Keyword:
Author:
Region:
Course:
Diet/Seasonal:
Search My Cookbooks
My Favorite Cookbooks
My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method
by Jim Lahey
ISBN-10: 0393066304
ISBN-13: 9780393066302
ISBN-13: 9780393066302
Region: USA
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Publication Date: October, 2009
Recipe Index
Publishers Information
About My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method
Publisher Web Link: http://books.wwnorton.com/
Lahey’s “breathtaking, miraculous, no-work, no-knead bread” (Vogue) has revolutionized the food world.
When he wrote about Jim Lahey’s bread in the New York Times, Mark Bittman’s excitement was palpable: “The loaf is incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique I’ve used, and it will blow your mind.” Here, thanks to Jim Lahey, New York’s premier baker, is a way to make bread at home that doesn’t rely on a fancy bread machine or complicated kneading techniques. Witnessing the excitement that Bittman’s initial piece unleashed worldwide among bakers experienced and beginner alike, Jim grew convinced that home cooks were eager for a no-fuss way to make bread, and so now, in this eagerly anticipated collection of recipes, Jim shares his one-of-a-kind method for baking rustic, deep-flavored bread in your own oven.
The secret to Jim Lahey’s bread is slow-rise fermentation. As Jim shows in My Bread, with step-by-step instructions followed by step-by-step pictures, the amount of labor you put in amounts to 5 minutes: mix water, flour, yeast, and salt, and then let time work its magic—no kneading necessary. Wait 12 to 18 hours for the bread to rise, developing structure and flavor; then, after another short rise, briefly bake the bread in a covered cast-iron pot.
The process couldn’t be more simple, or the results more inspiring. My Bread devotes chapters to Jim’s variations on the basic loaf, including an olive loaf, pecorino cheese bread, pancetta rolls, the classic Italian baguette (stirato), and the stunning bread stick studded with tomatoes, olives, or garlic (stecca). He gets even more creative with loaves like Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread, others that use juice instead of water, and his Irish Brown Bread, which calls for Guinness stout. For any leftover loaves, Jim includes what to do with old bread (try bread soup or a chocolate torte) and how to make truly special sandwiches.
And no book by Jim Lahey would be complete without his Sullivan Street Bakery signature, pizza Bianca—light, crispy flatbread with olive oil and rosemary that Jim has made even better than that of Italy’s finest bakeries. Other pizza recipes, like a pomodoro (tomato), only require you to spread the risen dough across a baking sheet and add toppings before baking.
Here, finally, Jim Lahey gives us a cookbook that enables us to fit quality bread into our lives at home. (http://books.wwnorton.com/books/)
Author Information
About Jim Lahey
Author Web Link: http://www.sullivanstreetbakery.com/
Jim Lahey, the owner of Sullivan St Bakery, originally planned to spend his life as a sculptor. His passion for art and natural beauty took him to Italy, where he found a new medium for that sculptor’s urge: bread. Inspired by the bakers of Tuscany and Rome, he returned to New York City determined that the “peasant” bread of the Italian countryside could find a home in America.
In 1994, he started Sullivan St Bakery in Soho, with little more than the wild yeast he cultivated by hand in Italy, and a passion for bringing the exquisite, handcrafted breads of Italy to the American table.
In October 2000, the new headquarters for Sullivan St Bakery was opened on West 47th Street in Hell’s Kitchen. As its reputation spread, the bakery grew into a destination for not just bread but also savory Roman-style pizzas, rustic Italian pastries and cookies..
Today, over 340 of New York’s finest restaurants and markets, such as Jean Georges, The Four Seasons, Gramercy Tavern, Marea, Zabar’s and WholeFoods are showcases for the bakery’s remarkable bread. Visitors to the bakery’s new home in Hell’s Kitchen come from everywhere to try Jim Lahey’s latest creations, including multigrain breads, seasonal tarts and pastries, and mouthwatering sandwiches.
Jim Lahey’s simple, rustic bread has hit on something important: Bread is more than bread. It reaches all the way from the belly to the soul. In November of 2006, Lahey’s no-knead method drew the attention of “The Minimalist” columnist Mark Bittman. His articles about it in the New York Times sparked a worldwide home baking revolution.
Several times a year Lahey invites the public to his “Master Classes for the Home Baker.” The incredible success of these hands-on courses about pizza, focaccia and the “perfect loaf” soon led to the formation of The University of Bread at Sullivan St Bakery where he mentors apprentice bakers who hope to open their own bakeries around the world.
Recent months have been eventful for Jim. His new book, MY BREAD - inspired by those Bittman articles - has been published to great reviews, and he just opened up his first restaurant, Co. (230 9th Avenue at 24th Street in Manhattan). The name is short for Company, a word whose Latin roots refer to the phrase “with bread,” of course.
(http://www.sullivanstreetbakery.com/)
