Understanding Artisan Breads

Consumer interest in flavorful, handmade breads has grown tremendously in recent years. In North America, this has stimulated bakers to research and experiment with traditional European breads in order to offer their customers distinctive, handcrafted products. More and more restaurants are either making their own breads on the premises or purchasing from local bakers who practice baking more as a craft than as an industry. Many fine European bakeries have preserved and practiced these techniques for generations, but to most practitioners in North America, they are new discoveries.