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Why bake
bread?
Daniel Stevens, from River Cottage, on the
pleasure of home made bread
THERE IS NOTHING IN THE WORLD AS SATISFYING TO EAT AS
homebaked, homemade bread. Of course, technically the artisan
baker down the road is much better at it, but no amount of skill and
craftsmanship can replace the utter joy of eating and sharing the stuff
you make yourself. And it is practical to make bread – exceptional
bread – with your own hands, in your own home, on a regular basis.
I know you are busy, so you can start with a roti – a flatbread you can
make, from cupboard to table, in less than five minutes. But I know
that you also have free time, and I hope that I can persuade you that
free time spent in the kitchen – by yourself, with friends or with
children, with music in your ears, wine in your glass, flour in your hair
and magic in your hands – is time that could not be better spent.
If you are new to bread making, this sense of pleasure might not be
immediate, but I am confident that you will reach it more quickly than
I did. I remember my first loaf well – even the birds wouldn’t eat it. I
had followed the two page recipe to the letter and the cookbook
assured me that ’homemade bread is easy’. That was rather hard to
swallow (as was my bread). Still, I soldiered on, day after day. After all,
practice makes perfect.
There are two kinds of bread in the world: bread that hands have
made, and bread that hands have not. In an ideal world, all bread
would be handshavemade – by your hands and my hands, and by the
hands of those few professional bakers left in this country who are
still doing it properly. I guess there will always be handshavenot
bread, and while it’s not that bad, or at least it is surely edible, it seems
a shame that bread has become so standard and commonplace, that
we don’t even consider what a small miracle a risen loaf is.
Massproduced Bread
Some would say that 1961 was a bad year for bread. It was the year
the Chorleywood Bread Process came into being. Developed by the
Flour Milling and Baking Research Association in Chorleywood, the
process revolutionised the baking industry. This highspeed
mechanical mixing process allowed the fermentation time to be
drastically reduced, and meant that lowerprotein British wheats
could be used in place of the more expensive North American imports.
Various chemical improvers and antifungal agents are necessary
ingredients, as are certain hydrogenated or fractionated hard fats.
This is highoutput, lowlabour production, designed to maximise
efficiency and profit at the expense of the consumer.
www.roundandaboutssh.co.uk GODALMING & VILLAGES R&A x 19
>> why bake bread?
Massproduced bread is almost and ham rolls with nasty pickles, Bread made at home
undoubtedly worse for you. Apart where there is little hint of baking Home is the bakery where handmade
from the dubious additives and fats it activity save for the ovenwarming of bread does not cost more. At home,
contains, the short fermentation makes sausage rolls, baconandcheese slices you can produce a large loaf, made
the wheat harder to digest. Indeed, and ‘Cornish’ pasties. The ‘bakeries’ with organic flour, for less than half the
some believe the Chorleywood whose bread looks the same as price of a similarsized, mass
processing method is partly to blame everyone else’s… Well, nearly produced, nonorganic loaf from a
for a sharp increase in gluten everyone else’s. local shop. And your homemade bread
intolerance and allergy. It is also can be great bread – even if it does not
probable that the prolific Bread from real bakeries go to plan the first time.
crossbreeding and modification of Real bakeries are special places, where I still have that first bread recipe I
modernday wheat, to produce bread is made in small batches by real attempted – both pages of it. And now,
stronger, tougher, hardertodigest people’s hands and baked on site. You years later, I realise why my first loaf
gluten, has contributed to wheat can tell when bread is made by hand. was such a disaster. The basic method
intolerance. For a start, it will look different from is fine, but to make good bread you
other bread in other shops, because need to understand the process. Some
Somewhere in the region of 98 per every baker has his own, recognisable professional bakers and cookery
cent of bread baked in this country is style. Shop at one regularly and you writers skirt this all too briefly. As I
massproduced, and most of it comes may spot changes in the bread from discovered, being told ‘what to do’ is
from around a dozen huge plant one morning to the next. You may even simply not enough. There is so much to
bakeries. Supermarkets love to crow be able to tell if the baker was in a bad know, and I really believe that the
about their instore bakeries, but they mood, so sensitive is real bread to the more you know, the better your bread
are really nothing more than mini hands that make it. Some real bakeries will be.
