Pretzels are twisted. You know that. But do you know why? I don't but maybe there's some sweet logic in the rumor that they were invented by an Italian monk who named them piccola premi,(small rewards) or "pretiola" to reward children for prayers....
I love the classic Jewish deli rye. But the gradual disappearance of traditonal Jewish bakers has forced me to attempt my own. For years, I had depended on a formula that was scrawled on a piece of paper that somehow got lost. Then I began searching for leads on Stir...
Grano arso or burned wheat is something I find deliciously satisfying in bread and pasta. Still, my first attempt at using it didn’t yield the light or full of oven spring desired in the crumb. It felt dense and a wee bit too rustic. This weekend it was back to...
Paris micro baker Thierry Delabre makes a number of loaves, usually in the shape of something known as a "pavé" or cobblestone. It incorporates delicious ancient wheat and spelt varieties he's able to find. I've tried making one of...
Recently a friend asked whether rye sourdough could add “some push” to a bread they were making using grano arso, also known as “burnt wheat.” Its Italian origins literally came from burnt wheat, dating back to a period in Italy when fields...
