Evolutions in Bread: Artisan Pan Breads and Dutch-Oven Loaves at Home

Ken Forkish won a James Beard Award for his original bread book, Flour Water Salt Yeast. He followed that with the acclaimed The Elements of Pizza; both books deserved their reputation for careful attention to rustic artisanship.

Surprisingly for someone who owns several bakeries, Forkish found himself coming home from work at the end of the day and baking bread. Not the hearty boules and crusty free-form loaves for which he is known, but loaf-pan breads or dutch-oven loaves, made either from sourdough or dough leavened fully from commercial yeast.

Reflecting this change in his home baking, almost every bread in Evolutions in Bread can be made the same way. No pizza stones or bread peels are needed, and certainly no commercial ovens. The recipes are meant to be hand-mixed and yield single loaves.

For those who enjoy sourdough, Forkish includes his new starter maintenance method, which results in much less dough being discarded.  Same-day breads can be executed in six hours and overnight doughs develop their complexity by being retarded in the refrigerator. Bakers interested in flour blends will discover many insights on why to blend flours (gluten and flavor control, primarily).

This is a detailed and meticulous book, helpful to a moderately experienced baker, as well as to a committed beginner who has perhaps eaten better bread than they have ever tried to make at home.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.