versions of these plants. 98 per cent is sell their bread to local stores, which is
a lot. That means handshavenot excellent – the more places selling real
bread is just not the preserve of the bread, the better. Real bakeries are a This is an edited extract
supermarkets; it is the same bread you rarity, though. If you are lucky enough from River Cottage
Handbook: Bread by Daniel
buy in most local ‘bakeries’. I’m talking to have one near you, then you would Stevens, published by
about the ones that sell white tin be mad not to use it. The bread will Bloomsbury Publishing and
loaves with flat tops, apple turnovers cost more… so it should. priced at £14.99.
Bread is the staff of life, the saying chapatti, sourdough, tortilla, ciabatta, baker – just a talented young chef
goes. And in that sense it is brioche, bloomer… it’s a litany of long on the two qualities I look for in
fundamental to our subsistence. But goodness. Wherever you are in the new recruits: curiosity and
it is also fundamental to our pleasure world, is there a better way of making enthusiasm. But he soon decided to
– because good bread is the founding yourself feel at home than breaking direct much of his energy and skill
food of civilisation. So much greater bread with towards the blending of flour and
than the sum of its humble parts, it the locals? yeast, in all its splendid forms. And as
defies all logic: it is the twoplustwo I watched him do so, I found myself
equalsfive of culinary evolution. But there’s no doubt that for most of revising my own rather handsoff
us good bread still seems much easier approach to baking. His rapid and
Bread is also like humanity itself. We to enjoy than to make. And I must impressive progress was both
come in many different shapes and admit that for many years bread engaging and infectious.
sizes, colours and guises, yet making was, for me, something of a
underneath the skin/crust, we’re all culinary blind spot. I largely took the I saw that a form of cooking I had
made of the same stuff. And the trick view that the making of bread, like the previously felt to be something of a
of achieving happiness and harmony making of wine, was something best dark art, was ready to reveal itself to
is surely to celebrate and enjoy both left to the experts. I felt I could enjoy the energy of the openminded, risk
our similarities and differences, with it all the more for not knowing too taking enthusiast as any other. I
equal vigour. much about its underlying mysteries. began to follow Dan’s progress,
And then I met Dan! picking up a few hints and tips even
You only have to start reciting the as they solidified in his own mind.
names of the finest breads of the When he first came to work with me And I found myself becoming a better
world to begin this process of in the River Cottage kitchen, Dan baker.
celebration: cobbler, baguette, wasn’t a particularly experienced Hugh Fearnley‐Whittingstall
20 x R&A GODALMING & VILLAGES January 2011
Baking The Lighthouse Bakery School River Cottage
Ockham, Dagg Lane, Ewhurst Green, Axminster, Devon
Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5RD
courses The Lighthouse Bakery School provides
11 different courses, from the
On this one day course, a team of River
Cottage chefs will explain the ins and
outs of baking, aiming to inspire you to
Introduction to Baking course, through abandon ready‐sliced loaves for a world
to an Advanced Baking course, taking in of delicious breads baked at home. The
The Agaphile French Baking, Italian Baking, European day is hands on, and is built around the
Waverley Hall, Headley Road, Baking, Jewish Baking, amongst others, River Cottage Bread Handbook basic
Grayshott, Hindhead GU26 6EJ along the way. Courses are held twice a bread method . The course will show
week, and are very hands‐on. Class you how this can be adapted with
Sarah Rowlands’ most popular lessons sizes (maximum seven) ensure that infinite variations, to give you complete
are the beginners' breadmaking which individual attention is given to each confidence to become master of your
are practical hands on classes held with student. The Lighthouse Bakery School own bakery. Included in the price of the
two to four people. The aim is to get is situated amidst the beautiful High ticket is lunch and a copy of the River
people started at successful basic bread Weald countryside in East Sussex, Cottage Bread handbook. Bread tutors
making and, as their confidence builds, overlooking Bodiam Castle. may include Bread Handbook author,
they can move into using a wider range Daniel Stevens.
