About Artisan Bread - The Basics

Artisan Breads are created by a skilled craftsperson with the knowledge and understanding of how to properly blend, ferment, form and bake traditional loaves of bread. With careful study and research, the secrets behind the chemical reactions of the ingredients and the proper environment for the bread to develop yield the most flavorful results. You can easily spot the difference between a true Artisan style bread, and one that is mass-produced. The first clue is in the ingredients. Traditional Artisan Bread recipes call for flour, water, yeast, and salt. Some recipes do not even require salt as part of the formula. Some sourdough varieties do not use yeast in the ingredients. Other varieties of Artisan Breads may contain specialty ingredients in order to change the flavor or style of the bread - some of the more popular additions include: nuts, fruits, herbs or cheese. Some specialty types of Artisan Breads like Brioche use milk and butter and sometimes eggs in the mixture. Overall, the ingredients listed in a true Artisan Bread recipe are natural, familiar items used in baking. These ingredients should be devoid of chemicals and preservatives in order to fully enjoy the flavor of the final product.

Artisan Breads are often created in small bakeries by hand. The irregular shapes and sizes add character to the finely blended ingredients, as opposed to the typical homogenous assembly line fare you commonly see in a supermarket chain. Bakers use skill and intuition to understand the conditions of their surroundings and modify their recipes and baking times to consistently produce the best bread based on their environment. A factory merely churns out bland, lifeless slabs of processed bread no matter the temperature or conditions.

To truly appreciate the difference in quality, you should sample as many varieties available and take the time to learn how the addition of certain types of ingredients and fermentation methods can improve the Artisan Bread recipes You may notice things like texture, color and flavor, and with in enough experience and full bellies, you will never buy another mass-produced loaf ever again.

For more articles on Artisan Bread Recipes, visit this site for reviews and comparisons of the best recipe books written by some of the world's best Artisan bakers.

Diego Gosalbo is a contributing writer for http://www.artisanbreadrecipes.com - an online resource with articles and reviews of the best Artisan Bread Recipe books by the world's leading experts in bread baking.