Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes [Hardcover]

Peter Mayle (Author), Gerard Auzet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

Attention bread lovers!In the first of his famous books about Provence, Peter Mayle shared with us news of a bakery in the town of Cavaillon where the baking and appreciation of breads “had been elevated to the status of a minor religion.” Its name: Chez Auzet.Now, several hundred visits later, Mayle has joined forces with Gerard Auzet, the proprietor of this most glorious of Provençal bakeries, to tell us about breadmaking at its finest.Mayle takes us into the baking room to witness the birth of a loaf. We see the master at work–slapping, rolling, squeezing, folding, and twisting dough as he sculpts it into fougasses, bâtards, and boules. Auzet then gives us precise, beautifully illustrated instructions for making sixteen kinds of bread, from the classic baguette to loaves made with such ingredients as bacon, apricots, hazelnuts, garlic, and green and black olives. There are tips galore, the tricks of the trade are revealed, and along the way Mayle relates the delightful history of four generations of Auzet bakers. One of Provence’s oldest and most delicious pleasures is now available at a kitchen near you, thanks to this charming guide. Read, bake, and enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This petit but useful compendium contains centuries-old Provençal lessons in bread making as relayed to Francophile foodie and memoirist Mayle (A Year in Provence, etc.) by Auzet, an award-winning baker from Cavaillon, Provence. The collaboration between author and baker yields a mix of regional history, first-person essay and a portrait of a family boulangerie through the generations. The modest Auzet boils down his expertise to a few secrets: among them are that the exact combined temperature of the water, flour and kitchen air should be 56°C, and that a good kitchen scale is imperative. Traditional recipes for baguettes, batards and boules are simple, though, as with any bread made by hand, quite time consuming. To keep second-guessing to a minimum, Auzet offers helpful tips for testing both the dough's gluten and the bread's doneness. He also explains how these basic formulas can be amped up with a number of French flavors: olives, thyme, saffron, apricots, nuts and garlic. Additional chapters concern making breads with wine, olive oil and sweet yeast. For true authenticity, a suggested list of wine pairing is included at the end. Throughout, Auzet's suggestions are spot-on, making his "confessions" an invaluable contribution to aspiring boulangers and bread-lovers. (Nov. 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Despite the title's implications, this tiny book offers no lurid expose. Rather, this is simply a guide to the technique and art of French bread production as practiced by one of France's premier bakers. Working out of the Provencal village of Cavaillon, baker Auzet won national honor for his skills when he produced a model of the Eiffel Tower made exclusively of baked bread dough. Author Mayle has written a brief introduction to Auzet's recipes, which include more than the classic baguette. Auzet produces sweet and savory breads, including thyme, olive, garlic, bacon, and Roquefort cheese exemplars. There is even a loaf that echoes the herbs and spices of Marseille's bouillabaisse. Recipes are very simple, and Auzet suggests a way to reproduce French flour in an American setting. A short chapter pairs Auzet's breads with some noted French wines. Mere words may not begin to encompass the technique and art involved in producing a perfect loaf of French bread, but Mayle and Auzet present an entree for the home breadsmith. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First Edition edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140004474X
• ISBN-13: 978-1400044740
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Breadmaking secrets are not that easy to get!, November 5, 2006

By 

C. Terzis "cterzis" (Nicosia Cyprus) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes (Hardcover)

I was apprehensive from the moment I saw this book. The author and the book description make it as if whoever goes into the Auzet bakery can come out with all sorts of secrets for breadmaking. Anyone who knows French bakers and patissiers, knows that they very rarely if ever give away their secrets, especially not to tourists that come for a visit! And true to my apprehensions I was dissappointed when I received this book. All the recipes,and they are not many, are with the straight method, ie using yeast not a sourdough or ferment, and they take from start to finish approximately two hours! Well this is just not enough time to develop the proper flavour of bread! I am a professional baker/patissier and these recipes are the ones I first learned in baking school. Mix the dough, let it double, shape it , proof it and bake it. Nice looking bland bread. Either Mr Auzet took the author for a ride or the author is taking us! There is no way to produce great tasting artisan bread using these methods. Now if you want to get this book here's a tip from me: Mix the dough as per the recipe but put only 1/2 to 2/3 the amount of yeast given, then put it in a shallow plastic container cover it with its cover and place it in the refrigerator overnight. This will give the yeast time to develop the flavour of the dough. In the morning take the dough out of the container and continue with the rest of the recipe method.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Baking bread, February 5, 2006

By 

J. Hart "JE Hart" (Sonora CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes (Hardcover)

I purchased this book because I've read Peter Mayle's books & have been to the region he's mentioned & have enjoyed his stories. I also bought this book because I needed some light-hearted reading. I was disappointed at first, having read it in one night. It's mostly about making bread. I thought it would be more substantive. But my husband bought me a KitchenAid mixer as a result of it, thinking it would cheer me up, & that I'd make him some bread! I made the first recipe tonight, the baguettes - I added a some dried herbs to it(no fresh available) & the loaves were absolutely superb! I love bread, and having made it for so many years, I had my doubts about this recipe, & the mixer as well. I've always kneaded by hand. This recipe is a real winner - the texture & flavor is what I've never before been able to achieve. Read the book, make the recipes (well I've only tried one) - you'll feel like you're in Provence, breaking bread with friends, having a glass of wine, enjoying life, with the best bread you can imagine!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tiny Book of Valuable Information, January 4, 2006

By 

Sal (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes (Hardcover)

It is a small volume of explanations to successful breadmaking from an owner of a Provencal bakery, written by an adept enthusiast. The author is witty and the baker is skillful and sharing. Along with useful breadmaking customs are anecdotes on origins, for example, the invention of croissants. Also included are cultural beliefs. A brief lesson in bread-related French words could also be obtained. It concludes with a wine suggestion for each type of bread. The recipes are easy to follow. A lot of practice might be required for best results and this little book proves handy.