The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bouchon Bakery's Book

daveazar531's picture
daveazar531

Bouchon Bakery's Book

has anyone had a chance to check out Thomas Keller's new book Bouchon Bakery? I've read the amazon reviews but i wanted to see what you guys think

Boron Elgar's picture
Boron Elgar

It arrived yesterday and it still in its packing. I will report back within a week when I get a chance to tackle it seriously.

A friend called it bread porn.

 

Boron

 

daveazar531's picture
daveazar531

Thanks for the heads up Boron, i cant wait to hear what you have to think.

merrybaker's picture
merrybaker

So far I've only made the Pain de Campagne.  It was easy, but not exciting in the taste department.  I found the docking method odd -- use a bench scraper to make "a deep crosshatch pattern, almost all the way through the dough."  I'm not sure of the purpose of that.  I did cut down the salt a bit, and I'm glad I did.  

FWIW, the bread was fantastic for a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.  Just the right texture when grilled.

laurielrh's picture
laurielrh

Hello:

I made a composite bread using the cranberry and the walnut bread recipes for Thanksgiving.  It was yummy! The ingredients are simple in these breads but many of the recipes have esoteric ingredients(available through internet sites but not in the stores on the CT coast).  Planning is advisable.  Much of the book is deserts and we do not eat these but there are some wonderful ideas for brioche-style breads that are next on my list.  Like all the TK books, this one is well written and a delightful source for inspiration.

Laurielrh

MANNA's picture
MANNA

Can anyone provide some insight. In the blueberry muffin recipe he has you mix the batter and then leave in the fridge overnite. Wouldnt the baking powder expend all its gas making and the muffins turn out kinda dense? What if you held back the baking powder till the next morning. Mix it in and then scooped out your batter into tins. Could you get a better rise out of it?

linder's picture
linder

Debra Wink did some extensive testing of baking powders -

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/12997/baking-powder

Linda

MANNA's picture
MANNA

That was a great article! Learned alot. Note when making the blueberry muffins that get an overnight rest in the fridge, use slow-acting baking powder. If you only have double or fast acting mix it in the next morning then bake.