The Breads of France

Additional Details

Description: In the 1970s, Bernard Clayton, Jr., traveled throughout France and visited boulangeries, both famous and unknown, collecting authentic bread recipes from some of the most esteemed bakers. This definitive collection of recipes became the foundation of The Breads of France, which was an instant classic upon publication in 1978. 

In her introduction to this beautifully redesigned edition, Patricia Wells welcomes a new generation of bread bakers to share in its delights as she fondly reminisces about the book's original publication, which helped usher in the artisanal bread-baking revolution in the United States. The Breads of France introduced American bakers to the pleasures of such classic regional French breads as: 

• The soft, delicate rolls filled with a slender bar of chocolate and known as Petit Pains au Chocolat from Bracieux  
• Famous Pain de Campagne from the Parisian master baker Poilane 
• Rich, dense Pumpkin Bread from the French Basque country 

Clayton's recipes are written in his unique step-by-step style -- instructions lucid and complete, questions anticipated and answered -- that evolved from his experiences teaching bread-baking classes. Best of all, Clayton demystifies the essentials of bread baking, revealing that once you understand the nature of the ingredients you are working with and know exactly what happens when you combine and bake them, you will agree with him that "baking is a relaxed art." 

Not just a bread-baking book, The Breads of France chronicles Clayton's journey through a France of yesteryear. Join him as he roams the highways and byways of France, where he visits master bakers who regale him with charming and uproarious tales, local chitchat, and baking secrets. Drop in on the sprightly 99-year-old Madame Doz in Grenoble, who tells of the old days when she would bake a two-week supply of her wonderful crusty peasant loaf in her wood-fired oven, and then visit the famous Bayeux tapestry, which depicts the pain brie still made 900 years later in local boulangeries. 

Filled with delightful vignettes of French culture, history, and bread-baking lore and brought to life with charming black-and-white photographs, The Breads of France is not just a glorious collection of bread recipes -- it's a window into the world's richest, most storied bread-baking tradition. 

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Condition: Good condition. Back jacket has light surface scratch.