Upper Crust: Homemade Bread the French Way

An introduction to the French art of baking bread—including ingredient selection, starter cultivation, and bread-making techniques—with more than 100 recipes

The quintessential staple of French cuisine is the humble baguette, but the country’s bread-baking tradition—along with variations assimilated from other world cultures—offers a vast repertoire. With an introduction to the history of French bread, guidelines to help the home baker select the right ingredients—grain and flour varieties, water, salt, and starter—this book details the step-by-step techniques and fundamentals of bread making: from feeding the starter, kneading and preparing the dough, and baking, to more than 100 recipes.
 
Eighteen expert bakers and pastry chefs share the sweet and savory recipes that have forged the French bakery’s enviable reputation—from round pain de campagne or olive and oregano bread to regional breads like fougasse