Friday Bread Basket 4/3/26

Hello from the Wordloaf Friday Bread Basket, a weekly roundup of links and items relating to bread, baking, and grain. I cannot believe that it's been since November that I sent out one of these. It's not like the world of bread has been on hold in the meantime, and I've got a massive backlog of links to share with you. For that reason, I'm going to do at least the first few of these in more of a lightning-round format.

But first, I wanted to follow up on my return-to-Wordloaf post from Wednesday. Most of your many responses to it—in comments or private emails—were thoughtful and supportive, and I really appreciate that. I wanted to make clear that right now I am more exhausted post-book and angry about the state of the world rather than sad, which maybe did not come across in the post. I'll be fine! (As long as all of us will, that is, an open question.)

And for the tiny handful of you who told e I should leave politics out of my posts and focus on bread (most of whom did not have the courage to say so publicly in a comment), I just wanted to say: a) Are you new here? and b) No.

Now, onto this week's Bread Basket offerings.

• Kara Elder recently wrote for WaPo about why you should be baking with rye flour (and linked to my list of regional millers):

• (Archive.is version)
• At The Angel, Jaime Feldmar and Emily Wilson wrote a bicoastal feature about some of the bakeries who are all-in on using whole-grain flours in their laminated pastries:

The Whole Grains Revolution Has Come for Your Croissant

Two dozen dishes in New York and L.A. that will change the way you think about grain—and the Tehachapi farmers and Gowanus millers making it possible

The AngelEmily Wilson

• For Defector, Ben Wurgaft wrote about RFK, Jr.'s mad inversion of the food pyramid that puts whole-grains at the bottom and meat and dairy on top:

RFK Jr.’s Offal Advice | Defector

In the supermarket or at the taco truck, whether it’s government subsidies for agriculture or the working conditions of food workers, food and politics are never far apart. Under the second Trump administration, the government has used food stamps as a political football, showing a willingness to expose poorer Americans to malnutrition to score political…

DefectorBen Wurgaft

• At Eater, Bettina Makalintal recently wrote about the rise of the ultra-thicc pancake:

The Ultra-Thick Pancake Is on the Rise

Towering extra-thick pancakes — single or in pairs — are replacing the classic stack, largely thanks to one influential New York City diner

EaterBettina Makalintal

• Also for Defector, Sean Collins wrote about Tom Wilkinson's iconic armful of baguettes from the film (one of my personal favorites) Michael Clayton:

Tom Wilkinson And His Baguettes Are Eternal | Defector

The baguettes are central. I mean this literally. My (very legally procured, if anyone asks!!) digital copy of Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton—the film in which the mentally ill character played by the late actor Tom Wilkinson carries a medically inadvisable number of baguettes into an impromptu confrontation with his titular friend and handler, the last…

DefectorSean T. Collins

I think that's enough for one week, aside from the important video below.

Bao wao wao

Have a peaceful, restful weekend. See you next week.

—Andrew