Daniel Leader will talk about the new cookbook he wrote with Lauren Chattman, Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making on Monday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, Madison.

The book includes 60 recipes inspired by bakers around the world.

At 22, Leader stumbled across the intoxicating perfume of bread baking in the back room of a Parisian boulangerie, and he has loved and devoted himself to making quality bread ever since. He went on to create Bread Alone, the now-iconic bakery, with locations in the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains, that is known for its artisan bread.

In his new book, Leader offers a comprehensive picture of bread baking today for the enthusiastic home baker. With inspiration from a community of millers, farmers, bakers, and scientists, Living Bread examines artisan bread baking has evolved and continues to change, from wheat farming practices and advances in milling, to sourdough starters and the mechanics of mixing dough.

Influenced by art and science in equal measure, Leader presents twists on classics such as Curry Tomato Ciabatta, Vegan Brioche, and Chocolate Sourdough Babka, as well as traditional recipes. Leader says Living Bread is a love letter to the practice of making good bread, as well as a cutting-edge guide on how to do so.

Pitchou chocolat

From Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making

by Daniel Leader with Lauren Chattman

“Every baker has his or her sweet treat, and these chocolate rolls are Pierre-Julien Bouniol’s. Surprisingly, the texture isn’t soft and delicate. It’s chewy, like focaccia. Pierre-Julien makes these in small batches and bakes them throughout the day. His customers schedule their visits to the bakery when they know they can get pitchou still warm from the oven. While Pierre-Julien forms them into traditional small rounds, I prefer the more rustic look of cutting the dough into loose squares. The recipe is straightforward and can be completed in a little more than 3 hours. Alternatively, the dough holds well in the refrigerator overnight.”

Start to Finish: 3½ hours

Knead: 12 minutes

First fermentation: 2 hours

Rest: 1 hour

Bake: 16 minutes

Makes: 16, 100-gram squares

Ingredients:

(note: the cookbook also provides amounts in the form of baker’s percentage, which shows the proportion of an ingredient relative to the flour, which is shown below in parenthesis)

• 758 g (100 percent) Type 65 or equivalent flour (11 to 11.5 percent protein)

• 61 g (8) unsweetened cocoa powder

• 76 g (10) egg (1 egg and 1 egg yolk)

• 167 g (22) milk, room temperature

• 288 g (38) water

• 23 g (3) sugar

• 8 g (1) dry instant yeast

• 15 g (2) salt

• 53 g (7) butter, softened

• 152 g (20) 70 percent cacao best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Make the final dough: Combine the flour, cocoa powder, egg, milk, water, sugar, yeast, salt, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir with a rubber spatula just until a rough dough forms. With the dough hook, mix on medium-low (4 on a KitchenAid mixer) speed for 10 minutes. Add the chopped chocolate and knead until incorporated, another 2 minutes.

2. First fermentation: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled, clear 4-quart container with a lid. Turn the dough over so all sides are oiled. Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 2 hours.

3. About 1 hour before baking, place a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven. Place a cast-iron skillet on the lower rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4. Final proof: On a lightly floured countertop, press out the dough into a 12-inch square. Lightly dust with flour. With a bench scraper, cut into 16 squares. Line a baker’s peel or rimless baking sheet with parchment. Place the dough squares on the parchment, lightly dust with flour, and drape with plastic wrap. Let stand 1 hour.

5. Bake: Uncover the dough and flip each piece over. Immediately slide the squares, still on the parchment, onto the baking stone. Place 1 cup of ice cubes in the skillet to produce steam. Bake until well risen, 16 minutes. Slide the squares, still on the parchment, onto a wire rack to cool completely. Pitchou Chocolat are best eaten on the day they are baked.

Note for Professional Bakers: The Pitchou Chocolat dough can be mixed and allowed to ferment overnight in the refrigerator or in a retarder. The next day, the dough can be divided (using a 36-part dough divider with no rounding, proofed) and baked when needed in order to be enjoyed as fresh as possible by customers.

From Living Bread by Daniel Leader with Lauren Chattman, Published Oct. 1, 2019 by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright 2019 by Daniel Leader