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Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals Of Artisan Bread And Pizza (2012)

by Ken Forkish(Favorite Author)

4.37 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

160774273X (ISBN13: 9781607742739)

languge

English

genre

Food & Cookbooks

publisher

Ten Speed Press

review 1: This is a fast read! Mr. Forkish guides you all the way through his process of creating artisan bread. He uses the first 70 or so pages to introduce you to his methods, then that's it! You're off and running with the recipes.I've just started my first recipe (Overnight White Bread), and it's so good to get to know your dough. It's not just baking...it's creating.I'm looking forward to tomorrow and my first finished loaf with this method. Mr. Forkish's introduction and explanation of Baker's Percentages is particularly helpful in understanding how water/flour ratios work. I really liked the "Making A Bread (or Pizza) Dough You Can Call Your Own" essay. This is probably the most helpful essay on baking I've come across since I started my artisan bread journey six months ago.... moreAlso, the book stays open on the counter when you're making a recipe. This sounds like a little thing, but it's a HUGE help when you're mixing or folding and trying to follow the step by step pictures.Some reviews say you have to have "special" tools. I don't think that's true for this method anymore than for any other artisan bread making. You need some type of covered pot to capture the loaf's steam and create a crust. He suggests a 4 quart Lodge Dutch Oven. He also says you can use an Emile Henry if you have that, or a 5 quart Lodge Dutch Oven. The Cambro 12 quart container is also a suggestion. The container makes it easier to stretch and fold the dough because there's lots of room in there. I find that the 12 quart Cambro actually gives me a little bit of a hard time because it's got REALLY tall sides, and my kitchen island is a little tall (or I'm a little short). The only two things I'd say you absolutely need is a scale and a thermometer. But again, you pretty much need these two tools for most artisan bread techniques. I bought this book because I wanted to learn a method for making artisan bread that would make me feel closer to the process and more in creative control. I like this book because it seems to offer a method that you can grow with as your experience grows. I'm looking forward to many, many Forkish loaves, and then a loaf to call my own...
review 2: Ken Forkish shares his non-traditional no-knead method of making artisan bread. I have found that much of the French bread available has a rubbery crumb--this method produces a very light crumb. The method requires that the flour be moistened longer than usual and uses much less yeast than in traditional recipes I have used. The dough is baked in Dutch ovens at very high heat (475 degrees). I have now made four or five of the recipes and was delighted with the results in all but one case. That one batch was 80% whole wheat and perhaps I just don't like whole wheat very much… Last Monday I started making the levain (starter) and on Sunday baked the resulting dough. It is slightly sour as it should be and really tastes great. The crust is hard and crunchy and the crumb is soft and delicious. I can't wait to get to Portland, OR, and try some of the bread from the author's bakery. less

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