Confessions Of A French Baker
Breadmaking secrets, tips and recipes
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
In Cavaillon, there are seventeen bakers listed in the Pages Jaunes, but we had been told that one establishment was ahead of all the rest in terms of choice and excellence, a vertiable palais de pain. At Chez Auzet, so they said, the baking and eating of breads and pastries had been elevated to the status of a minor religion.'
This was written in 1988 in one of Peter Mayle's notebooks as he researched A Year in Provence. And ever since his first visit, the Boulangerie Auzet has remained one of his favourite places in the world. Many more people came to visit the bakery after A Year in Provence was published, all wanting more than just bread. They wanted ingredients, recipes, tips - anything that might help them recreate Boulangerie Auzet in their own kitchens. Confessions of a French Baker will do just that. It will decribe how to make bread and pastries, the secret of handling dough correctly, the history of the shop, some anecdotes, hints and tips, in short, a way of bringing Boulangerie Auzet into your own home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This petit but useful compendium contains centuries-old Proven al lessons in bread making as relayed to Francophile foodie and memoirist Mayle (A Year in Provence, etc.) by Auzet, an award-winning baker from Cavaillon, Provence. The collaboration between author and baker yields a mix of regional history, first-person essay and a portrait of a family boulangerie through the generations. The modest Auzet boils down his expertise to a few secrets: among them are that the exact combined temperature of the water, flour and kitchen air should be 56 C, and that a good kitchen scale is imperative. Traditional recipes for baguettes, batards and boules are simple, though, as with any bread made by hand, quite time consuming. To keep second-guessing to a minimum, Auzet offers helpful tips for testing both the dough's gluten and the bread's doneness. He also explains how these basic formulas can be amped up with a number of French flavors: olives, thyme, saffron, apricots, nuts and garlic. Additional chapters concern making breads with wine, olive oil and sweet yeast. For true authenticity, a suggested list of wine pairing is included at the end. Throughout, Auzet's suggestions are spot-on, making his "confessions" an invaluable contribution to aspiring boulangers and bread-lovers.
