BOOKREVIEW

If bread be the food of the soul, I reckon Dan Lepard would be James Brown. Just read his book, The Handmade Loaf (published at the tail end of last year, but which I've only just come across), and you'll see what I mean.
This book on bread-making "with contemporary European recipes for the home baker", is one of the most outstanding bread books I have come across in a long time. Don't be fooled by the "home bread baker" statement; it doesn't do the book justice. There's stuff in here for the professional baker. Actually, I'd go so far as to say I'd love to send a copy to every kitchen in the land, because the book contains everything you need to know about good bread-making.
Following the Continental theme, the book's structure divides into different countries. There are recipes from all over Europe - things like red wine loaf with pine nuts and figs from the Ukraine; crisp cornmeal sticks from Denmark; a barley and rye bread from Russia (with love, presumably). We tried them out and they all tasted delicious.
The recipes are great. However, what I love about this book the most are the little explanations given by Lepard on subjects such as baker's percentages, and a fantastic little piece about flour which goes into detail about varieties of different wheats. Then there are discussions about the relationship between the farmer, the baker and the miller; the characteristics of grains - including colour and structure, spring wheats and winter wheats.
But I think my favourite bit in the whole book is the information on leavens - that is, the creation of a natural yeast. One of the leavens that Lepard discovered in Denmark was reputed to be more than 100 years old. Making a leaven is not a quick process; it takes six days. But give it a try and you'll not regret the effort, because you are creating something that lives and breaths; something you will need to love and care for, keep warm and feed for a week. When we made it at the King's Arms we called the process "feeding the bitch".
All the recipes featured in the book are lucid and easy to follow: every single one of those that we tried out worked really well. However, many require the creation of a leaven, so if you buy the book, go straight home and get your leaven on the go - because you'll have to wait for more than a week to do some bread-making if you don't. And you won't want to hang around that long to try two of my favourites: prune and rye babas with Armagnac syrup, and sage, cheese and shallot pie.
Lepard's book is a welcome addition to any cook's bookshelf. It's written with real passion for, and knowledge of, his subject, and is a fascinating read and reference tool.
I've got to go now - I've got some lard cake to make. Enjoy the book when you buy it. It's one of those that really is meant to be used and, as such, is a rare treasure.
Peter Robinson, chef-proprietor, King's Arms, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire

CAPTION: "Lepard's book is a welcome addition to any cook's bookshelf. It's written with real passion for, and knowledge of, his subject, and is a fascinating read and reference tool"