Bread Toast Crumbs: Recipes for No-Knead Loaves and Meals to Savor Every Slice
Do you harbor a secret fear of bread baking? Do the words “active yeast” cause your heart to sink a little? If so, then this is the bread-baking bible for you.
Alexandra Stafford’s book makes the daunting feel doable for the novice bread baker and provides plenty of inspiration for the pros. Her peasant bread master recipe incorporates standard instant yeast that can be stirred right into the dry ingredients and doesn’t require blooming in warm water first. The secret of the preparation is its simplicity: The no-knead bread comes together in less than five minutes, rises in an hour and bakes in buttered bowls or pans. Once you master the basic recipe, you can explore the 40 sweet and savory variations she offers.
Chefs pride themselves on nose-to-tail cooking; Stafford encourages bread makers to embrace loaf-to-crumb baking. The book is divided into three logical sections— Bread, Toast, Crumbs—that follow the loaf as it ages (that’s if you don’t finish it in one meal!) Each section is replete with recipes that allow bread to shine as the star or serve as part of the chorus. Try the savory monkey bread with Gruyère, scallions and bacon, or a meatless frittata rich with melty Fontina and croutons crisped in a mustardy vinaigrette. The leek, ham and Emmental croque madame stands as a satisfying meal any time of day or evening. There’s a recipe for beet-cured salmon served on rye with a smear of herbed cream cheese and capers, and the bread crumb chimichurri sprinkled over roast rack of lamb, grilled steak or panseared duck breast takes those classic meals to a whole new level.
Alexandra Stafford | @alexandracooks
Author: Alexandra Stafford with Liza Lowery
Photography: Eva Kolenko | @evakolenko
Publisher: Clarkson Potter | @clarksonpotter
