Book 52 loaves william

One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust by william. May 02, 2010 52 loaves a quest for the holy grain william alexander spent a year baking a loaf of bread each week in an attempt to replicate a loaf of peasant bread he once tasted. Rehm william alexander, his new book is titled, 52 loaves. Im going to have some of that bread, but im going to wait for just a moment. A quirky memoir of an amateur bakers yearlong quest to make the perfect loaf of bread, complete with reports on his breadinduced weight gain. In 52 loaves, all four strands are woven in a tapestry of wellwritten, thoughtful words. Oct 25, 2011 an original take on the sixthousandyearold staple of life, 52 loaves explores the nature of obsession, the meditative quality of ritual, the futility of trying to recreate something perfect, our deep connection to the earth, and the mysterious instinct that makes all of us respond to the aroma of baking bread. Jan 17, 2017 i want a book that is comprehensive yet not overwhelming. The opening act of the book is an enchanting look at that most basic of foods, bread, and the nearalchemical processes that result in a perfectlybaked loaf of bread.

One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust alexander, william on. Oct 14, 2012 please leave a comment i love hearing from you. His second book, 52 loaves, chronicled his quest to bake the perfect loaf of bread, a journey that took him to such farflung places as a communal oven in morocco and an abbey in france, as well as into his own backyard to grow, thresh, and winnow wheat. For more about william alexander, visit the 52 loaves website where you can read about the book and watch a super slideshow video be sure to watch it all the way through, the sound in the last frame will make your mouth water. Laugh out loud funny, seriously entertaining, almost overly informativei did not know anything about threshing wheat until william alexander explained it painstakingly for methis foodforthought journey of one introspective, insanely driven, nearly crazy man to bake the perfect loaf of bread sustains the reader. See, for example, barbara kingsolvers animal, vegetable, miracle, and the know it all and the year of living biblically, both by a. Its very funny in some places such as when he uses ph papers supplied by his physician wife to see if the tap water he uses is acidic. His second book, 52 loaves, chronicled his quest to bake the perfect loaf of bread, a journey that took him to such far. An original take on the sixthousandyearold staple of life, 52 loaves explores the nature of obsession, the meditative quality of ritual, the futility of trying to re. One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust by william alexander and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. He tasted it long ago, in a restaurant, and has been trying to reproduce it ever since.

Nov 25, 2010 rehm william alexander, his new book is titled, 52 loaves. So i checked out all the library books i could find on bread baking and am working my way through them. William alexander is determined to bake the perfect loaf of bread. The author established a time frame for his task of a loaf per week for a year. It had not one gimmick 2010 was the year of the year of the craze but two. The author, while at a restaurant, ate the best bread that he has ever encountered, which prompted him to bake a loaf of bread everyday for a year in order to achieve that perfect loaf of bread. He even offers final versions of recipes that he perfected over the course of his quest in the appendix and a list of goto references for bakers of. A clever weekend baker learns some life lessons, loaf by loaf.

Bakers weigh everything even the firewood i love bread by which i mean real, hearty, peasant bread with a crispy but chewy crust and an airy, aromatic crumb the word used to describes the interior of the loaf, not the stuff you brush off the bedsheets when youre done eating. In 52 loaves, william alexander, a middleaged director of technology in southern new york state, chronicles his yearlong effort to bake one loaf of bread every week. This book is less about the art of bread making and more a book about an obsessions. A halfbaked adventure who knew the joy, angst, illness, adventure, cheating, theft, marital discord, and enlightenment that lay in wait when i embarked on a year trying to bake the perfect loaf of peasant bread. Jul 01, 2010 books like this are my version of beach reading. William alexander, the author of two critically acclaimed books, lives in new yorks hudson valley. The author of three criticallyacclaimed books, a frequent npr guest, and occasional ny times oped contributor,my latest venture is to uncover the untold story of how the humble.

A halfbaked adventure and millions of other books are available for amazon. One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust by william alexander and a great selection of related books. The author of three criticallyacclaimed books, a frequent npr guest, and occasional ny times oped contributor,my latest venture is to uncover. How one man nearly lost his sanity, spent a fortune, and endured an existential crisis in the quest for the perfect garden, 2006, alexander sets a fairly lofty goalthis time he wants to bake perfect bread. Oct 21, 2015 his second book, 52 loaves, chronicled his quest to bake the perfect loaf of bread, a journey that took him to such farflung places as a communal oven in morocco and an abbey in france, as well as into his own backyard to grthe sixthousandyearold staple of life, 52 loaves explores the nature of obsession, the meditative quality of ritual. Now, on the theory that practice makes perfect, he sets out to bake peasant bread every week until he gets it right. In 52 loaves, william alexander commits himself to the task of baking the perfect loaf of bread. Jun 03, 2010 if i were wandering around borders and i saw a copy of william alexanders 52 loaves. Author william alexander was fiftythree years old when his first book was. One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust by william alexander. Apr 20, 2018 i recently read the book 52 loaves by william alexander. It should include some basic recipes that are easy to follow. An original take on the sixthousandyearold staple of life, 52 loaves explores the nature of obsession, the meditative quality of ritual, the futility of trying to recreate something perfect, our deep connection to the earth, and the mysterious instinct that makes all of us respond to the aroma of baking bread.

Nevertheless, 52 loaves does present itself as worthwhile reading for baking enthusiasts, offering explanations for baking failures that may have gone undiscovered had it not been for alexanders selfinflicted challenge of baking one loaf per week for a year. Part of what i loved about this book is how it traced my own. To achieve perfection in so simple a creation yeast, water, flour, alexander husbands his own field o. In 52 loaves, william alexander, an it manager and amateur baker, recounts a year spent trying to bake the perfect loaf of bread. If you can recall a time in your life when either a meal or food tantalized you with its sublime taste, smell and texture, you can understand the authors dogged attempts to recreate a memorable experience with a loaf of bread. The main character is the author, william alexander. Wow you really have to admire such dedication to baking the perfect loaf. One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust. Apr 05, 2010 52 loaves is the title of a book i found yesterday at a barnes and noble bookstore in omaha, ne. A halfbaked adventure by william alexander at indigo. His bright writing highlights a pleasing variety of. One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust idioma ingles alexander, william published by algonquin books 2011. I havent read the book but did skim enough of it that i thought it might be of interest to the community.

Read 52 loaves a halfbaked adventure by william alexander available from rakuten kobo. Subtitled one mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust. Host liane hansen speaks with alexander about his new book, 52. William alexander spent a year baking a loaf of bread each week in an. I loved the story and his experiences i highly recommend it. Alexander is a masterful storyteller, weaving in the parts that make you miss home, make you laugh, and make you cry. I couldnt wait to stuff my bag under the seat in front of me, buckle my safety belt, and settle into this book before the plane took off. It is the book i was reading in japan and well, i blame william alexander for making me miss mount fuji while riding the bullet train. I like this 52 loaves because it never got boring and was very engaging to read. One mans relentless pursuit of truth, meaning, and a perfect crust algonquin books may 4, 2010 on one of the display tables, id probably pick it up, flip through it, and put it back down on the table. Charts the authors attempts to bake the perfect loaf of bread, including growing, harvesting, and milling his own wheat. Jan 01, 2010 at least, thats the point that william alexander is trying to explore in his book 52 loaves. I was sorry when his journey ended and i turned the last page. Alexander, already a seasoned horticultural adept, now turns his attention to producing the ultimate loaf of bread.