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John, in Pot on the Fire you give a recipe for a yeast-raised biscuit (cookie), the Arnhemse Meisjes. Thinking on this, I started to wonder whether pasta could be made out of yeast-raised dough. Might it have more flavour, more "character" than ordinary egg pasta? Yeast-raised doughs can certainly be rolled very thin, and it should be possible to give them enough body to survive cooking in boiling water. Are there yeast-raised pastas in any culinary tradition that you are aware of?

I'm thinking about making either a gargantuan gingerbread house or (most likely) mini-gingerbread houses for the school holiday party this year. But my wife is convinced that most kids don't like gingerbread. Anybody have thoughs on this? I know I loved it as a kid and both my little ones do too. Thanks!

Went into SJ the other day to buy sourdough and was disappointed to find they didn't have any. Thought no more of it until today, when I was told that Fergus was trying to get rid of breads made with non-historically-British processes (i.e., the good ones -- sourdough, rye ...) Raw peas I can live with, but if my source is correct (likely but I haven't had it confirmed from SJ itself) this is 'rigour' gone too far, to the point of destructive and pointless limitation. SJ sourdough is not only the best bread they do/did, it's the best bread I've found in the area (Moro sourdough, hardly fit for breakfast, aside). Let's picket outside or something.

Ripe summer tomatoes are in the markets now, and the pots of basil are bursting with their fragrant green goodness. This is the time of year I make Tomato & Bread Salad. Do you? Mine: Four good-sized slices two-day-old Italian bread, cubed (about 4 cups) 2 C chopped tomatoes (either cherry tomato halves, or other flavorful tomato, seeded and chopped) 1/2 C chopped sweet salad onions (Maui, red, 1015's) Handful fresh basil leaves, chiffonade 3 T EVOO 1 T wine vinegar (or to taste) sea salt & black pepper to taste. Toss all.... let set at room temp about 5-10 minutes. Serves two as a main course luncheon salad.

What should a skillet baked Corn Bread taste like? What should it be made with? Is there a near perfect recipe? Where should I go looking for it? What are the essentials for a good Corn Bread?

From this morning's Sunday Times: Waitrose are now selling Poîlane "sourdough" (levain bread) for £9.62. This received a front page headline: "Crumbs! It's the £10 loaf". To be sure, the loaf weighs 4 pounds, so the article's subsequent comparison with supermarket bread is a bit silly. "In a blind test last week nine out of 12 shoppers said they preferred the taste of a £1.45 loaf from Safeway to Poîlane's finest sourdough." A 75 year old retired marine engineer said, "They taste the same to me...I've no idea why people would pay £10 for a loaf. They must have too much money." On the one hand, it's great to see Britons interested in good bread and willing to seek it out. On the other, having returned from a small French town that is surrounded by bakeries, where very good levain bread is readily available and a fine baguette costs something like 50p, we have a ways to go before good bread is there for everyone, every day, at a reasonable cost.

The otherwise estimable Simon has damned all of the bread in New York as inferior slop in a post on the UK board. Apparently, the bread in London is far superior in his judgement. For purposes of comparison, might we nominate five examples of New York bread to stand against the UK offerings? My comments - Rye - Orwaschers Baguette - Pain Quotidien White / Country ? Whole Wheat - Amy's multi-grain Ciabatta ? Comments or alternatives?

I'm thinking of getting a bread machine as a gift fpr someone who can't eat wheat., and buys a lot of spelt bread. I would aso get her Bette Hagman's (Hageman?) gluten free baking book with it since it has many gluten recipes including blends. What features, models, or brands do u recommend in a bread machine? Anyone used one for gluten free recipes? Any suggestions along those lines? Thanks

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I make a cornbread stuffing with pecans, apples and sausage as one of the Thanksgiving dishes. I use the basic recipe from Athony Diaz Blue's book, Thanksgiving Dinner . The cornbread mixed with chunks of french bread makes a really rich stuffing, . Does anyone have a favorite recipe for cornbread stuffing?

Had this idea for an egullet event. It doesn't actually have to have a competitive gestalt, just a showing off of our talents. So, what do you think?

Here's the info: Damascus Bread & Pastry Shop Limited 195 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 625-7070 After work at Polytechnic U. a few weeks ago, I decided to walk to Atlantic Av. instead of going directly back to Manhattan, as usual. I had a nice, hearty early dinner at the Yemeni restaurant across the street, and followed it with a trip to this great bakery. I bought a little date cake (sorry, I forget the Arabic name), and I loved it so much that I immediately went back with my partially-eaten cake and bought 4 more. It had some rose water in it and some wonderful combination of spices. If you're in the area, you really owe it to yourself to give this place a try. It's just about right next to Sahadi's.

