Know Your Artisan Breads

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Thankfully, we no longer have to travel to Europe to experience good bread.

The American artisan bread movement began in California in the early 1980s with the founding of a few pioneer bakeries on the east and west coasts. These bakeries differed significantly in technique and focus from traditional bakeries, which created breads with uniform texture, more additives and fewer flavors.

Applying techniques long used in Europe, artisan bakers nurture the dough with slow mixing times, creating a less uniform texture, and enhance the flour's natural flavor through long fermentation times. They generally use natural starters. New equipment innovations now allow for the mass production of high-quality bread, including "artisan-style" breads. But many bakers insist that real artisan bread requires an element of handwork, forming or cutting the bread. With either style, an artisan baker requires three essential ingredients: attention to high-quality natural ingredients, mindfulness in the process of making bread and passion.

Popular Artisan Breads

PAIN AU LEVAIN: Sometimes called country or farm bread, these breads feature natural starters, water and flour. They are less sour than San Francisco sourdough with a chewy, honeycombed texture.

ITALIAN PEASANT OR PAESANO BREAD: This white bread originates from the Italian countryside. Made with a small amount of sour starter, it features large holes and has a thinner, chewy crust.

CIABATTA: A free-form loaf, originating from Italy around Lake Como in the North. It features large holes and a chewy crust. It is supposed to resemble a slipper.

PUGLIESE: This white bread, originating from the Puglia region of Italy, has a bubbly interior with a delicate, soft and chewy crust.

SEMOLINA: This bread features durum wheat that is more coarsely ground, giving the bread a golden flavor and nutty taste. It is often rolled in unhulled sesame seeds for added texture and flavor.

BAGUETTE: The traditional French cylindrical bread, about two feet long, with a thinner crust than most artisan breads and a soft interior.

SAN FRANCISCO SOURDOUGH: This free-form loaf is baked using only natural starters and an extremely long fermentation time, creating a sour, tangy taste. The bread has lots of holes, and a chewy crust.

FOCACCIA: This large, flat bread, formed into squares or rounds, has a thick and chewy crust. It is often topped with strong herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, olives or onions.

JEWISH RYE: This bread is made using natural sour starter, a bit of yeast, rye and wheat flours and is usually blended with caraway seeds.

FLAVORED BREADS: The flavors of these breads are dominated by added ingredients. Some popular flavored breads: Pearl Bakery's Fig-Anise Panini, Grace Baking Co.'s Fred Bread, a bread loaded with toasted pecans, golden raisins and dried cranberries, Amy's Bread's Black Olive Twists, Zingerman Bakehouse's Chocolate Cherry and Ecce Panis' Plum-Fennel.