White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf
How did white bread, once an icon of American progress, become “white trash”? In this lively history of bakers, dietary crusaders, and social reformers, Aaron Bobrow-Strain shows us that what we think about the humble, puffy loaf says a lot about who we are and what we want our society to look like.
White Bread teaches us that when Americans debate what one should eat, they are also wrestling with larger questions of race, class, immigration, and gender.
"Teapot fell," said the dinner bell. "Is she dead?" asked the bread. "Broke her spout," said the trout. "Push her up," said the cup. "I can't," said the ant. "Please try," said the pie. "You'll have fun," with this one.
The Bagel - The Surprising History of a Modest Bread
The bagel may have grown out of its New York insularity to become an American icon, but its origins are not what many people have come to believe. Historian Balinska traces the bagel’s history and discovers antecedents in southern Italy and in Muslim northwest China. Despite the oft-repeated legend, the bagel did not originate as a tribute to Polish king Jan Sobieski after the Battle of Vienna in 1683, for documents citing the ring-shaped bread substantially antedate that event. In the nineteenth century, both Jewish and Gentile bakers sold bagels in local eastern European markets.
Savory Sweets: From Ingredients to Plated Desserts
A new approach to flavor, ingredients, and techniques "From a simple idea, Amy Felder has practically conceived a new category of dessert ideation. And her instructional skills, honed in classroom kitchens, allow her to convey this knowledge in a clear, systematic, and inspirational fashion." --Peter Reinhart, author of The Bread Baker's Apprentice and The Whole Grain Revival: Mastering the Art of Whole Grain Breads
Peter Reinharts Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor
Bread is back, Reinhart (The Bread Baker's Apprentice) asserts, and it's better than ever after being villainized during the anticarbohydrate diet fads; his manifesto of renewal, this enthusiastic tome featuring the kinds of whole grain breads he sees as the way forward, will be eagerly received by serious bakers. In three useful preliminary chapters, Reinhart describes how he developed the delayed fermentation process that makes these breads delicious as well as wholesome, dissects wheat's route from stalk to loaf and patiently walks through the new technique's theory and process, in order to arm bakers with every bit of information before they start kneading.
