Bread Matters (43 page)

This book would not have been possible without the help of many people, notably the many bakers in the UK, France and Russia from whom I have learned.

Louise Haines kindly asked me to write the book and showed a commitment beyond the call of editorial duty by attending two of my courses. My understanding of some of the science of nutrition and baking was enlarged by Margaret Rayman, John Lewis, Stan Cauvain, Christian Rémésy and Frédérique Batifoulier. Kirsten Fischer-Lindahl shared her enthusiasm for good bread and helped greatly by supplying and interpreting research material. Lynda Brown, Gill and Greg Evans and Victoria Fisher gave generous advice and Jane Middleton helped bring clarity to the text. Jeff Cottenden’s photographs and Julian Humphries’ design completed the picture. I am grateful to all of them.

Special thanks to Veronica Burke for her patient support and enthusiastic tasting of some of the work in progress.

First published in Great Britain in 2006 by Fourth Estate An imprint of HarperCollins
Publishers 77-85
Fulham Palace Road London W6 8JB
www.4thestate.co.uk

FIRST EDITION

The right of Andrew Whitley to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-13 0-00-978-720374-1
ISBN-10 0-00-720374-8

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^*You may well have more starter than this. As with excess rye sour, you can either freeze the excess wheat starter, give some away, put it in the compost bin or use it to flavour another dough (at up to 10 per cent of the dough weight).

^*The remaining 180g or so of refreshed production leaven goes back into the pot and becomes the ‘old starter’, to be kept for another cycle of refreshment and breadmaking. For advice on looking after your starter, see ‘What do I do with my sourdough between baking sessions?’ on page 204.

^*Using this amount, there will be a little sponge left over. If you want to turn your sponge into a leaven, follow the instructions under Refreshing the sponge. Otherwise, include all the sponge in the dough.

Table of Contents

Chapter One What’s the Matter with Modern Bread?

Chapter Two Does It Really Matter What Bread We Eat?

Chapter Three Taking Control

Chapter Four The Essential Ingredients

Chapter Five Starting from Scratch

Chapter Six First Bread and Rolls

Chapter Seven Simple Sourdough