That book is freakin' amazing. How cool and thank you for sharing it. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of the home bakers and the recipes were so interesting as well as the innovative shaping that so many did. This book literally illustrates the magic of bread, often on a grand scale (125 dozen bagels a day!!) with bakers working by hand. It's an art and a craft in a (mostly) bygone era but so important to remember/honor/emulate these ancestral teachers.
Not odd at all. Even in France sourdough had mostly been replaced by baker’s yeast then. Sourdough has only had a resurgence since the end of the 20th century.
So fun to read the Parsons Bread Book - great stuff. Not entirely related, I was in Ipswich MA this week visiting a childhood friend. On the mailbox bank in her apartment building was the name Janjigian. We inquired and sure enough, it is a cousin of yours, Mandy. I did not meet Mandy, but I did meet another tenant, Tom, who was once an artisan bread baker with a bakery called Down Home Cafe near Rowley MA. Shared some scalded rye sourdough baked and brought from home with them. Also, I was briefly in Cambridge for a gathering, but did not have enough time to go to Shirley, the bakery cafe. Shirley is my husband's aunt, sister to his late father (Shirley is 104 yrs old,) and her granddaughter is Kat Bayles, the baker and owner. So Kat is my husband's cousin, they have never met. I guess the moral of this story is go to your local bakery, bread is a connection.
That book is freakin' amazing. How cool and thank you for sharing it. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of the home bakers and the recipes were so interesting as well as the innovative shaping that so many did. This book literally illustrates the magic of bread, often on a grand scale (125 dozen bagels a day!!) with bakers working by hand. It's an art and a craft in a (mostly) bygone era but so important to remember/honor/emulate these ancestral teachers.
Odd that every recipe involves yeast back then
Not odd at all. Even in France sourdough had mostly been replaced by baker’s yeast then. Sourdough has only had a resurgence since the end of the 20th century.
Thank you for sharing the Parson’s Bread Book, Andrew! Wow!
So fun to read the Parsons Bread Book - great stuff. Not entirely related, I was in Ipswich MA this week visiting a childhood friend. On the mailbox bank in her apartment building was the name Janjigian. We inquired and sure enough, it is a cousin of yours, Mandy. I did not meet Mandy, but I did meet another tenant, Tom, who was once an artisan bread baker with a bakery called Down Home Cafe near Rowley MA. Shared some scalded rye sourdough baked and brought from home with them. Also, I was briefly in Cambridge for a gathering, but did not have enough time to go to Shirley, the bakery cafe. Shirley is my husband's aunt, sister to his late father (Shirley is 104 yrs old,) and her granddaughter is Kat Bayles, the baker and owner. So Kat is my husband's cousin, they have never met. I guess the moral of this story is go to your local bakery, bread is a connection.