Jim Franks' 'Existential Bread'

I have to say that when I first read Jim Franks' new book Existential Bread, my heart sank a little. At that point, I'd been working on my own manual of bread baking for more than two years, one that was maybe a hundred pages over budget, with no clear end in sight. And here was a slim book—written entirely in verse, by the way—that could be digested in a single afternoon, providing all the information one might need for a lifetime of successful bread baking. For a moment, I considered throwing in the towel completely and simply recommending readers get Jim's book instead.

I came around, obviously, but I still think everyone should get a copy of Jim's book anyway. Unlike Breaducation, which is meant to be a broad overview of bread baking of many kinds—yeasted and sourdough; refined and whole-grain flour; lean and enriched; hearth, pan, flatbreads, and little things—Existential Bread is extremely narrow in scope: one baker's approach and how he came to it.

Here's how he describes how he bakes, starting with the flours he uses:

And his choice of ferment:

Jim knows his wheelhouse and what gives him joy—which, not coincidentally, are one and the same thing—and he leans into it absolutely:

Elsewhere, he explains how following your own bliss in baking is the one true path to great bread. Knowledge, skills, and practice are essential, but secondary to loving what you do and the way you do it:

He understands that bread baking is not (or not just) a practice, it is a relationship. Success comes when you give love and attention to what makes your breads happy:

And consistency lies where the bread's joy and yours meet up:

There's plenty of sound practical knowledge and science in Existential Bread, but Jim believes (as do I) that all that is mere metaphor—a map, not the territory:

Jim wisely cautions against comparing one's bread to that of others, and recommends letting go of expectations:

Existential Bread contains no recipes, though a thoughtful reader should have no trouble reading between the lines to baking breads like Jim's, though, as he says, they won't be like his:

While, as I mentioned, reading Existential Bread made me momentarily second-guess my own bread book, it ultimately brought me back to it in a deeper way. Breaducation is meant to be bigger and broader than Jim's book, but our goals are the same:

It is no exaggeration to say that Existential Bread is one of my favorite bread books, and I hope that is enough reason for you to add it to your collection. Even if your favorite sorts of breads aren't identical to Jim's, it will inspire you to love them and the process just the same.

—Andrew

Excerpted from Existential Bread, by Jim Franks. Drag City, 2024. Illustrations by Griffin Tripp.