I bought a loaf at the Dahlia Bakery yesterday -tiny, expensive and delicious. I really love their house loaf - you can really taste the wheatiness of the flour, but $3 for what is basically a large roll is ridiculous. I like Le Fournil's baguettes, but they don't blow me away. Amazing value for money though. The La Brea bread you get around town isn't bad, I suppose, but it also doesn't knock my socks off. So whose bread do you like best ? - S

Once or twice a year we host a Danish style lunch of open-face sandwiches. Not too many of our guests are Danes so I prefer not to pre-make the sandwiches but allow each guest to build to their taste. I like to serve a wide variety of breads but have yet to find a way to keep them from drying out at the table. To slice to order would simply disrupt the informality and easy-going conversation (lubricated with lots of ice-cold Akvavit washed down with beer!). I try to put out a reasonable variety of breads in a number of baskets and top it up when needed but even so, during a three to four hour meal, the bread tends to curl and dry out. Wrapping it in napkins doesn't seem to help much - any ideas? I'm preparing a mini-Danish lunch for The Dane and I right now, and we'll make do with the wrapped bread within easy reach but that's not the answer for guests! Thanks.

Trio has been throwing around the idea of eliminating bread service for some time now. We currently serve three rolls, a sour dough, a country white, and a toasted farro sour, all of which we produce onsite and all of which I feel are good, but not in line with the cuisine in terms of inventiveness. And more importantly I challenge the fuction of the bread itself within scope of the food at Trio. Bread rarely compliments the dishes except on rare occasions. The bread service itself has been elevated due to the variety, freshness, and condiments (fresh vermont butter) but I feel it is time to move on, for the sake of the food, the experience , and the movement. So, how do you all feel about bread? Is it expected when dinning? Does the history of bread require it to be present at every meal? Is it habit? Why do you eat bread at a restaurant? Satiation? Boredom? Again, habit? What makes good bread service? What meals have you consumed without bread? After much conversation we have come up with what we think is a good replacement to bread service. Something that will facilitate satiation, combat boredom, sooth habit, and add a layer of complexity to the dinning experience. Each course will be served with a snack intended to mimic the flavors present in the dish. This snack will be left on the table while the diner waits for the next course. The idea is the snack will echo the flavors of the previous course. It would be removed just before the next course arrived. Let me give an example. Our current 4 course menu reads ... Chilled English Pea Soup eucalyptus ice cube, preserved lemon, melon with this course we would serve each guest a small bowl of crunchy eucalyptus peas to enjoy with and after they consume their soup. Wild Striped Bass bee balm, summer squashes, garlic with this course thin wafers of sweet garlic Puffed and Poached Elysian Fields Farm Lamb raw peanuts, sasafrass aroma with this course a savory sasafrass scented peanut brittle the same format would be followed with the tasting and the tour menu options. It seems like another avenue for creativity and the layering of complexity to the experinece. Any thoughts?

So where could a fella get some good brioche 'round these here NorthWest parts?

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I have been given the task of re-inventing the "Bistro's" bread basket, it know contains: Nice soft pesto foccacia rolls, sweet cornbread and jj flat crackers. The chef wanst more, but doesnt know what..... I was thinking possibly a biscuit of some kind: sweet potato, maybe herb? A loaf of................ Please keep in mind that I am part time at this place and I need to produce in advance or teach someone how to make these items. Please help...............

So, I'm currently in my Amsterdam Hotel (Okura) looking over my room-service breakfast. Among the more normal thing is a small box of chocolate sprinkles. The box clearly shows that I am supposed to put it on my toast. The one bit of English reads "Pure chocolate sprinkles for bread." Can someone help me out here. What's the deal? Do I butter the toast first? Bruce

My friend and I have been getting together weekly to make different curry dishes and try out new recipes. Generally we will make chapatis along with the meal to have with apricot chutney. We are wanting to try other breads to go with our meals - any suggestions? Also, I was making a cucumber raita to go with cumin scented chicken. I was wondering first of all how hot this is supposed to be - our recipe called for 1 fresh green chilli seeded and chopped (along with 1/2 a cucumber, 1 1/4 cups yogurt, 1/4 t salt and 1/4 tsp cumin)? The reason I asked was because in spite of the presence of the chilli, it didn't seem inordinately hot to me (I suppose the yogurt has a cooling effect). Second, is raita only a meat accompaniment? Thanks for any help! Matthew

I'm going to bake some bread on my grill tonight. A friend made this at a cook-out-in (this is when a cook-out is planned but moved inside because of our rotten weather this spring) and it was very good. Much better than the overcooked beer can chicken. Why don't people use meat thermometers? I made some dough this morning with lots of olive oil and garlic, rosemary, and chives in the dough. It is proofing in the fridge right now. Has anyone ever baked bread on the grill? Any advice? I was going to build a very hot fire and bake the dough over indirect heat.

