I had to blog about this newsletter (about brick ovens) from Gwyneth Paltrow on her blog http://goop.com, which is catching a lot of flack from people around the blogosphere. Stop being jealous that you aren’t famous, married to a rockstar, with an insane yoga studio and brick oven in your back yard, and just get on with your merry life. There is a lot of really great stuff at goop.
About two years ago, when I became infatuated with creating all things bread — those very simple ingredients of yeast, water, flour, and salt, I took a book, called The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, out of the library and covered the bagel page with water and flour as I tried to master the recipe. (Bagels to come this fall. It’s too hot right now!) I eventually purchased it, feeling confident in my kneading and rolling abilities. Not only is Rose a bread genius but she is truly a teacher. Her encouragement of learning about dough and making recipes your own, is a constant throughout the book. I thank her for sharing her vast knowledge of bread with me.
Another book I purchased was the The Bread Builders; Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovens by Daniel Wing and Alan Scott , two men who were passionate about the art and science of bread. So, now that I was feeling confident about my bread making abilities I let my dad know I was going to learn how to build a masonry oven (like Mr. Scott) and that it was going to be constructed in his back yard. His comment to me was that I cannot read a book and know how to mix cement and lay stone. Ok, I’ll give you that dad — his logic can be so frustrating at times.
But I was and still am very interested in what the book had to say. Alan Scott was an incredible artist and his son continues to to carry on his legacy. His designs are found scattered all over the world — from Australia to Vermont and up and down the long state of California. In addition to the building and deisgns of masonry ovens this book goes into great detail about the science behind bread making in a masonry oven– the water to heat ratio, what is chemically happening within a loaf to result in a chewy and delicious crumb, as well as what I think everyone should know about store-bought sliced sandwich bread. EW! I find it all fascinating.
So, to those of you like me, who continue to dream of one day having a masonry oven in their backyard — spending a saturday cooking everything from bread to pizza, muffins to roasts, cookies, and pies whilst sipping cocktails amongst friends and feasting all day. We can continue to sit in front of our 500 degree oven in the kitchen, lugging the baking stone out of the pantry (it’s not that bad), and think of Gwyneth Paltrow, in hopes that maybe, one day, she will invite us over to enjoy hers. Happy baking!
(Photo by Roslyn Street)
Roslyn Street 