The Library
Articles
Science-backed guides on sourdough, technique, equipment, and the craft — cross-referenced across five authoritative sources.
Latest
Styles
Industrial vs. Artisan Bread: The 100-Year Fight for the Loaf
From Wonder Bread (1921) and Britain's Chorleywood Process to Silverton, Robertson's Tartine, and the 2020 sourdough boom — the century-long clash of industrial and artisan bread.
Styles
Indian Bread Traditions: A History of Roti, Naan, and Paratha
From the Indus Valley's first cultivated wheat to the Persian word that named the tandoor, a deep history of India's bread tradition — roti, chapati, paratha, naan, bhatura, and the regional grain map that explains why.
Technique
Fougasse and Epi: Decorative French Bread Shapes (Visual Tutorial)
Visual tutorial for fougasse (Provencal leaf-cut flatbread) and epi de ble (wheat-stalk baguette) -- history, shaping, cutting, proofing, and home-oven baking for both.
Science
Does Sourdough Reduce Phytic Acid? What the Evidence Says
Long sourdough fermentation lowers phytic acid in bread studies, but evidence that people absorb more minerals remains limited and inconsistent.
Styles
Injera: Teff, Ferment, and Ethiopia's Bread Culture
Why Ethiopian injera looks the way it does — teff (Eragrostis tef), the three-day wild ferment with ersho starter, and how 180-plus Ethiopian Orthodox fasting days shaped a deeply vegetarian cuisine built on bread that is also a plate.
Equipment
Best Bread Couche 2026: Linen Proofing Cloth Guide
The best bread couches for baguettes and batards. Flax linen vs cotton, weight, sizing, and how to season and care for a proofing cloth.
Technique
Boule vs Batard: How to Choose the Right Shape
Boule vs batard, settled: how to choose between the round and oval loaf shapes — crust-to-crumb ratio, oven fit, slicing, and scoring patterns, from the same dough.
Styles
Bolillo: The Crusty Mexican Bread Recipe (French Origin)
Bolillos the way Mexican panaderias make them. Lean dough at 60% hydration, long bulk ferment, football shape, single deep score, and a 450F home-oven steam bake for the signature crackly crust.
Equipment
Best Gluten-Free Bread Brands: 9 Picks for 2026
Compare 9 gluten-free bread brands by certification, allergens, ingredients, availability, and best use, with current picks for sandwiches and sourdough.
Equipment
Best Flour Storage Containers for Bread Bakers (2026)
The best flour storage containers — Cambro 6qt, OXO POP 4.4qt, Rubbermaid Brilliance 12-cup, Progressive ProKeeper+, and Le Parfait. Airtight seal, capacity, and how to keep flour fresh.
Science
History of Sourdough: From Ancient Egypt to Modern Renaissance
The history of sourdough bread — from an 8,600-year-old fermented dough at Çatalhöyük and Egypt's Old Kingdom bakeries through Roman panis, French levain, San Francisco Gold Rush wild yeast, and the modern revival.
Equipment
Best Instant-Read Thermometer for Bread Baking 2026
The best instant-read thermometers for bread baking — Thermapen ONE, Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo, ThermoWorks DOT, and the RT600C. Speed, accuracy, and the readings that actually matter for DDT and doneness.
Styles
Paratha: Flaky Layered Indian Flatbread Recipe
Whole-wheat atta dough laminated with ghee, shaped by triangular fold or spiral coil, cooked on a hot tava until the layers separate and puff.
Styles
Roti and Chapati: The Everyday Indian Flatbread Recipe
Roti and chapati the way Indian home cooks make them. Atta whole-wheat dough, 20-minute rest, thin disc on a hot tava, finished with a direct-flame puff.
Equipment
Best Bread Knife 2026: 5 Serrated Knives Tested
The best serrated bread knives for crusty artisan loaves — Tojiro, Wusthof, Mercer, Victorinox, and Dalstrong compared. Tooth geometry, blade length, and honest pros and cons.