■ About the Issue Bread is a food made by fermenting and baking a dough made of grain-based flour like wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt. Though the ingredients are simple, how time, temperature, and fermentation are adjusted can produce endless flavor and shape possibilities. Dating back more than 10,000 years, the history of bread tells a story of how this important food item went from being a staple on the table to becoming a snack or dessert item with the addition of fat, butter, eggs, and sugar. Today, everyone from specialty bakeries, food companies and fine dining restaurants to cafes and home bakers are creating new baking techniques and recipes to suit individual preferences and tastes.

2 Intro 8 Letter from F 12 The Fundamentals A baking process that looks like alchemy, as practiced by Bien Cuit’s owner-chef Zachary Golper 20 City of Bread Contemporary bread cultures glimpsed through bakeries in different cities 71 Academic Manual The history of and ingredients in bread, as well as off-the-shelf bakery products that encapsulate the industry 88 F Cut Contemporary bread cultures glimpsed through bakeries in different cities 98 Interview 98 Dominique Ansel Owner-pastry chef of Dominique Ansel Bakery says a baker has to be a clever inventor to make original bread. 104 Natsuko Shoji Owner-chef of Ete and one of the best women chefs in Asia says food should be approached like art. 110 On the Table Types of bread served in fine dining establishments 126 It’s Baking Time Home bakers who put the aesthetic of slowness into practice 138 Interview 138 Travor Gulliver & Fergus Henderson Cofounders of St. John, an iconic restaurant in the British gastronomy scene, say bread begins the dining experience and shows their unassuming identity. 146 Equipment Smart baking tools 148 Shops Retailers specializing in baking supplies and ingredients 150 City Dive A city guide by F 152 References Recommended books and videos about bread 154 Outro 159 Index Essential Guide to Bread A visual encyclopedia of 51 famous bread varieties