OP: The Taste of Bread
An Aspen Publication, 2001. Hardcover. Fine. First printing, thus.
Raymond Calvel (1913–2005) was a dominating authority on breadmaking. Having begun a baking apprenticeship at 17 in his hometown of Tarn in southern France, he went on to train at Paris’s École des Grands Moulins and did further studies in milling at the center now known as École Nationale Supérieure de Meunerie et des Industries Céréalières.
By the time he was 25 he was writing technical articles on milling and flour quality. Calvel’s experience and research in breadmaking made him not only surpassingly analytical but enabled him to propose practical solutions to the challenges and nuances of the process.
The Taste of Bread (2001)—the English translation of the original Le Goût du Pain (1990)—is Calvel’s seminal work on the science and technique behind traditional French breads. It is by no means a cookbook but a detailed technical manual written with the hands-on expertise of a master.
The first section of the book discusses ingredients, equipment, and process—the translated edition scrupulously including information on American grains. The latter section details the specific techniques for various breads in the French canon from sourdoughs to laminated doughs, from rusks to panettones. Color plates and black and white illustrations, diagrams, and charts throughout supplement the technical and descriptive information provided.
The Taste of Bread is essential reading for the food scientist and the experienced breadmaker, alike. The book has remained in demand over the years and we are fortunate to offer this Fine first English-language printing.
