byoung

Yes, for historical reasons it would be interesting. (But then one would want flour ground only on stone, too!) Do you know, balmagrowry, how long bread was made that way? I've assumed it was a transitional technique bridging the exclusive use of natural leavens, and the availability of "bakers'" yeast. My first trip in the time machine would be to a baker's shop before yeast, before roller milling, before vanilla, before the massive availability of refined sugar.

I'm not sure I understand the motive for the experiment. What about the dough's fermentation are you trying to alter? Do you expect to be able to taste the difference between yeast from one source and yeast from another? I've never considered that as a possibility. Any difference I would normally relate to a shorter or longer fermentation, a cooler or hotter fermentation, and you could achieve those differences using just bakers' yeast. I'll be interested to find out if I'm wrong.

I trust by now you've found some vendors? I know that R.E. Diamond, a good general bakery supplier in Brooklyn, delivers to several New Jersey accounts, including some small ones. For Qualita paper: have you spoken to Joel Felberbaum of S&G Corp? He's based in North Brunswick (732. 422-4218).

My name is B. Young; I'm the production manager at Balthazar Bakery in Englewood. I'm very sorry to read that Joanne was treated rudely in our shop. Health Department inspections are stressful even for businesses that are fastidious about cleanliness and food safety, as we are, and Joanne's question must have elicited some of that tension from my colleague. She was quite right to ask about our "Conditional" rating, as the standards upheld by the Health Department are the proper concern of all our customers. To Joanne I apologize on behalf of all the bakers of Balthazar. Before July 9th, we had never received a visit from the Englewood Health Department. (We received a satisfactory rating from the State of New Jersey Department of Health in January 2001, shortly after we established our production bakery in Englewood.) The "Conditional" rating is the placard the health department assigns during the two-week or so period between their initial visit and their return to see that you have complied with their recommendations. We received our "Satisfactory" placard on July 30th. In the meantime, we took steps to correct the problems noted by the inspectors. For instance, I've ordered a curtain-door to cover our large rolling door, so that even when we are receiving deliveries, there will be a barrier to prevent flies entering the bakery. We've also installed a small display refrigerator in our retail shop so we can keep cool a few of our tarts that the inspectors worried would be prone to spoilage, although we sell everything the day it is made, and have never had a problem with the tarts going bad. We've also repaired broken tile in our dishroom and installed new screens in a few windows. At Balthazar we practice a traditional craftsmanship informed by generations of practice. Our commitment to the highest ideals of quality and customer service inform everything we do. We don't dump preservatives or chemical stablizers into our baked goods; we don't buy prepared mixes or liquid pasteurized eggs; we don't suffocate our work in plastic bags. Any of these shortcuts would be welcomed by health departments, which focus their concern on preventing food-borne illness. But mass-produced chemical-laden bread can lead to illness of a different kind, to my way of thinking, and we hope to offer an alternative to our customers, whose pleasure and nourishment is our foremost priority. If anyone would like more information about our health department inspections, I will be pleased to open our files for your review. B. Young wyoung@balthazarbakery.com