But is it really bread???

[james]

Did you read that a company has bought the Wonder Bread brand and is going to make a run at bringing it back to life. Incredible.

The new bread claims to have some "whole wheat" (I'm sure they will use coloring to make it look dark), and, get this, unlike the original Wonder Bread, that had ZERO fiber, the new bread will have two grams per slice (loaf?). Maybe some things should just be left alone.

On a related note, I read the ingredients label of our local supermarket's house brand "french" bread the other day. It's scary.

We need to keep making better bread at home.

James

[aikitarik]

We need to keep making better bread at home.

Amen. Scary what you see on labels these days. My wife and I stay away from a lot of processed foods.

I do consider myself fortunate in that I live in an area where we have a large number of artisanal bakeries so that I do have fresh, healthy alternatives with no crazy ingredients.

[CanuckJim]

Baguettes

I've been experimenting with the Phillipe Gosselin cold ferment method outlined by Peter Reinhart in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The taste is absolutely spectacular, as Reinhart says, because of the overnight ferment and the cold water used to make the dough. However, it's difficult stuff to handle and shape because it is so wet. As the BBA suggested, I've been scoring the baguette with scissors dipped in cold water, but the dough seems to want to close the slashes almost as soon as they're made. The individual pieces are difficult to scale, as well, because too much handling and the gas is pressed out.

Having trouble scaling my pictures so they're small enough to post. I'll work on it. I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions on the method, shaping, slashing and the recipe.

Jim

[helenb]

Bread recipe request

Woul you mind sharing a good bread recipe for the woodfired oven.

Thanks
Helen