Rise to the Occasion: A Baker's Bible Worth Every Crumb

Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza [A Cookbook]

There is something almost primal about pulling a loaf from the oven, its crust crackling, the inside pillowy and warm. Ken Forkish, the Portland baker behind some of America's most talked-about bread, has bottled that feeling into a single, authoritative volume. It's the kind of book that makes you want to clear your weekend and get flour on your hands. Forkish built his reputation on obsessive attention to process, and that same rigour carries through every page here. All the recipes were developed and tested in a domestic oven, not a professional kitchen, which matters enormously. The results hold their own against anything you'd find in a serious bakery. The range is genuinely impressive. Beginners can start with a straightforward dough and have a fresh loaf on the table by evening. Those with more experience can work through pre-ferments using biga or poolish, or follow Forkish's detailed, step-by-step guide to cultivating a levain starter from nothing but flour and water. The naturally leavened results carry a depth of flavour that's difficult to achieve any other way. Pizza lovers are well served too, with multiple dough and sauce combinations suited to both a pizza stone and a cast-iron skillet. Beyond the recipes themselves, the book functions as a proper baking education. There's a clear tutorial on baker's percentages, guidance on adjusting ingredient ratios to suit your own preferences, and a full chapter dedicated to demystifying the levain process. Practical tips on fitting bread-making around a busy schedule make the whole thing feel refreshingly grounded. For anyone keen to move beyond supermarket loaves, this is a reliable, well-structured companion that rewards both the curious beginner and the more practised home baker.

• Author: Ken Forkish
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Genre: Cooking & Culinary Arts
• ISBN: 978-1607742739
• Pages: 272 pages