A slice of good bread, made with love, is the most basic thing, but at the same time, it is the thing that is disappearing the fastest with the help of mass industry.
This time, we searched for exceptions in different countries, bakeries and bakers who respectfully raise bread to the highest level, refine recipes, search for the best ingredients and create miracles from them. All in the name of a baked crust, a soft center and that memory that comes to life with the first bite.
HOBBS HOUSE BAKERY (GREAT BRITAIN)
Hobbs House Bakery is family bakery, which is its own the story began years ago 1920 in British The Cotswolds. Today, the fifth generation of bakers is working and continuing the tradition Tom Herbert.
That Tom, brother Henry, with which they became big stars with their show on Fabulous Baker Brothers on Channel 4, in which they reveal their baking secrets. Tom says that as a baker, he is passionate about making bread, eating it and sharing it. The passion has earned him many awards, among others, at the beginning of his career, he won the award for young baker in 2001. When it comes to bread, he demands the best and, as he says, does not see the point in people eating expensive cheese on bread from the supermarket. The secret of Tom's bread remains a secret, but it is a traditional recipe. He inspired many, among others Tony Adams, Liz Hurley, Damien Hirst, Keith Allen ... He also won over his current wife Anna with his bread, apparently successfully, as they have four children, who are already predicting the sixth generation of a perfect slice of bread.
hobbshousebakery.co.uk
The most expensive loaf in England
Tom Herbert created Britain's most expensive £21 loaf of bread three years ago, called The Shepherd's Loaf. He perfected the recipe for half a year, his purpose was to create bread for special occasions. However, it seems that he did not succeed, because he sold around a hundred loaves of this bread a week.
He also won over his current wife Anna with his bread, apparently successfully, as they have four children, who are already predicting the sixth generation of a perfect slice of bread.
LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN (BELGIUM)
It was in 1990 Alain Coumontv Brussels as a young chef who missed good bread, created a bakery Only Pain Quotidien. This, like a small chain, eventually spread throughout the world. Alain learned to bake as a small child, when every Sunday he stood on a chair and watched his grandmother bake bread. This love is still felt in his bakeries.
They are known for their homely atmosphere and also for their bread, the charm of which lies precisely in its simplicity. There really is no secret: organic flour, ground in a stone mill, salt and water, kneading by hand and baking in a bread oven. They always try to use organic ingredients, because they say that this is the only way they can offer the best and this is the only way to ensure successful cooperation with local farmers. They follow this green philosophy everywhere, from furnishing stores with wood and recycled materials to using friendly cleaning products and packaging. www.lepainquotidien.com.
A table that connects
V Only Pain Quotidien they also have a common table. This one is made of recycled wood, so no tree was sacrificed for her. The table was created to sit next to a stranger with a slice of bread and to feel that we are part of a community even in the biggest city. In fewer words – the table proves that bread connects.
MAISON KAYSER (FRANCE)
What other country would you most quickly associate with bread than France. There are many good bakeries, this time we chose the one he created Eric Kayser – Maison Kayser. Their secret is natural traditional yeast and technological innovations, new recipes, constant hunting for even better ingredients. Eric Kayser he says that good bread does not lie and that it says everything about good ingredients and the knowledge of the artist who created it. Eric sees his mission as making bread the most respected element on the set table again.
photo: David Grimbert
The result of his philosophy can be tasted in his design-perfect bakeries. From the first, which was created in 1996 in Paris, they quickly spread throughout France and the world. Today, they are in many major cities, from Moscow to Seoul and Tokyo to New York, and they are expanding to more places every year. In 2012, they listed 100 Kayser bakeries in 14 countries. It may sound massive and you know what it entails, but in this case it certainly isn't. Be it in a bakery in Paris or anywhere else in the world, Erica can always be found where the bread is being baked in the early hours of the morning. www.maison-kayser.com
Technical innovations
It was in 1994 Eric Kayser together with Patrick Castagna, he designed a special device that keeps natural liquid yeast at the ideal temperature. As a natural element, yeast is looked after with special care, and employees pay special attention to the addition of water and flour in order to ensure a balanced fermentation.
TARTINE BAKERY (SAN FRANCISCO)
Although few people associate America with good food, and even fewer with good bread, it is Tartine Bakery from San Francisco good proof that good bread knows no bounds. Chad Robertson are in American Vogue called the cult prince of American baking.
Years 2002 he is with his wife Elisabeth Prueitt opened in San Francisco Tartine Bakery, a very special bakery. Every day, "le" comes out of their hands 240 loaves, which starts selling around half past five in the morning, a loaf costs 8 dollars, it is sold by the whole loaf or half. The bread is only intended for those who make an effort for it, as it is usually gone within an hour. One of the master chefs, the Copenhagen chef Christian F. Puglisi he said he was very jealous of the residents San Francisco because that's where Tartine is, and because that's where the right culture is for something like Tartine.
www.tartinebakery.com
Kneading water
The Secret of the Chads within an hour of sold-out loaves, it is in the dough itself and in the ratio with water. As one of the employees said, it's like kneading water, because the relationship is water in Tartine Bakery it moves far above the "permissible" limit, even there up to 90 %.
JOSEPH BROT (AUSTRIA)
In Vienna for two years now, we have been able to taste a very special bread, for which it is well-deserved Joseph Weghaupr. A food technologist by profession, after working for a while for a huge mass industrial "bakery", he decided to go out on his own. When he walked around France and the mini-bakeries there, he realized how lost he was wandering in the mass production in Austria. He came back with an idea and initially implemented it in a small bakery in the village in 2009 due to a lack of finances. Two years later, he also succeeded in the city, and today he is Joseph Brot one of the most special bakeries that does not have a rich tradition, but certainly has a rich future.
Their philosophy is that everything is made by hand, and their bread (made only from organic grains) is special because it is baked twice. As he says Joseph, it all needs a good amount of patience. The dough ferments for two days before being baked, then rests for twelve hours and is then baked again. Double baking caramelizes the crust and gives the nine bread variations a distinctive texture and flavor.
www.joseph.co.at
"Unpromising" craft
When it's Joseph Weghaupt applied to the bank for a loan for a bakery, they did not approve it, as bread baking was not a promising enough profession. They didn't know what kind of ideas, vision and abilities he has today 32-year-old Joseph, whose bakery today has more than 30 employees.