of flours and recipes. www.lighthousebakery.co.uk
Tel: 01580 831 271 www.rivercottage.net
www.agaphile.co.uk Tel: 01297 630302
Tel: 01428 606073 Love Loaves
Wolvercote, Oxford The Soil Association Organic Farm
Bake with Maria School
North London Learn to Bake ‐ and sell ‐ bread you can Various locations
believe in! Love Loaves is a home
If you've always wanted to learn how to bakery run by Dragan and Penny in The Soil Association's Organic Farm
make your own tasty and healthy bread Oxford. We hold fun and friendly School programme hosts a range of
from scratch, then this is the class for workshops in our home, 'the smallest bread‐making and baking courses
you. During a four hour session, we will bakery in the world', on Mondays, throughout the country, based on
go through the scaling, mixing and Wednesdays and Fridays, teaching organic farms. Learn the art of bread‐
kneading of different kinds of breads. classic yeasted breads, sourdoughs and making from artisan bakers ‐ from
These could be: Potato and Fennel, the magical Croatian method of baking beginners courses that enable you to
Wholemeal and Rye bread as well as a 'under the bell' on an open fire. Our get to grips with different doughs to
delicious cake. Alternatively, we can Mini Bakery Blueprint Workshop offers create a variety of breads, sourdoughs
tailor the breads to your interests. This comprehensive practical insight and and gluten‐free baking, to building your
is a hands‐on session, so be prepared to information for anyone wanting to run own bread oven! Up to 25% discount
roll up your sleeves. a bakery business from their own home. for Soil Association members.
www.bakewithmaria.com www.loveloaves.biz http://alturl.com/2qebv
Tel: 07725952724 Tel: 07886 280 800 (Dragan) email: rcurtis@soilassociation.org
Cinnamon Square Mayfield Farm Bakery Wild Yeast Bakery
9 Church Street, Rickmansworth, Sheering Road, Old Harlow, Essex CM17 The Grange, Dean Road, Newnham on
Hertfordshire WD3 1BX 0JP Severn, GL14 1HJ
Cinnamon Square hosts a range of An introduction to bread making using Offers a one‐day course, designed for
bakery courses, two of which focus on organic flour from local mill Marriages. beginners or those with some
bread making. The introduction to You’ll learn the techniques of mixing experience who want to improve and
bread course covers making bread by and kneading to make your dough, then learn about natural leavens and long
hand and includes yeast‐free bread. It proving, folding and shaping into fermentation processes. Participants
also involves the science of baking to traditional cottage loaves, cobs, learn about traditional breadmaking
help the guests achieve a thorough bloomers or plaits. Finally, learn how to techniques, including how to use yeast
understanding of the bread making give your bread a professional finish. All with the overnight biga process, and
process. They also run a second course ingredients, and lunch are included in how to cultivate wild yeast or
on Italian breads. The courses run every the price. Plus take home the bread you sourdough cultures, to make a variety
6‐8 weeks throughout the year. Each have made, the recipes and one or two of breads. The course is run by Simon
session lasts approximately 5 hours and other loaves as well. Max eight people Michaels, who ran the bakery for three
includes food and drink. per course. 10:30 – 2:30 (approx) years.
www.cinnamonsquare.com www.mayfieldfarmbakery.co.uk/events www.wildyeastbakery.co.uk
Tel: 01923 778353 Tel: 01279 411774 Tel: 0845 4580 060
www.roundandaboutssh.co.uk GODALMING & VILLAGES R&A x 21
