No Need to Knead Handmade Italian Breads in 90 Minutes [Hardcover]

Dear Suzanne:

My name is Michael Tapia, I live in Boise, Idaho, and I have to blame you for an obssession; a no knead, artisan bread, obsession.

First, some background.

My wife Anna and I, visited Tuscany in the Fall of 1998. Rome, San Gimingnano, Florence, Siena (or, "Home," as Anna would call it) the Badia al Coltibuono estate, Lago Maggiore, Lago de Como. Before our trip, we we interested in all things Italian, (my mother's side of the family comes from Italia del Nord), after our trip, we were confirmed Tuscans. Most of our cooking at home, is done with Tuscan culinary philosophy in mind; fresh, seasonal ingriedients, "leftovers" carefully collected (even planned) for the next day's meals, elegant simplicity, and lots of good EV olive oil.

Anna has been the main chef in the house, and has been doing a select catering business for 4 or five years now, catering to friends or friends of friends, I say "select" because she is accustomed to taking only the jobs where the people are interested in eating what she's interested in cooking.

I have been main taster, strong back, and swarthy-master-prep-guy. I have my own specialities, Risotto, Crawfish etouffee' (sp?) grilled Vitello with Carciofi, and now, Artisan Breads.

Anna has never been much of a baker. She loves to cook, hates to bake. For years I have chided her (in a loving, friendly way of course), about this I would tell our friends: "fact. Don't order baked goods from Anna, Anna can make charcoal out of a boxed cake mix ."

One day, I was home and looking for something new to cook. Anna suggested that I try baking bread, since I had given her so much grief, and since I had been talking about baking for some time.

"Bread baking? That's too much work, and we don't really have the right tools," said I. We had tried some italian loaves using the traditional method in the past.

Good bread, hard work.

"Oh, we've got that cook book, No need to knead, " Anna replied.

"Italian bread without kneading?" said I. "It's gonna come out all grainy or flat, or like those so-called "organic" breads that taste like you're eating a handful of horse feed." I was sceptical, to say the least.

"No, she's got like focaccia, and ciabiatta in there, it looks kinda good, but you know about me and baking," Anna urged.

"Okay, I'll try one, but if it tastes like heath food, I blame you." I said.

So, I made a focaccia, using your book, and my 10 in. Caphalon saute pan.

That was 3 months ago, and I've made fresh bread at least every other day since. Focaccia, (traditional rounds with holes, and in the boule, my daughter Sydney is a "Crumb," I am most certainly a "Crust"), Fogasse, Filoncino Rosmarino and Kalamata, (Anna's favorite bread is the Rosmarino), Ciabatta, and some of the pizze (the basic pizza dough is so easy and good, it's nearly criminal). It helps having fresh Tuscan Rosemary, Sage,Basil, and three types of Thyme, out in the yard, my breads would be costing a fortune, if not for Anna's care for building a decent herb garden.

So, your revolution has now a devoted soldier. I find that I am planning my day around the biga or old dough I have invaribly sitting around the house somewhere (or outside in the back seat of my Acura when I think it needs a little warmer "room temperature" than is in the kitchen), or around the meals Anna and I are planning, and what bread will complement what (the focaccia rolls, a little well done, are like the fantastic, traditional Wisconsin hard rolls which complement Johnsonville Brautwurst).

My friend and former boss from Italy, Vincenzo Tomassetti, was impressed with the focaccia I made him, so much so that the week before he left for Italy, he ate at my house every night, and requested (or rather, demanded) fresh focaccia daily. Watching my friend greedily mopping remains of Alio y Olio Pepperoncino, with my fresh focaccia, is a memory that will remain.

I took a Rosmarino Filoncino to a Fourth of July party this week, and it was gone in 3 minutes. I should have brought two.

I've gone from the little bags of Gold Medal Flour to medium to the 25 pound bags.

On nights I can't sleep, (last night for instance) I am invariably up stirring a biga at 2am, or checking my larder for ingredients for something I haven't tried yet. I'm now not sure if I'm baking bread because I can't sleep, or if I can't sleep because I'm thinking about baking bread.

Anna actually said she had an "order" for some loaves for a catering job she has next week, I couldn't have been happier.

So, Suzanne, without embellishing, your book, (and the care, love, humor, and clear recipes within) have changed our home. My kids (Sydney and Bennett) now rarely eat store bought, white bread, in fact, they put in their own little bread orders during the week, and I am happy to oblige.

The bottom line for writing you this novella, is that there is now and forever fresh delicious bread on our table almost every day, and it is in very large part, due to you.

Thank you, so much.

Sincerely,

Michael Tapia