Better Late Than Never

     Yes, this book was published in 2000.  And, yes, it is now 2010.  But, this book just landed on my doorstep today.
     I'd been borrowing Maggie Glezer's Artisan Baking Across America from the Wichita Public Library periodically over the past ten years.  After making yet another trip to the downtown branch of the library to borrow the book, I decided it was time to buy my own copy, only to discover, sadly, that this book is now out of print.  So, my search began.  I was thrilled to finally locate a used copy online.  So thrilled, in fact, that I won't even complain that the book, which the bookseller had promised to be in "very good" condition, arrived as well-worn as the book I'd been constantly retrieving from the public library. 
     There are many things about this lovely book that have kept me coming back for more. 
     It started out like many love affairs do--with the purely visual.  This is a large-format book with lots of color plates of some of the most gorgeous breads I've ever seen, such as Judy Unruh's Wedding Zwieback, Craig Ponsford's Ciabatta, and Dutch Regale's Almond Stollen.  Then there's the close-up of wheat kernels on a mill stone mid-grind, showing off their gritty textures.  And a sweet two-page spread of doughs blanketed in fine, linen couches that makes me just want to lie down and nap alongside them.
     Another reason I feel such a strong connection to Artisan Baking Across America is that this is the book that first made me aware of The Bread Bakers Guild of America (of which I am now a member) and the simple fact that great breads can be made at home.  The book is full of recipes for breads from professional artisan bakeries all around the country.  Semolina Filone.  Walnut Levain.  Fennel Taralli.  Pane coi Santi.  Even the names of these breads are beautiful. 
     But it's the case studies of small artisan bakeries that enthrall me now:  Pearl Bakery in Portland, Oregon.  Kossar's Bialystoker Kuchen in New York.  WheatField's in Lawrence, Kansas.  Small shops run by people who practice transforming flour, water, yeast, and salt into works of beauty and sustenance.
     And of extra-special interest to me today is the inspirational Della Fattoria, which started out as the backyard bakery of Kathleen Weber in Petaluma, California.  Like me, Kathleen, not only loves to bake bread, but must be an insomniac of sorts.  When she started her backyard bakery, she routinely arose at midnight to mix her doughs and get their fermentation underway, then went back to bed after a few hours labor.  The rest of the work was completed, with the help of husband and son, the next day.  Not a 9-5 job, but a ritual fulfilling twenty-four hours.
     I feel such a deep kinship with every one of the artisans Glezer has profiled that it makes me wonder if Bill Almond, who inscribed his name inside the cover, ever regrets parting with them and this fine book.