Good Bread Is Back: A Contemporary History of French Bread, the Way It
Is Made, and the People Who Make It (Hardcover)
by Steven Laurence Kaplan

"Joe Doe" > wrote in message ...
> Good Bread Is Back: A Contemporary History of French Bread, the Way It
> Is Made, and the People Who Make It (Hardcover)
> by Steven Laurence Kaplan.

I did not know this already, but it is possible to read a random page at
Amazon.com. This book is very poetical. It is quite amazing how much
can be said about bread, and how many different and impressive words
can be used. Bread is almost as good as wine, in that respect.

--
Dicky

On Jul 15, 10:40 am, "Dick Adams" > wrote:
> "Joe Doe" > wrote in ...
> > Good Bread Is Back: A Contemporary History of French Bread, the Way It
> > Is Made, and the People Who Make It (Hardcover)
> > by Steven Laurence Kaplan.
>
> I did not know this already, but it is possible to read a random page at
> Amazon.com. This book is very poetical. It is quite amazing how much
> can be said about bread, and how many different and impressive words
> can be used. Bread is almost as good as wine, in that respect.
>
> --
> Dicky

Hi Dicky, I'm glad you found reading the random page at Amazon. But
not all of books have it available, alas! I like to read the index
pages, too, on cookbooks.

I'm glad you added the word "almost" in your last sentence. ;-) I
'guess' I could live without wine, but bread would be tougher to do
without.
Dee Dee

"Dee Dee" > wrote in message ups.com...
> Hi Dicky, I'm glad you found reading the random page at Amazon. But
> not all of books have it available, alas! I like to read the index
> pages, too, on cookbooks.

Hi, Dee Dee -- Case of my book, the random page is the whole
thing, and there is no index:
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/di...ions%5FRev.doc

We edited and reformatted Carl's brochure so it could be distributed
on a single 8.5 by 11 inch sheet, but that is only available with a start,
if you request it: ( Otherwise, the text is available at the web site:
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/getbrochure.html )

Well, you see I totally, like, groove on brevity, if you get my gist. D'ya
know what I'm sayin'? ... Not to mention $free!

"Joe Doe" should write a compact, on-line book, 'cause he knows
plenty. I am not sure a service is done by sending people off to read
bread poetry, notwithstanding that most people would rather read
than get off their asses to do any practical task.

--
Dicky

On Jul 15, 1:03 pm, "Dick Adams" > wrote:
> "Dee Dee" > wrote in oglegroups.com...
> > Hi Dicky, I'm glad you found reading the random page at Amazon. But
> > not all of books have it available, alas! I like to read the index
> > pages, too, on cookbooks.
>
> Hi, Dee Dee -- Case of my book, the random page is the whole
> thing, and there is no index:http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/di...ions%5FRev.doc
>
> We edited and reformatted Carl's brochure so it could be distributed
> on a single 8.5 by 11 inch sheet, but that is only available with a start,
> if you request it: ( Otherwise, the text is available at the web site:http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/getbrochure.html)
>

Thanks, Dick for making this 1-sheet fix. I ordered a number of years
ago Carl's starter, put it in a jar, and it still sits. Maybe your
sheet will give me more encouragement.
Dee Dee

"Dee Dee" > wrote in message oups.com...
> I ordered a number of years ago Carl's starter, put it in a jar,
> and it still sits. Maybe your sheet will give me more encouragement.

I doubt if it will revive after a number of years. But if it does, let them
know. They will be gratified and amazed.

In the meantime, you could send for a new start.

--
Dicky

On Jul 15, 2:43 pm, "Dick Adams" > wrote:
> "Dee Dee" > wrote in ooglegroups.com...
> > I ordered a number of years ago Carl's starter, put it in a jar,
> > and it still sits. Maybe your sheet will give me more encouragement.
>
> I doubt if it will revive after a number of years. But if it does, let them
> know. They will be gratified and amazed.
>
> In the meantime, you could send for a new start.
>
> --
> Dicky

Thanks for the advice.

