Andres

First, of course, was Andres on the farm in Oregon. The only grain his breads contained was wheat, and they were marvelous. I have since begun using a mix of grains—mostly wheat, rye, and buckwheat—but I’m glad I started out with wheat and wheat alone. Bread, as we’ve come to know it, is primarily a wheat product. Learn the many facets of this grain and you will have learned much about what goes into the making of the best bread. Because of its uniquely strong capacity for developing gluten, nothing else can give bread such an airy crumb. The flavor is deep and nutty. Andres provided my first introduction to long, cold fermentation. I don’t know if he gave much thought to long versus rapid fermentation or to the virtues of cold temperatures. He made his bread in a cold room in a cold place because that’s the hand he was dealt. If he wanted it to ferment properly, he had no choice but to ferment it for a long time. This turned out to be just the right combination for what was—at that point—the very best bread I had ever tasted.