA SANDS, TONI APGAR,
and THE BAKERS at KING ARTHUR FLOUR

Butter the size of an egg? A cup of flour or 100 grams of sugar? Measuring is one of those things we dont think about until were slightly stymied, or until we open a British cookbook, or perhaps one from Europe, or maybe our grandmothers. There are, of course, a number of systems for measuring, some pretty out of date, some unique to the United States, and one thats pretty universal. Measuring has always been somewhat of an interpretive business.

But measuring goes beyond the devices you use to determine how much of what goes into a recipe. Thermometers, both in your drawer and in your oven, are measuring devices. So is your timer, and the thermostat in your kitchen. So is a barometer, hygrometer, and altimeter. When youre aware that bread rises quicker when the barometer is falling (its good to bake on a rainy day), that flour shrinks in the winter because its dry so you may need less of it (flour absorbs or sheds moisture depending on humidity), or that youll need less yeast and baking powder if you live at 8,000 feet, youll begin to understand all the variables you need to consider when you bake. You may find that you can make something successfully at home, time after time; but take the same recipe and try it in another kitchen with other equipment and you may have a very different result. Measuring cups and spoons, scales, humidity, altitude, and temperature all have an impact on the results of your efforts.