Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza [A Cookbook] Hardcover – September 18, 2012

OverviewI had been trying to make good artisan bread on my own by scouring blogs and websites for techniques and recipes, but nothing I found yielded the thick, crunchy, crusts and light, spongy crumbs that I was seeking to produce...that is until I found this book.I decided that combing through endless articles and the blog posts of amateurs and hobbyists was not going to cut it. So, I jumped on the Kindle store and began my search for the book that would give me the skills and knowledge I needed to bake the bread I dreamed about.I looked at various titles written by Peter Reinhart, but none of them stood out as a book just about the fundamentals. I thumbed through a few more titles, before I found Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza. There it is...fundamentals right in the title...perfect!OrganizationThis book is broken up into several sections.In the first chapters the author briefly goes over his transition from working in Silicon Valley, through his education in baking, to eventually opening his own bakery in Portland, OR. He had the privilege of learning the craft from several world renowned bakers and humorously tells the story of the hurdles he had to overcome to get to where he is today.One review on here called the author out for including the introduction, accusing him of being an egotistical narcissist. I don't know the author, therefore I cannot speak to his personal character, however, I found the introduction to be informative and fun to read. I for one thought it gave the reader a bit of insight into the author, who for the duration of the book becomes your mentor and guide.Chapter 3 covers the basic equipment you will need to get started. I had most everything in my kitchen already, except a 4qt dutch oven and proofing baskets, both of which I found readily available here on Amazon.Chapter 4 goes over basic techniques that will help you learn the proper methods of shaping, folding, and mixing doughs by hand. These techniques take time to get the hang of and I still am nowhere near mastering them, however, the author had provided multiple pictures in the book to help you get a visual reference of how things are supposed to look after each step. He has also posted a few videos on this bakery's website, kensartisan.com, that will help you if you need further guidance.The next chapters are organized into dough categories: Straight Doughs, Doughs with Preferments, Hybrid Levain Doughs, and Pure Levain Doughs.When you get to the chapter dealing with levain, the author educates you on what exactly a levain is and how to start and maintain your own levain.The last chapters deal with focaccia and pizza. The section on pizza includes recipes for sauces and even gives a crash course on shaping pizza dough.Scattered through the book are four essays the author has included spanning several related topics, such as the origin of the flour used at his bakery and the daily schedule of the professional baker. These essays round out the book and give additional insight into the world of baking.RecipesThe recipes in this book are easy to follow and simply lay out the ingredients and the procedure for creating each bread.The author recommends measuring your ingredients by weight instead of by volume, however he also includes the approximate measurements in cups, tbs, tsps, etc.Each recipe is unique and will require different time commitments, so plan ahead to make sure your schedule can accommodate the recipe you want to try.ResultsI have tried almost half of the recipes in this book and most (despite my still raw technique) have looked and tasted amazing. No store-bought bread in our home anymore with these boules around.I take these artisan loaves to family parties and never have any to take home. I made several loaves for a bake sale recently and they lasted about 30 seconds before each was purchased.I got brave and tried one of the pizza recipes out on my aunt who is a self professed "foodie" and she claimed it was the best pizza she has ever had, even better than the pizza she had in Italy (she seemed sincere, however she has a talent for exaggeration).ConclusionAfter spending some time with this book and some time in the kitchen I am finally baking the bread that I've been wanting. I can say with out hesitation that if you're looking for a book to get you started baking superb breads and pizza...get this one. Is it the definitive book on the subject? No, but it covers the basics and from here you can go anywhere.If I can do it, you can too

I started baking bread out of necessity when the COVID-19 pandemic started. I wanted to have fresh artisanal bread to share with my family. I had no experience baking. I started by failing, over and over again. I made hard bricks, soft porridge, and mediocre loaves. Then I discovered Ken Forkish's FWSY and his Youtube videos accompanying the book. I watched the videos many times and read the various chapters in the book many times. I took careful notes. I started with the easiest recipe, the straight dough called "Overnight White Bread." It worked on the first try, making a nice loaf of bread. I gradually went through the pre-fermented recipes, the hybrid levain ones, and the full levain ones. They all worked. I took careful notes, like Ken suggested, and adjusted times, temperature, and quantities when needed. I got the knack of making bread. One year later, I still use Ken's methods even when trying some of the recipes from other books and other styles, the book gives solid building blocks that can help you make great bread. Ken is a great writer, a scientific mind and an artisan heart, and his techniques are clearly explained and easy to understandSome important tips: (1) buy Ken Forkish's "The Elements of Pizza" for his improved version of making and keeping a sourdough starter. It was thanks to that book that I finally succeeded in making a sourdough starter after many failures using other methods. (2) watch Ken's Youtube videos, the explanations in the book are not as clear the actual videos. (3) pay attention to what the books says needs to happen (e.g., dough must rise to three times the size) rather than the times stated in the book, the times are often wrong; I find that I often need a lot less time to get to the right result.There are some errors in the book. After many failed full levain loaves I finally understood that the times for the full levain bulk rise are too long for room temperature, I now believe they are supposed to be for a bulk raise in the refrigerator. I figured this out after reading other books and comparing and contrasting the various formulas. Having said that, the book recipes are fine, as long as you pay attention to how things are supposed to look/feel rather than the exact times.Thank you Ken -- you made me discover and enjoy a new hobby and share good bread with family and friends.

I'm not new to fermentation. I ferment my own milk kefir, sauerkraut, sumac onion and pickles. But, I have never expanded that into sourdough bread. I took a class at my local library recently and decided to give it a try. This book and Ken Forkish in general was recommended to me by the instructor, and I'm glad I went with her recommendation. He has videos on youtube that are wonderful. And, you can take these recipes, use a bit of math and make them match your baking habits. I bake once a week -- only two of us, that's all I need. And I keep my discard and use to make crackers and all sorts of other goodies. Saw a negative review about waste -- you DO NOT have to throw the discard away. Forkish runs a restaurant and bakes many, many loaves. He can't use all that discard so throws it away. If you are a home baker, there are hundreds of recipes online for things you can make using that discarded levain/starter. I find his instructions easy to follow, interesting and very informative, so I welcome his extra information and in-depth discussion. Levain dough is a bit different from other starters -- it will be a bit wetter dough but it's lovely, a resilient ferment, and makes wonderful bread! And the discard, makes the best crackers I have ever baked!! And the bread is vegan!! :) Baking my own bread just seemed so intimidating before....but with simple ingredients, a bit of knowledge, and basic math skills.....anyone can do it!