Eater.com article: How Tech Bros Fell in Love With Baking Bread
It appears there are some people out there buying the 52-pound (that’s weight), US$600 Modernist Bread volumes and actually using them (more on the books in the comments here). I suppose some home bakers might feel inadequate reading the details in the linked Eater.com article on expensively-overproduced hobbyist bread for the braggart, but I didn’t. Mostly, the words “overthinking”, “overkill”, and “overcompensating” came to mind, and, as I finished the article, “Criminey.”
Mind-boggling though those details are, it was still sort of interesting to read.
A sample caption from breadstagram: “Loaf from yesterday’s cut video. 80% bread flour, 20% whole wheat, 80% hydration, 2% salt, Leaven was 100% hydration, whole wheat, young (4 hours), and comprised of 10% of total *dough* weight (60g for a 600g loaf). Hand mixed via Rubaud Method for 10 minutes. Bulk for 3.5 hours, low 80s F, with coil folds at 60 minutes and 120 minutes (around 40% rise in volume).”
Yeah…no. The stress these people put on themselves doesn’t sound enjoyable. I’m glad my bread-baking remains at a relaxed level. I’d stop doing it if it seemed that much like work.
Sourdough boule in my kitchen
Dammit Lalo! And here I am not having had one single thing to eat worth a damn today and you post a photo of that beautiful loaf.
Now I must find food. (..and yeah, food should be a relaxing joy, not a high-stress chore.)
Right at the start, being stupid enough to pay 600 bucks for Modernist Bread would instantly put my stress meter at 11.
Indeed! I now am interested in looking into this pricey tome, if not for anything more than what the justification of it is. For that price, the loaves should come out of the oven, gold plated.