It finally opened. Last Friday, at 8.00am, suddenly and quietly. So, having taken the weekend off, here are a few thoughts, explaining a little about the bakery that sits alongside a bar and simple-food kitchen. As I’m just the start-up guy, the journeyman baker, and certainly not a spokesman for the company, these thoughts are simply personal observations and history about a rather special group of activities enclosed within the space. As my involvement will end shortly (within the next few weeks) and I start the next project, I thought as Andy suggested I participate more, that I would let you in on the personal thoughts behind my work there. The history and preparation... Initially, when St. John in Smithfield opened almost 10 years ago, I set up the bakery. Following my departure, the bread at St. John was maintained and nurtured for 8 years by Manuel Monade, who together with Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver, planned to open a bakery somewhere around Brick Lane. The three had worked quietly trying to secure a site, and finally last year, signed to the property in Commercial Street, E1. Then Manuel suddenly departed, and that left a big space in the project. Fergus and Margot (his wife) had suggested I became involved, and I put forward ideas for head bakers. Eventually, we felt that the best solution was to employ from within the company, and St. John’s pastry chef Justin Gellatly was offered the position of head baker at the new bakery. This made sense because my thought had been to combine the bakery and pastry sections into one cohesive unit, and though the bakery methods I would install would be fundamentally different to those used at old St. John (changing from quick no-time doughs, to slowly mixed fermented artisan baking), essentially they would be easy to teach if the interest and willingness was there. And Justin has made the effort to embrace these values. I set rules for myself to guide to work. Firstly, I would write the dough methods and alter them to work with the chosen flour. This decision was, in part, an attempt to correct my own approach to baking, which had become increasing driven by dissatisfaction with the ingredients, an approach I could not justify. Surely the grain grown locally (in East Anglia and Kent) was capable of baking good bread? For hundreds of years it did, why not now? So initially I looked to 2 small mills, where the slow milling methods might also add flavour, texture and colour to the loaf – Redbournbury watermill in St. Albans (01582 792 874), and Maud Foster windmill in Lincolnshire (01205 352188). These flours were used initially in the tests for St. John B&W (baked suing the ovens at Locanda Locatelli). However, after a recommendation from Troels Bendex at Breads Ecetera (07811 189 545), and Paul Merry, I finally settled with Cann Mills (a watermill in Shaftsbury, Dorset -01747 852 475; Paul runs his bakery courses there). Secondly, the bread would be baked in the late afternoon, for purchase and delivery early evening (5pm) - when friends want to buy bread, and making it an more attractive proposition for potential employees (the people who ‘love working nights and sleeping during the day’ are perhaps not the people you want to employ). In many countries, bakeries within a town will bake at different times, and be closed on different days, to avoid chasing the same buck. It also means that, as a customer, you watch the bread being baked. All of the breads use a sour ferment, and we have three (a white, a mixed grain – white, rye and wholemeal, and a rye/cider). The ferments are kept at a cool temperature (15C) in the cellars, and are refreshed with equal quantities of flour and liquid (water usually). There are four breads, all organic, that I have worked with the bakery on, the ordinary White (Cann stoneground white flour, sour ferment, water, salt and commercial yeast – 0.7%), the ordinary Brown (Cann stoneground white flour, wholewheat flour, sour ferment, water, salt and commercial yeast – 0.7%), the rye (Cann stoneground white flour, rye flour, rye grains, sour ferment, water, salt and commercial yeast – 0.7%), and the Leaven (Cann stoneground white flour, wholewheat flour, sour ferment, water, and salt). All are openly textured, with a thick crisp crust. The bakery equipment was sourced by Les Nightingale (01733 324 363), and chosen and designed by myself. The bakery team, as of today, is Justin Gellatly (Head Baker), A-Cau Duong (the baker who maintained the old SJ bakery with Manuel and after until this opened), Warren Blakeman, Chris Niewiarowski, and Suzanne Banks. And the rest? Run by GM Lou Barclay, with head chef Carl Goward and bar manager Jo Norman, its almost an English diner, or a Parisian cafe. Quite dour and northern European, the dining room serves (at any one time) a few simple dishes, though these groupings change throughout the day. Ginger cake, and egg and bacon bits in the morning, seed cake and madeira at 11's, two or three simple braises (tripe, duck legs and carrots, say) cooked in the bakery oven, bread, salty butter, prune tarts and thick cream, washed down with good French (only) wine. Late afternoon will see the arrival of little madelines, eccles cakes and shortbread, And the evening rolls on with more dishes to settle the stomach. St. John Bread and Wine, 94 - 96 Commercial Street, E1 6LZ, telephone 020 7247 8724, fax 020 7247 8924, http://www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk

I ran across an 'only in Japan' bread today, it was a French style baguette filled with mentaiko (spicy cod roe) and butter. It was actually so good I went back for 3 samples. We discussed bread a little in the yoshoku thread, but what are some of your favorite Japanese breads?

I have gone through all the different threads on all Indian breads located on the eGullet forums, but I have yet to find anything that simply discusses the whole scope of bread names and terminology. As one who is familiar with eating many breads but hearing several different possible names attached to them, there is no clear idea in my mind that separates each one. I'll just name a few things and maybe everyone can help expand the list and elaborate: Poori Bhatura Dosa Chapati Paratha Thanks a lot! Joel