I guess I've been watching too many archealogy shows. Aren't they
always finding some grains, fungi, etc. that "come alive." ;-))
Dee

"Dee Dee" > wrote in message ups.com
> I guess I've been watching too many archealogy shows. Aren't they
> always finding some grains, fungi, etc. that "come alive." ;-))

There have been several reports of viable dry start found between
the pages of 50-year-old copies of Sourdough Jack's little book.
And, speaking of books, it is a good one, and the right size, about
50 spiral-bound pages. Copies can be found at eBay. (But
probably, by now, the dry starts that came with the books are
all used up.)

An Internet seller offering a "Gisa" culture suggests that it may be
descended from the times of the pharaohs. The proportion of the
time trip spent dry is not suggested, but the alternative is continuous
propagation. So far as I know, nobody has claimed to have scraped
a viable dry start out of an archaeological site.

Our resident scholar has pointed out that unattended sourdough cultures
die off pretty quick, and are not likely to form the kinds of spores that
would confer archival properties. Please see:
http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/howshoul...tarterfor.html
Well, that is mostly about moist culture storage. I know of no systematic
study about how long dried cultures last, and what the conditions of drying
and of storage should best be. Me and "Carlos" are trying to find out.

And, speaking of books, this one was mentioned recently:
http://www.twobluebooks.com/book.php
Some of that is available as a *.pdf file, including a section about
the way that gas bubbles in dough are stabilized. There it is said that lipids
(fat) can stabilize the bubbles, but quite a lot of lipid must be added to do that
and it must be polar. Otherwise the bubbles are stabilized by protein, and
adding small amounts of lipids is detrimental. There are pencil-drawn
diagrams and plots that make it quite clear. The role of fats was recently
under discussion at r.f.s., so that's why I mention it.

Anyway, I think I will buy that book before I buy the one about French bread
which the masked man recommended. (I will try to get the library to order
some books by Steven Laurence Kaplan.) (Otherwise maybe I will take
my chances reading random pages at Amazon com.)

--
Dicky

> And, speaking of books, this one was mentioned recently:
> http://www.twobluebooks.com/book.php
> Some of that is available as a *.pdf file, including a section about
> the way that gas bubbles in dough are stabilized. There it is said that lipids
> (fat) can stabilize the bubbles, but quite a lot of lipid must be added to do that
> and it must be polar. Otherwise the bubbles are stabilized by protein, and
> adding small amounts of lipids is detrimental. There are pencil-drawn
> diagrams and plots that make it quite clear. The role of fats was recently
> under discussion at r.f.s., so that's why I mention it.
>
Thanks Dick -- I'm sorry I couldn't find the book. That's the passage to
which I was referring. I must have already packed it. My house is a
mountain of boxes right now -- glad I'll only live amongst the cardboard
for a few more weeks (including the unpacked state that will be my new
home for quite a few days, I'm sure).

Once I get to Corvallis (sometime in early August), and I finally dig it
out, I'll find the appropriate passage. I'll be interested to hear your
thoughts on it once you pick it up. It's a well written book that's
pretty technical in places -- a bit too technical occassionally for this
liberal arts major to follow entirely on the first read, anyway -- but
there's a lot of good information about the chemistry of bread. And
given your background, I don't think you'll have any trouble following
it at all.

And thanks to all the folks who posted suggestions on transporting my
starter across the country. I've already dried my main starter, and the
others should be ready for pulverizing when I get home today. I'll also
keep some doughballs in the truck cooler and give my wife a few for the
plane as well.

Best,

Jeff

"Dick Adams" > wrote in message
...

"Joe Doe" > wrote in message
...
> Good Bread Is Back: A Contemporary History of French Bread, the Way It
> Is Made, and the People Who Make It (Hardcover)
> by Steven Laurence Kaplan.

I did not know this already, but it is possible to read a random page at
Amazon.com. This book is very poetical. It is quite amazing how much
can be said about bread, and how many different and impressive words
can be used. Bread is almost as good as wine, in that respect.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have the book. Although an American, Kaplan wrote it in French and
someone else translated it into English - and it shows in the style! My
initial impression is that it reads a bit like a French philosophical work
and 5 words are used where one would suffice. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh
but it's a bit Proustian.
Graham