The owner of London’s Bread Ahead on his mother’s precious scrapbooks and a book that will make you understand why bakers work through the night
The Constance Spry Cookery Book, Constance Spry »
“This was my grandmother’s book, then my mother’s and now mine. It’s a general cookbook but there’s a massive depth of baking in there. (I always think of baking as another section of the kitchen, not separate from it, and it’s important that bakers understand all aspects of the kitchen.) I never get tired of reading this book. A lot of people go the Mrs Beeton route, but I much prefer Constance Spry and her style of writing. The pastry chapter, including the puff pastry recipe, is particularly good, and I love the pictures.”
“I like quite a singe to my bread and a leathery chewy crust.”
Read Justin’s Adventures in Baking
English Bread and Yeast Cookery, Elizabeth David »
“That was my first baking book. It was given to me when I left The Greenhouse restaurant in Mayfair for St John – the head chef Paul Merrett gave it to me as a stepping stone. It’s very plain but I learned a lot about English bread (Elizabeth David didn’t really like the French style) and there’s a lovely recipe for manchets. It’s well thumbed – all my books are. And again I like her style of writing, it’s very consuming.”
Tartine Bread, Chad Robertson »
“This is an important book in baking, mainly to feel [Chad Robertson’s] passion and to follow his journey, which is awe-inspiring. If you read it, you’ll understand why we bakers get up at 10pm and work through the night. The recipes are a little bit advanced if you’re just starting out, but this is certainly one to have on the bookshelf to refer back to and grow with your baking.”
The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Peter Reinhart »
“This is a more technical book. When we have new bakers in and we’re trying to explain things to them, it’s a good book to show them the technique, the rolling, the science behind certain things, the baker’s percentages, it’s a good reference for them.”
Justin’s mum’s recipe scrapbook
“My mum and dad were great cooks and my mum put together a set of four of scrapbooks which I’ve inherited. They’re full of recipes to the point of bursting, recipes handed down from both my mother’s and my father’s parents. I spend an unhealthy amount of time reading through them, over and over, and I always seem to find something new. They’ve been a massive part of my ideas through the last few years. And we’re adding to them as well – maybe we’ll even put it in print some day, after my wife and I have finished our journey as bakers.
They go back quite a long way. All the baking recipes contain some form of animal fat, lard being the most common. For thickening agents, they boiled up trotters and things (we have tried a few of those recipes, they’re usually pretty disgusting). But there’s always a thought behind it and they’re using whatever was available. Lots of heavy spices, not so much sugar, not so much butter. But interesting flavours. And I love seeing all the old pictures, especially through the 60s and 70s, of things like avocado and chocolate bavarois. That’s always great fun to look through.”
Bread Ahead is at Cathedral St, London SE1 9DE (and other locations around London); www.breadahead.com